This is a submission for the 2025 Hacktoberfest Writing Challenge: Maintainer Spotlight
When I first started learning backend development, I felt completely lost.
Sure, there were tutorials, courses, and documentation everywhere. But none of it felt like it was for me. Everything assumed I already knew the basics, or worse — skipped the fundamentals entirely. I was trying to learn how to build APIs, handle authentication, work with databases, and deploy services… but I had no idea where to start or what order to follow.
I wasn’t looking for a quick fix. I wanted a path — something practical, step-by-step, that could help me grow from zero.
That’s why I created Backend Challenges.
Why I Built It
At the time, I was struggling to stay motivated. I would start learning something like JWT or Docker, only to realize I didn’t have the right context or experience to fully understand how or why to use it. I’d jump between tutorials, trying to piece together a learning path that didn’t really exist.
So I started building my own challenges. Very simple ones at first — like an API that just returns "Hello, World!". Then a to-do list. Then authentication, file storage, caching… and before I knew it, I had built a series of progressively harder backend exercises, grouped by experience level: Beginner, Junior, Middle, Senior.
Each one taught me something new. Each one pushed me just a little further.
And then it hit me:
“If this helped me so much… maybe it could help others too.”
That’s when I decided to make it open source.
What Makes It Different
There are plenty of challenge-based repos out there, but I wanted to do things differently.
Here’s how Backend Challenges stands apart:
- Structured by skill level — You don’t need to guess where to start. Whether you're a total beginner or already have experience, there's a clear entry point.
- Tech-agnostic — You can use whatever language or framework you’re learning. The focus is on backend concepts, not specific tools.
- Real-world problems — These aren't just toy examples. They mirror the kinds of systems you actually build on the job: authentication services, APIs, email queues, payment integrations, microservices, etc.
- From nothing to something — Many devs don’t have real-world projects to add to their portfolios. Solving these challenges can give you something concrete to show (or even turn into your own startup idea).
But most importantly, it's for people who are just like I was — figuring things out, curious, motivated, but overwhelmed.
The Impact (So Far)
I open-sourced the project without any expectations. I just wanted it to be out there — something that could help others the same way it helped me.
And even though it hasn’t had many pull requests or GitHub issues (yet 😅), I’ve received surprisingly positive feedback through other channels — especially LinkedIn.
People have reached out to tell me they used the challenges to improve their backend skills, to prepare for interviews, or even to create their own spin-off projects. That alone makes it all worth it.
Sometimes the impact of open source isn’t in the contribution graph — it’s in the quiet messages from someone who just wanted to say “Hey, this helped me.”
Why It Still Matters to Me
Even now, after I've grown a lot as a developer, I still come back to this project — not just to maintain it, but to remind myself how far I've come.
This repo is more than a collection of challenges. It’s a reflection of the path I walked — the confusion, the breakthroughs, the late-night debugging sessions, and the satisfaction of building something real.
It’s a small piece of my story, and I’m proud of it.
Want to Contribute?
If you're participating in Hacktoberfest, or just want to contribute to open source in a meaningful way, I’d love to have you involved:
- Solve one of the challenges and share your approach
- Suggest new challenges
- Improve the documentation
- Translate the content into other languages
- Add tooling (like tests or CI)
You can find the project here:
👉 https://github.com/libre-university/backend-challenges
Final Thoughts
If you’re a developer who feels stuck or doesn’t know where to begin, I want you to know:
You’re not alone.
It’s okay to feel overwhelmed.
And it’s totally possible to grow — one challenge at a time.
That’s what this project is really about.
Thanks for reading, and happy coding ❤️
Let’s build something great together.
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