A few months ago, I did something different. I started building in public.
I've built plenty of apps before. Most of them died in my local repository, never seeing the light of day. But this time with my Quotes app, I decided to share every step of the journey online. The wins, the bugs, the "why is this not working" moments. All of it.
And guess what? The app just hit 50 stars on GitHub. ⭐
That might not sound like much compared to big open source projects, but for me? It was validation. Proof that people actually cared about what I was building.
🚀 How It Started
I've always wanted to build a Quotes app. Simple idea, right? But I'd never gotten around to it. This time though, I made a promise to myself: I'd build it in public instead of coding alone in my room like I usually do.
Android development can get lonely. And frustrating. Really frustrating. So I started posting updates on Twitter and LinkedIn. Shared my struggles with Jetpack Compose. Talked about architecture decisions. Asked for feedback.
Suddenly, development wasn't boring anymore. People were watching. Commenting. Suggesting improvements. Some even started using the app.
That external accountability pushed me to keep going. When you know people are watching, you can't just abandon the project halfway (well, you technically can, but it feels awkward).
💡 The Real Win: Learning in Public
Building Quotes app wasn't just about stars or downloads. It was about leveling up my skills.
I dove deep into Jetpack Compose. Learned Clean Architecture properly, not just surface level. Started writing actual tests instead of skipping them like before. Improved my understanding of MVVM patterns.
And here's the thing: I made the project open source. Because I learned most of what I know from other people's code. Studying open source projects taught me more than any tutorial ever could. So I wanted to give back.
🎃 Then Hacktoberfest Happened
Last year during Hacktoberfest, I wanted to contribute to Android projects. But finding good ones was... hard. Most projects were web-focused or had codebases too complex for beginners. There weren't many Android apps that welcomed newcomers.
I remember thinking, "Someone should fix this."
So this year, I did.
I opened up both Quotes app and MovieFlix (my movie discovery app) for Hacktoberfest contributions. Clean architecture, modern tech stack, beginner-friendly issues. Everything I wished existed last year.
The response? Way better than expected.
Developers started contributing. First-timers made their first PR. Intermediate devs added features. People from different countries, different skill levels, all working on something together.
It felt good. Really good.
📱 Check Out the Projects
Quotes app: A daily motivation app with modern Android architecture
🔗 https://github.com/shalenMathew/Quotes-app
MovieFlix: Movie discovery app with offline support
🔗 https://github.com/shalenMathew/MovieFlix_App
Tech Stack:
- ✅ Kotlin
- ✅ Jetpack Compose
- ✅ MVVM + Clean Architecture
- ✅ Hilt / Dagger 2
- ✅ Room Database
- ✅ Retrofit
- ✅ Coroutines & Flow
🤝 Why Building in Public Changed Everything
Looking back, sharing my journey publicly was the best decision I made this year.
I connected with developers way better than me. Learned from their feedback. Got motivation when I felt like quitting. Built projects people actually use.
And now during Hacktoberfest, I'm on the other side as a maintainer. Helping others the way open source helped me.
If you're sitting on a side project right now, afraid to share it because "it's not perfect yet" or "what if people judge it," just post it. Tweet about it. Write about your struggles. Share your code.
The worst that happens? Nothing.
The best that happens? You build something real, learn faster, meet amazing people, and maybe even help someone else learn too.
Top comments (3)
Very nice article! I saw this "Build in Public" initiative some time ago and really wanted to try it, but I don't know how to or where to start. If you could tell me how you did it or make another article talking about it, I would appreciate very much!
hey @kaike_m thanks reading the article the best way to start buildin public is share ur learnings in Twitter share what u learn connect with people who are aslo learning in public , join build in public communties connect with people share knowlesge & learn from them
Nice article!