As a side project and at my girlfriends request, I have started writing a full stack application for managing recipes. My plan is to continue developing this and to use it as a way to keep learning the latest technologies outside of working hours, I have had a blast building this and am super excited and passionate about continuing it.

The Stack

Front End

Web App

Language: ReactJS w/ Chakra UI

  • React is industry standard and with Chakra I can move quickly and focus more on features
  • Skills learned here are transferrable to other web frameworks

Mobile App (IOS)

Language: Swift

  • Quick and easy, native IOS development

API

Language: Golang

  • Using mostly standard libraries
  • Using a layered approach for separation of concerns and maintainability
  • Developed my own Auth solution for the time being
  • Quickly became my one of favorite programming languages, I’m also using it daily at my job to develop microservices and tools for my teammates, this will help me continue learning it outside of working hours

Database: PostgreSQL

  • Postgres is free, open source, and always feels nice to use
  • Learning postgres is importatnt as I am building microservices that leverage it at my current job

Current Status

The app is past my first POC stage with multiple key features in place, like

  • CRUD management of recipes
  • user profile and management
  • calendar based meal planning
  • shopping list integrated with recipes
  • importing recipes from other sites using scraping

The code is private for now, but I’m happy to show the live version or talk through specific technical decisions if there is interest. It’s been a good reminder that the best way to learn new tech is to build something you’ll actually use. Plus, my girlfriend is happy with the organized recipes, so that’s a win.