Hey everyone,

I’m a solo developer working on a expense tracker web app. My stack is Django REST Framework (DRF) on the backend and Vanilla JS / HTML / CSS on the frontend.

I’ve been grinding on this for 5 months. Right now, my progress is completely lopsided:

Backend: ~96% complete (heavy logic, multi-currency support, automated tracking)

Frontend: ~30% complete

Since I learn entirely through project-based coding, I didn’t know how to properly manage a project of this scale when I started. My workflow evolved entirely out of necessity:

I started writing frontend code with zero planning, just chasing a "good look."

Hit a wall with layouts, discovered Figma, and started wireframing components properly.

Struggled to mock data, so I dove headfirst into DRF to build a real backend.

My workflow got messy, so I adopted Notion to handle my TODO lists.

The Bottleneck: Now that my backend is incredibly complex for me. I am struggling to shift my brain from pure code to UX. It’s incredibly hard to optimize endpoints, find weak spots and edge cases when I'm just staring at a bunch of endpoints.

My Questions for the Seniors:

1. How do you structure your full-stack workflow from scratch? What do you build first?
2. How do you stop yourself from over-engineering the backend?

the project: https://github.com/NickSilverTech/Balancr

Currently im thinking about pausing the project. i think it is slowing me down, and i want to start thinking about jumping into the market

NOTE* i have posted similar post here on my other account before, but it got banned, so im reposting it.

Hi there, I just started The Odin Project and am 19% through the foundations course. I lately realized how chatGPT can assist making websites and a lot of people have done so already.

I wanted to know if I complete TOP and start job hunting for entry level roles, what will the competition be like? Are entry level developers even required in 2026? I just want to know if it is a good decision to do TOP or should I shift to something that is less likely to be taken over by AI.

Thanks in advance, I'm feeling a bit confused right now.

So far on my full stack journey, I have been trying to stay on the right path and make sure I'm learning the correct topics in order. I came across a topic on YouTube about how people who have learned JS decided to jump straight to Node.js to learn backend but I've also been told to learn React before going to Node.js. I've been also deciding on if I want to eventually go deeper into backend development which kind've makes me want to jump straight to learning node.js but I honestly don't know what to do.

Hwley greetings, currently i passed out my 8th semester with btech in cse with internet of things & cyber security with block chain technology and i am planning to start a placement assisted course of java full stack development in hyderabad, do anyone have a advice or tips ??

When you're fullstack and solo, every side project is really two projects. a backend repo, a frontend repo, an API between them, auth crossing that boundary, two deploys that have to move together. and you're the whole team for both. i kept seeing posts here about how "fullstack" keeps expanding into doing everyone's job, and honestly for indie projects i felt that the most in the glue work, not the actual features.

so back in August 2022 I started a project called fymo, to make one-repo Python+Svelte projects a normal thing to build. got stuck early, compiling Svelte from Python and making the two sides talk to each other was beyond me then, so it sat there for a while, like my other side projects did. between years, i came back and forth, but this time it stuck, and I finished it.

the shape of it: Python renders real Svelte 5 components, controllers return dicts that land in components as props, and Python functions become typed functions you import in Svelte, so no serializer, no endpoint, no fetch code. fymo new gives a running app with sign in, fymo generate resource posts gives a routed page, CRUD endpoints and passing tests. one repo, one deploy.

it's v0.20, one maintainer, needs Node installed, no ORM. things still break between versions, loudly though.

Repo: https://github.com/Bishwas-py/fymo -> pip install fymo

curious how other solo devs handle this though. do you just eat the two-repo cost, use a monorepo with turborepo or something, or collapse the stack some other way? genuinely asking, because the glue work is where my projects used to die.

Building a CLI based notes app with TypeScript and INK that you can access from anywhere on your system just by writing "notescli" in your terminal

Some features :

\- saves notes in .md files

\- connects to github and syncs your notes

\- AI formatting, so u just write in it, and it gets formated on its own. (Still doubtful but will try to implement)

Possibly gonna ship an npm package out of it.

If you have any features that you think might be useful in this type of app or some add-ons, I would appreciate them. And please review the idea. It will kinda be my flagship project on my resume.

Full time dev for 2 years, first year was predominantly front end, strengthening tailwind getting used to component driven cms content, Laravel blade files etc.
Then a chunk of backend projects, PHP, sql etc and one project in React.

I want to get a new job but I’m not seeing any junior full stack jobs. I’m still a junior but want to move because I don’t get a ton of work, I don’t think I’m busy enough and learning enough.

