Hacktoberfest this year was a completely different beast. Instead of hunting for the perfect repository to submit a pull request, I challenged myself to build and launch four distinct projects from the ground up. Over the course of the month, I pushed my boundaries across different tech stacks, shifting from my day-to-day Java Full Stack workflows into mobile app development and local AI integrations.
Here is what I shipped during the marathon:
InsuranceSamjho: https://insurancesamjho.tech ā Bridging the gap between complex healthcare jargon and everyday readability. I built this AI-powered web application using Modal LLMs to parse and simplify dense policy documents, backed by a Spring Boot API Gateway for secure routing, and a highly responsive Vercel frontend.Scroll Sloth: A digital wellbeing Android application (com.halfbloodcoder.scrollsloth) designed to curb the endless scroll. Built entirely with Kotlin and Jetpack Compose, it acts as a reality check by tracking short-form video consumption across YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and Facebook Reels.BioDex: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.halfbloodcoder.biodex ā An offline plant-collector simulation Android game (com.halfbloodcoder.biodex). It features live plant photo capture, collectible cards, and deck management, turning standard nature walks into an interactive experience.Interview-Prep Buddy: https://www.interview-prep.online/ ā A privacy-first AI interview coaching platform that runs entirely on your local machine. By integrating Ollama with local open-weight models, it locally parses your resume and target job descriptions to generate tailored question banks and provides live voice rehearsal with transparent scoringāall without sending sensitive data to the cloud.My Biggest Takeaways
Juggling four diverse projects simultaneously under my HalfBloodCoder developer account was the ultimate stress test for time management and context switching. One day I was architecting a Java Spring Boot backend, and the next, I was managing UI state in Jetpack Compose or optimizing local AI inference routing.
This experience reinforced the importance of building adaptable, modular architectures. It also proved that stepping outside your core stackāwhether that means learning mobile paradigms or integrating open-weight LLMsāis the absolute fastest way to grow as a software engineer.
Iād love to connect with others who participated this year. What was your biggest technical hurdle during Hacktoberfest?
Happy coding! š
Cheers,
The Half-Blood Coder
Nox!
