We all want to build cool things. But the reality is that many side projects end up half-finished or sitting in a repo that never gets deployed. That’s why weekend-friendly projects are so powerful: they’re small, scoped, and give you something concrete to show off in just a couple of days.
Pro Tip: If your weekend project involves APIs — whether you’re building a weather app, a chat app, or a microservice — tools like Apidog can save you hours. It combines API design, testing, and debugging in one place, making it easier to get your project running smoothly without juggling multiple tools.
In this guide, I’ve rounded up 10 open source projects you can realistically build in a weekend. Each one teaches you something useful, from frontend frameworks to APIs and databases. I’ll also share deployment tips, so you don’t just stop at coding but also ship your project live.
By the end, you should have no excuses — just pick one, fork the repo, and start building.
1. Personal Blog Generator
Repo: Hugo
Every developer should have a blog. It’s your space to write, document, and share what you’re learning. The good news? You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Hugo, one of the most popular static site generators, can be up and running in a couple of hours.
What you’ll learn:
- Working with static site generators
- Markdown-based publishing
- Theme customization
- GitHub Pages/Netlify deployment
Weekend scope: Pick a theme, set up your first two blog posts, and publish to GitHub Pages.
Pro tip: Once you deploy, use a custom domain from Namecheap or Cloudflare. That’s when your blog starts looking professional.
2. Kanban Board (Trello Clone)
Repo: Planka
Project management is everywhere, and Kanban is one of the simplest ways to track tasks. Planka is a polished, open source Trello alternative that teaches you both frontend and backend concepts.
What you’ll learn:
- React for UI building
- Node.js + PostgreSQL backend
- WebSockets for real-time updates
- Docker-based deployment
Weekend scope: Deploy Planka locally with Docker, create a board for your tasks, and invite a friend to test real-time collaboration.
Pro tip: If you want to go further, fork it and add your own custom card labels or automation rules.
3. URL Shortener
Repo: Kutt
We’ve all used Bitly or TinyURL. With Kutt, you can host your own link shortener. It’s quick to set up, useful in real life, and teaches you about APIs, databases, and dashboards.
What you’ll learn:
- Building and consuming REST APIs
- User authentication
- Database-backed storage
- Analytics dashboards
Weekend scope: Deploy your own instance on Vercel or Render, shorten links, and share with friends.
Pro tip: If you’re active on social media, use it to track click stats for your posts.
4. Chat Application
Repo: Rocket.Chat
Building a chat app from scratch would take weeks, but Rocket.Chat is a ready-made open source alternative to Slack. Setting it up is an amazing way to understand real-time communication systems.
What you’ll learn:
- WebSocket-based communication
- Authentication and OAuth
- File sharing + notifications
- Deploying with Docker
Weekend scope: Deploy Rocket.Chat on a free-tier server (like AWS EC2 micro or DigitalOcean droplet) and invite your team to use it for project discussions.
Pro tip: Integrate it with GitHub or Jira so you can see commits and issues inside your chat.
5. Weather Dashboard
Repo: Weather-App
This one’s great for beginners who want to learn APIs and frontend basics. A weather dashboard feels tangible and only needs an API key from OpenWeather to work.
What you’ll learn:
- Fetching and rendering API data
- React component structure
- Responsive UI
- Simple API rate-limiting handling
Weekend scope: Build a dashboard that lets you search for any city, displays the current weather, and shows a 5-day forecast.
Pro tip: Add geolocation so the app automatically shows the weather where the user is located.
6. Recipe Finder App
Repo: Recipe Finder
Recipe apps are fun because they use real data and give you something useful. With this one, you’ll learn how to work with third-party APIs and display structured data in a clean way.
What you’ll learn:
- API integration
- Filtering and search
- Displaying structured content
- Mobile-friendly layouts
Weekend scope: Set up the app, connect it to a recipe API, and add a search-by-ingredient feature.
Pro tip: Extend it with a “Save Recipe” button that stores results in local storage or a database.