I’ve got an interview for a front end position, where they use Vue. I was considering going for it to get a year of Vue and JavaScript experience. To then pivot back to full stack, because I do like backend work.

Is this a mistake? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm 18 and working as a full-stack developer at a small agency that builds sites, systems, and apps for clients. Self-taught, no senior guiding me, so I'm trying to figure out what to learn next on my own.

My stack:

• Laravel (backend), Nuxt + Tailwind (frontend), MySQL
• Mostly shared hosting, though I've done some VPS deployments
• UI/UX design is one of my stronger skills

I can build and ship complete web apps end to end. I'm already comfortable with:

• Laravel queues and caching
• Frontend rendering — SSR, SSG, and when to use which
• Building APIs and auth (both session- and token-based)

Where I feel thin is everything around the code — the infra and DevOps side:

• Docker + Linux server management
• Proper VPS setups, CI/CD
• AWS / cloud platforms
• Security hardening
• System design at scale
• Database design & optimization (I can build schemas, but I'm not confident on indexing/performance at scale)

So my core question: at my level, do I go deeper into the Laravel/Nuxt topics I haven't mastered yet, or focus on building out the infra/DevOps side now?

I don't have a mentor or a clear path, but I taught myself web dev so I'm confident I can teach myself the rest I just don't know the right sequence. What would a realistic 1–2 year roadmap look like from where I am?

i need a real advice from someone who knows the feeling to be overwhelemd also i really want to build my own startup cause i can see the clearly thee problems in mine the one imworking on it so i need an advice like im you kid haha

Soy de Latinoamérica y Quiero entrar a este mundo y desearia saber si se gana tanto como se puede ver en reseñas de internet

I am planning to learn web development (front end and back end) and I am doing it in order to get a full time job. I have to buy a laptop, 15.6 or 16 inch. What configuration the laptop should be so that everything will run smoothly for the next 5 years? Need some suggestions please, thanks!

I am starting with a flagship project of my resume, majorly backend. A project that would get me noticed. Can someone tell me what kind of projects recruiters are looking for in today's market.

Is it scalability? Like made a chat application, but it handles 10000 users and has Redis and all.

Or is it technical complexity? Like make an IDE on which users can edit code simultaneously. No git pull push.

Hi! I'm now going to tackle how to become a fullstack developer. I have knowledge of technologies such as HTML, CSS (especially Tailwind), JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, and Git. I am now going to switch to React for my frontend and Laravel for my backend. I have zero knowledge with these two so it will take some time but I successfully connected the two already.

These are the technologies I'm going to use:

React

Tailwind

Laravel

MySQL/MariaDB

Git

I was just wondering if you guys have any advice or tips that you can give me. Any pointers that I need to do. Thank you!

Hi, 9 months ago I had a mental breakdown and I completely stopped coding and living. I already have a pretty good knowledge of the Javascript language and understanding of React. I was doing a course on Udemy and I stopped it. My goal since I started (almost 2 years ago) is the one to be able to make solid SaaS products. I have no idea on how to continue from here, there are so many things to learn and also AI. I don't want to build using AI too much I want to have the actual skills to do it. How should I move? don't tell me to just build something you still need to know the language you are using and it's rules. So what should i do? courses again? that seems just long and endless. Help me out, thanks.

Been 3 yrs working as frontend dev with angular majorly. I joined my current company as a fresher and have been working only on frontend since then. The problem is that our teams are pretty strictly divided so frontend developers don't really get chances to work on backend stuff.
Bcz of this i feel have no idea what is getting cooked in backend.

I want to switch jobs but honestly I don't want to switch as only a frontend dev, want to move towards as Full stack role.

I did started learning Node.js, Express (as it is JS based) and MongoDB on my own, covered basics, CRUD APIs and middleware etc.. although company techstack uses SpringBoot and other things which I don't have much idea about.

I want to seriously start preparing for this transition now!!!

I wanted to ask people here who have actually moved from frontend to Full stack:
- how did you approach transition and how difficult was it to convince companies to hire you as full stack instead of only frontend?

- what all topics you covered in backend?

- did you continue with nodejs or moved to other springboot/Go etcc (if u started with nodejs like me)?

- What kind of projects did you add in resume?

- how much Backend knowledge i should know?

- How much DSA is expected for someone with ~3 YOE? Is striver sheet enough??

would you love to hear your opinions, Thanks!

beginner here, just hoping to learn more about the difference, which is harder. i heard about testflight or whatever. open to advice!

