DEV Community: Belkacem Halim

Why I built a tool with 0 frameworks, 0 backend, and why it's better for your data privacy

Belkacem Halim — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 10:25:33 +0000

Every modern side-project seems to follow the same blueprint: Spin up a massive Next.js repo, configure a complex database, hook up authentication, and force users to create an account just to generate a simple file.

I got tired of this bloatware culture. Especially for something as sensitive as a resume.

When you build a CV on standard online builders, your personal details, email, phone number, and work history are stored on a third-party database. Often, you finish typing everything only to hit a paywall right before downloading your PDF.

I wanted to fix both the developer bloat and the user experience. So I built forgcv.com.

The Minimalist Stack
I challenged myself to keep the code footprint as close to zero as possible. No frameworks, no heavy dependencies:

Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript & Tailwind CSS (for fast, lightweight utility styling).

Backend: Absolute zero. There is no database.

Privacy: 100% Client-Side via LocalStorage. Your personal details stay directly inside your own browser. I don't own, track, or look at your data.

Rendering: Clean HTML layout structures designed to be completely lightning-fast and structurally optimized for parsing systems (ATS).

Here is a quick 30-second workflow video showing the engine in action:

[INSÈRE TA VIDÉO ICI OU METS UN LIEN VERS TON POST X / YOUTUBE]

Why Deleting Features Was the Best Feature
The baseline instinct for an app like this is to give infinite customization—color wheels, custom fonts, multi-column dragging layouts.

But looking at recruitment tracking data, too much layout freedom actually causes users to build unreadable resumes that get rejected by automated filters.

By locking down the grid, standardizing the vertical axes, and only offering 6 optimized typography layouts, the tool handles the architectural guardrails. The user just focuses on writing their achievements. It decouples content creation from layout rendering.

Check it out
The tool is completely live, open, and free to use. No ads, no hidden credit card screens.

Live App: forgcv.com

I'd love to hear your thoughts, especially from other developers here: Do you still prefer picking a framework (React/Vue/Next) by default for simple utilities, or do you still see the power in pure Vanilla JS execution? Let's discuss in the comments below!

Why I built a CV maker with 0 dependencies, 0 backend, and 0 signups published: true

Belkacem Halim — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:55:32 +0000

The online resume builder market is fundamentally broken. You spend an hour carefully crafting your experience, adjusting the margins, and tailoring your bullet points. You click "Export"... and BOOM. A hidden paywall pops up asking for $19.99/month.

As an Operations Manager and developer, I absolutely hate useless friction. So I spent my nights engineering a solution that respects users.

I built ForgCV.

-The Philosophy
Zero Signups: No accounts, no email verification, no onboarding wheels.

100% Privacy-first: No database. Your data never leaves your browser and stays completely local (LocalStorage).
Pure Performance: No React, no Vue, no heavy framework. Just Vanilla JS and Tailwind CSS. It loads in under a second.

The Technical Challenge: Pixel-Perfect PDFs
One of the biggest hurdles was generating a clean, ATS-optimized PDF directly on the client side without a backend server. Getting a multi-language layout (supporting 8 languages) to render beautifully with custom print margins took weeks of tuning.

I relied heavily on clean, semantic HTML structure so automated application tracking systems (ATS) can parse the text perfectly.

The tool is live, 100% free, and open-source:
👉 https://forgcv.com

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the architecture! How do you usually handle heavy client-side document generation?

Drop your feedback below!

I built a free CV builder with no signup – here’s what I learned

Belkacem Halim — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:33:57 +0000

I built a free CV builder with no signup – here’s what I learned

Creating a CV online is often more complicated than it should be.

Most tools require signup, limit features, or push users into paid plans before they can even download a basic resume.

I wanted to change that.

The idea

I built a simple CV builder that lets anyone:

create a resume instantly
download it as PDF
without creating an account

👉 https://forgcv.com

The goal was to remove friction completely.

Why no signup?

I noticed something simple:

For quick tasks like creating a CV, users don’t want to:

create accounts
verify emails
remember passwords

They just want to get the job done.

So I removed that step entirely.

What I focused on

Instead of building a complex platform, I focused on:

speed
simplicity
mobile usability
instant PDF generation

The experience is:

open → fill → download → done

Challenges

One of the biggest challenges was generating a clean and consistent PDF across devices.

Another was keeping the UI simple without limiting usability.

It’s very easy to overbuild — I tried not to.

What I learned

Simplicity is harder than complexity
Removing friction improves user experience
Users value speed more than features

What’s next

I’m currently improving the product and exploring:

better templates
multi-language support
UX improvements

If you try it, I’d really appreciate your feedback.

👉 https://forgcv.com

I built a free CV builder in vanilla JS — no frameworks, no backend

Belkacem Halim — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 19:10:05 +0000

I spent the last few months building ForgCV — a free CV and cover letter
builder that runs entirely in the browser.

No React, no Vue, no npm. Pure HTML/CSS/JS.

Why vanilla JS?

Loads in under 1 second
Zero dependencies to break
Works on any device

The hardest part wasn't the tech — it was the PDF generation.
jsPDF works, but getting pixel-perfect output from HTML took weeks of tuning.

The product: forgcv.com

6 ATS templates
Cover letter generator (8 languages)
Country guides (France, Germany, UK, Netherlands...)
Zero data collected

Happy to answer questions about the architecture.