š From LeetCode Grind to Real-World Impact: Why Your Next PR Matters More
The age of AI isnāt comingāitās here. And guess what? Hiring managers and tech leaders arenāt just looking for algorithm wizards anymore. They want developers who ship real code, collaborate on projects people actually use, and solve messy, unpredictable problems. š Forget grinding LeetCode in isolationāyour GitHub activity is your new resume.

Source is a LinkedIn post š
š” Theory is Great, But Codebases Donāt Lie
You wouldnāt learn to swim by reading a manual, right? The same applies to coding. Diving into real-world, production-grade repositories teaches you what tutorials never will:
- How to navigate spaghetti code (and clean it up šā”ļøāØ)
- Where to add AI-powered features that users crave
- Why fixing a tiny bug can have massive ripple effects
These projects arenāt hypotheticalātheyāre used by companies, side hustles, and open-source communities today. And with AI tools like GitHub Copilot or ChatGPT, you can dissect complex logic, brainstorm improvements, and even generate code snippets on the fly.
šÆ No Permission? No Problem.
Worried your PRs might get ignored? Hereās the hack: fork it, own it, and iterate. Most open-source licenses let you create your own spin on a project.
Build a custom UI for that e-commerce tool, add Llama 3 integration to a docs app, or optimize a backendās performance. Use AI as your co-pilot to bridge knowledge gaps. The goal? Showcase initiative, not perfection. Whether you merge upstream or host your fork, youāre proving you can solve problems with code that matters.
Ready to level up? Letās explore these repositories thatāll turn your GitHub into a portfolio powerhouse. š
SWIRL: AI-Powered Search
Swirl is an AI search platform designed to provide instant answers from your company's knowledge base without relocating or moving your data. It integrates with over 100 applications, and 30+ AIs ensuring secure and efficient information retrieval and gives AI summaries. Itās like perplexity or Search GPT for your workplace.
Tech Stack:
- Python
- Django
- Angular
Opportunities for Contribution:
- AI Integration: Enhance the search capabilities by integrating advanced AI models to improve result accuracy.
- Feature Development: Develop new plugins to expand integration with additional enterprise applications.
- UI Enhancement: Redesign the user interface to provide a more intuitive and user-friendly experience.
- Backend Optimization: Refactor backend code to improve performance and scalability.
Resume Matcher: AI-Driven Resume Optimization
Resume Matcher is a free, open-source tool that leverages AI to compare and rank resumes against job descriptions, helping users enhance their applications.
Tech Stack:
- Python
- TypeScript
- Next.js
- Machine Learning
Opportunities for Contribution:
- AI Integration: Incorporate machine learning models to provide personalized resume improvement suggestions.
- Feature Development: Add functionalities like cover letter analysis or interview preparation tips.
- UI Enhancement: Revamp the front-end design to improve user engagement and accessibility.
- Backend Optimization: Enhance the resume parsing algorithm for faster and more accurate results.
Outline: Collaborative Knowledge Base
Outline is a fast, collaborative knowledge base designed for growing teams. It offers real-time collaboration, a rich feature set, and markdown compatibility to streamline information sharing.
Tech Stack:
- Node.js
- React
- PostgreSQL
- Redis
Opportunities for Contribution:
- AI Integration: Implement AI-powered search to help users find relevant information quickly.
- Feature Development: Introduce new collaboration tools, such as real-time commenting or task assignments.
- UI Enhancement: Update the interface to align with modern design trends and improve usability.
- Backend Optimization: Optimize database queries to handle large volumes of data more efficiently.
Fumadocs: Next.js Documentation Framework
Fumadocs is a beautiful documentation framework built with Next.js, enabling developers to create stunning and functional documentation sites effortlessly.
Tech Stack:
- Next.js
- React
- Markdown
Opportunities for Contribution:
- AI Integration: Incorporate AI to generate documentation templates or provide writing assistance.
- Feature Development: Add support for versioning or multi-language documentation.
- UI Enhancement: Design new themes or improve existing ones to offer more customization options.
- Backend Optimization: Streamline the build process to reduce deployment times.
OpenHands: Low-Code AI Development Platform
OpenHands is a platform that enables users to develop AI solutions with minimal coding, accelerating the creation of AI-driven applications.
Tech Stack:
- Python
- JavaScript
- Docker
Opportunities for Contribution:
- AI Integration: Expand the library of pre-built AI models available to users.
- Feature Development: Develop new modules that allow integration with various data sources.
- UI Enhancement: Improve the drag-and-drop interface for a more seamless user experience.
- Backend Optimization: Enhance the system's scalability to support larger projects and teams.
OmniParser: Vision-Based GUI Parsing Tool
OmniParser is a screen parsing tool aimed at enabling pure vision-based GUI agents, facilitating the extraction of structured data from user interface screenshots.
Tech Stack:
- Python
- Computer Vision
- Machine Learning
Opportunities for Contribution:
- AI Integration: Enhance parsing accuracy by integrating advanced computer vision models.
- Feature Development: Add support for parsing a wider variety of GUI elements and layouts.
- UI Enhancement: Develop a graphical interface to visualize parsing results and facilitate user interaction.
- Backend Optimization: Improve the efficiency of parsing algorithms to handle high-resolution images more effectively.
š Wrap-Up: Your Code, Your Legacy
Youāve got the repos. Youāve got the AI tools. Now,Ā itās time to turn inspiration into action! š These projects arenāt just lines of codeātheyāre playgrounds for innovation, collaboration, and proving you canĀ solve real-world problems.
Hereās how to make the most of them:
- ā Star the reposĀ (itās free, and youāll never lose track of them!).
- š Fork and experimentābreak things, add AI magic, rebuild UIs.
- š Check āGood First Issueā tagsĀ for quick PR opportunities.
- š¤ Pair with AI toolsĀ (like ChatGPT or Claude) to brainstorm ideas or debug faster.
A massive THANK YOUĀ to the open-source maintainers behind these projectsātheyāre the unsung heroes enabling our collective growth. š And toĀ you: the fact that youāre here, reading this, means youāre already ahead of the curve.Ā The AI era rewards builders, not bystanders.
Clone a repo today, tweakĀ oneĀ line of code, and watch how a small step becomes a giant leap for your dev journey. š Share your PR wins (or hilarious fails!) on LinkedIn or Xātag #BuildInPublic.Ā The repos are waitingāyour code is the spark.
Now go break things (gracefully š).
P.S. Found a repo you love? Share it in the comment section!







Top comments (7)
I really liked FumaDocs' UI
Thanks, it really is amazing
OmniParser was recently released by Microsoft. It's really amazing that they're publishing more and more cool OSS stuff.
Yes, they released something similar sometime ago as well.
Learning the basics is more important than leet code.
Yes, 100%
just spending time in leetcode to get points, that's all š