Hi all,

I have been working in thingworx navigate for 2.5 years now and I don't see any career growth here now and also no opportunity.

I want to switch into the backend I have learnt express in my college days and want to get into the node backend developer role.

But I have doubts about how I can do this like what are all the things I need to focus on what are the places I can apply and what I should study for interviews.

I feel completely stuck in my career and this feeling of being stuck is eatinge from within.

Any help on how to do this transition or guidance is much appreciated.

Thank you.

About me- I work in an MNC with 2.5 yoe in ptc thingworx navigate. Have been considering these courses by airtribe also but it doesn't seem like a good shot.

Please help

I want to build a SaaS company but don't have technical background. With the rise of vibe coding, is it still worth it to learn JavaScript, React , Next?

If the answer is yes, how would you recommend a newbie learn them?

Hello everyone I am unable to decide what should I learn and where should I go I want to make my career in tech industry I'm going to start my learning and I have decided to start backend development but I am unable to choose which tech stack to learn either nest JS backend with javascript/typescript or Fastapi with Python ecosystem

And in the current scenario, what to choose and why..??

I want to choose fastapi backend development but the problem is there there are no any jobs for fastapi backend , all they are job for only node js nestjs backend........Any guidance and suggestions will be helpful !!!!

Hi everyone,

I have 1.6 years of software engineering experience (including a 3-month internship), Current Package - 9LPA . My professional experience is entirely in Shopify development, where I work with JavaScript, Liquid, APIs, and production e-commerce projects.

My long-term goal is to work at Adobe, Microsoft, Flipkart, Myntra, Atlassian, or similar product-based companies as a Software Engineer.

I'm willing to learn whatever is required, but I'm confused about the right tech stack.

Should I:

Continue with JavaScript → React → Node.js (MERN/Node ecosystem), or

Learn Java + Spring Boot while keeping React for the frontend?

I don't want to optimize for freelancing or startups. My only goal is maximizing my chances of getting into top product companies.

Questions:

Which backend stack is more valuable for these companies in 2026?

Does knowing Spring Boot provide a significant advantage over Node.js?

If you were in my position with 1.6 YOE, what would you learn over the next 12–18 months?

Are there engineers here who transitioned from Shopify/web development into product companies? What path did you take?

I'd appreciate advice from people who have interviewed at or worked in these companies rather than generic "learn what you like" answers.

Thanks!

2019 graduate. 2.5 years Experience as Data analyst lost job to layoff and had to take career brake due to family problem. Thought of switching career in full stack. Need genuine advice.

How to prepare for interviews and get a job?

Detailed roadmap, resources

The question. I see many people on here who are applying to jobs and all but not getting replies.

Then I see people who do learn in public posting their progress and stuff, and I have also heard that helps builds credibility and easier for recruiters to reach out to you.

What's the catch here??

knowledge and understanding on C#

I have lots of doubts about this.

On one hand, Angular is very structured and all is separated. Also, I love reactive forms and services. I link it to Supabase as back when it is just for me or very small scale, Nestjs for normal projects and Spring for working in big companies. I loved PrimeNG but it is a headache to update and transform. I plan to learn Angular Aria.

On the other hand it is Sveltekit. Simple, clear, as JavaScript should be. But I like to separate files and complex forms and services. It gives a lot of freedom and it is fast. In every way, it run just faster than Angular. But to update it, is also a little of headache.

👋 Hi everyone,

I’m a Full Stack Developer with hands-on experience in building multiple projects using PHP, Laravel, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MERN stack, REST APIs, third-party API integrations, and real-time chat applications with WebSockets, all managed through Git.

Some of my projects are already live. Currently, I’m working on an ERP system in CodeIgniter and developing a chat app backend in Express.js.

However, despite completing my daily tasks successfully, I often feel that I’m still not as confident as I should be in this field. I want to identify where I might be lacking and how I can strengthen my technical confidence and consistency.

💡 Any genuine advice, tips, or personal experiences from fellow developers would be truly appreciated.

FullStackDeveloper #LearningJourney #WebDevelopment #DevelopersCommunity #GrowthMindset

Hi everyone,

I am seeking guidance. I am a React Developer with 3 years of experience. Now, I want to become a full-stack developer. I have to choose between Node/Express and Python.

I know it will be very easy for me to land a job with Node/Express, but as you know, if we want to integrate AI with full power, Python stands out. Yes, JavaScript can do it, but I've found some things that JavaScript can't do.

Am I right to go with Python with React? I still have some confusion about my decision.