7. Markdown Notes App
Repo: Joplin
Every dev needs a notes app. Joplin is feature-rich, open source, and perfect for studying how sync and encryption work. You don’t have to build the entire thing — fork it and tweak features to make it your own.
What you’ll learn:
- Electron app development
- Markdown parsing
- Syncing data between devices
- End-to-end encryption basics
Weekend scope: Install Joplin, fork it, and experiment with custom themes or plugins.
Pro tip: Even if you don’t fork, you can use it daily to organize code snippets, notes, and research.
8. Expense Tracker
Repo: Expense Tracker
CRUD apps are the bread and butter of learning development. An expense tracker is quick to build and actually useful in day-to-day life.
What you’ll learn:
- State management in React
- Local storage or database persistence
- Chart.js integration for graphs
- Simple CRUD flows
Weekend scope: Build a tracker that lets you add expenses, categorize them, and visualize spending with charts.
Pro tip: Export data to CSV so you can review spending outside the app.
9. URL Bookmark Manager
Repo: Linkding
If your bookmarks are scattered across browsers, this project will help. Linkding is a self-hosted bookmark manager that’s simple but powerful.
What you’ll learn:
- Backend + database setup
- Search and tagging system
- User-friendly UI for CRUD
- Docker deployment
Weekend scope: Spin up Linkding on Docker, import your existing bookmarks, and tag them properly.
Pro tip: Add a browser extension or quick add shortcut to make bookmarking painless.
10. Portfolio Website Starter
Repo: DevFolio
Every dev needs a portfolio. With DevFolio, you can set one up in a few hours, customize sections, and deploy to Netlify.
What you’ll learn:
- React + Material-UI
- JSON configuration
- Responsive layouts
- Deployments on Netlify/Vercel
Weekend scope: Customize your profile, add 3–4 projects, and link your GitHub.
Pro tip: Add a blog section or embed your Dev.to posts directly into the site.
Bonus: APIs on Autopilot
If you’re building something API-heavy (like the weather dashboard or recipe app), you’ll want an API client to test requests fast. There are several great free tools out there — Postman, Hoppscotch, Bruno — that make debugging much easier. Don’t skip this step; it saves hours.
How to Choose Your Project
With 10 options, where should you start? Here’s how I’d decide:
- New to coding? Start with the Weather Dashboard or Expense Tracker.
- Want a real-world utility? Go for the Bookmark Manager or Recipe Finder.
- Need portfolio material? Build the Portfolio Website or Kanban Board.
- Interested in backend? Try the URL Shortener or Rocket.Chat.
The point isn’t to finish perfectly polished apps — it’s to build, learn, and ship something you can be proud of.
Final Thoughts
So pick one, block off your weekend, and build. By the end, you won’t just have code on GitHub you’ll have something live, useful, and uniquely yours.
Side projects don’t have to take months or require a massive team. With the right open source foundation, you can take an idea, customize it, and spin up something impressive in just a weekend. The real value isn’t just in the code you write — it’s in the lessons you learn, the confidence you gain, and the tangible proof that you can build and ship.
Whether it’s a personal blog, a Kanban board, or a chat app, each project on this list is:
- Open source — you can fork, explore, and tweak as much as you want.
- Deployable in days, not weeks — meaning you get instant gratification and motivation to keep going.
- Practical for your portfolio or daily use — so you’re not just building demos, but tools you’ll actually use or showcase.
The best part? Once you finish one, it becomes easier to finish the next. Shipping side projects builds momentum, and momentum is what separates people who talk about ideas from those who bring them to life.
So pick one project, block off your weekend, and start building. By the time Sunday night rolls around, you won’t just have another repo sitting on GitHub — you’ll have something live, useful, and uniquely yours to share with the world.
Top comments (3)
Good article, Emmanuel!
Yeah, I have always been thinking about some ideas for side projects, thx for the list, OP!
Cool list, gonna try it out!