The latest articles on DEV Community by Raphi (@raphidev). https://dev.to/raphidev https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3956045%2F67de2976-2056-4c6f-8687-65e4dbc81692.jpg https://dev.to/raphidev en Raphi Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:14:22 +0000 https://dev.to/raphidev/facelinked-a-truly-social-media-3bl7 https://dev.to/raphidev/facelinked-a-truly-social-media-3bl7 <p><em>This is a submission for the <a href="https://dev.to/challenges/github-2026-05-21">GitHub Finish-Up-A-Thon Challenge</a></em></p> <h2> What I Built </h2> <p>I started this project as a way to escape the noise of social media we have today and to focus on what matters. It was a personal project at first and I just wanted to get an uncluttered messaging working. After a while a few friends of mine started looking into it and liked the vision as well. Then I received a notification of the event and that excitement of finishing it up got all over me - I felt like a kid again.</p> <h2> Demo </h2> <p>Because I want to have control over my data, I self host the version on a small microcontroller, which is more than sufficient for me and my friends. </p> <p>To get a sneak peak at how it looks, check out <a href="https://resplendent-fox-566481.netlify.app" rel="noopener noreferrer">this</a>. (Be aware that this is not functional as there is no server connected)</p> <p>I made some demo accounts to give a sense of how the app looks and feels:</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fp3edktix8x0i75zmsqze.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fp3edktix8x0i75zmsqze.png" alt="Networks" width="800" height="1734"></a></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fphfjr7lxawnvs76it0sb.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fphfjr7lxawnvs76it0sb.png" alt="Profiles" width="800" height="1067"></a></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fjct41v066nbfhcz6jpch.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fjct41v066nbfhcz6jpch.png" alt="Chats" width="800" height="1734"></a></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fhv2tn27n3st7idf4e4gw.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fhv2tn27n3st7idf4e4gw.png" alt="Post creation" width="800" height="1734"></a></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fi0nv6raz4tp9afzb2ng8.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fi0nv6raz4tp9afzb2ng8.png" alt="Comments" width="800" height="1734"></a></p> <h2> The Comeback Story </h2> <p>Because I had the messaging already working, I had to mainly implement the rest of the features, including enhanced profiles, networks and posts creation. Another thing I really had to work on was the design. Before, it was mainly a black and white testing ground - something every end user would be scared of. </p> <h2> My Experience with GitHub Copilot </h2> <p>I am really not talented in terms of designing a usable interface. However, my friends really didn't want to use a half-baked up command line application. Copilot really helped me achieve that polished look. Just to give a glimpse of how it feels, one friend of mine even described it as an enhancing feature when navigating through the tabs.</p> <p>Furthermore, although it mostly was bug free, "It worked, until it didn't". Sometimes I spent hours fixing or rather finding some annoying bugs. And because Copilot is a real expert in these languages, it was quite a moment when it guided me towards finding the mistakes I made.</p> devchallenge githubchallenge