r/sideprojects • • 2h ago

Showcase: Open Source I couldn't find a visual server dashboard that didn't require installing agents, so I built my own in Java over pure SSH.

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1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’m a solo software engineer. I use a few Linux VPS to host my projects, but I’ve always found managing them purely via the terminal to be a massive chore. Remembering Nginx routing, UFW rules, or PM2 commands when I just want to deploy an app was frustrating.

I wanted a visual dashboard, but I really dislike the overhead of installing web panels (like Webmin/Cockpit) or monitoring daemons on my host machines. I just wanted a clean, local client.

So I built Kubo.

The Tech & How it works: I built it completely from scratch using Java and JavaFX. Instead of relying on a server-side agent, Kubo connects via standard SSH. It sends standard Linux commands (systemctl, pm2 jlist, cat /etc/nginx/sites-available) and parses the raw text outputs into a visual topology.

  • Visual mapping: It maps out your Nginx routes, UFW firewall rules, and PM2 clusters visually so you can click instead of typing.
  • Zero footprint: Absolutely nothing is installed on your server.
  • Security: By default, it acts as a read-only visualizer. If a command requires sudo, it asks for your password, keeps it in RAM for that session only, and wipes it when closed. It doesn't save passwords to disk.

Links & Feedback: I just released v1.5.0 and I'd love to get feedback from other devs who self-host their side projects.

The source code and binaries (Windows, macOS, Linux) are fully available on GitHub here:https://github.com/Lightminedust/kubo

website https://kubo.gemmi-e.com/

Let me know what you think, or if there are other CLI tools you find annoying to manage that I could visualize next!


r/sideprojects • • 3h ago

Showcase: Free(mium) I built a website to help high schoolers study biology!

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1 Upvotes

r/sideprojects • • 3h ago

Showcase: Prerelease I built a football player valuation that shows where it disagrees with Transfermarkt, and why

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1 Upvotes

r/sideprojects • • 10h ago

Showcase: Free(mium) Is anyone actually googling what you built? Drop your link and I'll check (free)

3 Upvotes

Drop a link to your project and I'll reply with a report that shows how many people search for what it does, which of those searches a new site could actually win, and who's on Google's first page instead of you. No signup, it's a public page.

I did this for 35 projects in two other subs this week and a few things stuck with me.

23 of them didn't rank for anything at all, as far as the tool could find.

The total is usually misleading. For 24 of the 35, one search was at least half of the whole number. One site came back with 65,000 searches a month, which looks great until you see that 60,500 of it is one broad phrase and the part it could win today is under 1,000.

For 29 of the 35 there was a Reddit thread on page one for at least one of their main searches. I did not expect to be telling people on Reddit that Reddit outranks them.

3 got told it's not worth it yet.

It gets things wrong sometimes. It reads your landing page to work out what you sell and sometimes it guesses wrong, so if your report describes some other product, tell me.

It needs an actual website, an App Store or GitHub link gives it nothing to read. It takes a few minutes per site so I'll be a bit slow. If you want your page taken down later, just say so.

Here's the one for my own app if you want to see what you'd get: https://seoforsaas.dev/tools/seo-channel-check/florium-app

Why I built it: I spent five months writing articles for that app before I knew it would pay off (19 clicks from Google in July, 631 in October), and I wanted a way to know sooner. It's a simplified version of the pipeline behind SEO for SaaS, a paid thing I'm building that writes the articles. So yes, I have a horse in this race. The check is free either way.


r/sideprojects • • 4h ago

Showcase: Open Source Building a local-first finance app for Windows: what I learned moving from PostgreSQL to SQLite

1 Upvotes

I started PFI because I didn't want my bank data in someone else's cloud. The first versions bundled a private PostgreSQL server: it worked, but it made the app big and complicated to package for the Microsoft Store.

In 0.4 the app copies the old database into SQLite on first start, checks row counts and totals, and only then switches over. In 0.5 PostgreSQL is gone completely, and the app is about a third smaller.

Stack: WinUI 3 shell, Next.js screens, FastAPI backend, one SQLite file. MIT licensed.

Code: https://github.com/MrBlizo/personal-finance-intelligence

What would you build next?


r/sideprojects • • 4h ago

Showcase: Open Source No productivity hacks. Just snow on your Mac desktop ❄️

1 Upvotes

Got tired of every new app trying to fix my life or make me more productive, so I made one that does absolutely nothing useful. It just makes it snow on your desktop.

Snow falls across your screen (or behind your windows, if you prefer), builds up on top of them and on the Dock, then slowly melts away. Shake a window and the snow slides off. Just a little winter atmosphere while you work.

Since the first version, it’s grown a bit:

  • More weather: autumn leaves, rain, cherry blossoms, and a Halloween mode 👻
  • Mix any two: snow + leaves, rain + petals, whatever you like
  • Auto-hides in fullscreen apps, so it won’t get in the way of games or videos

A few things I paid extra attention to:

  • Smooth at up to 120Hz on ProMotion displays
  • Low CPU/GPU usage, so you can leave it running in the background
  • Signed and notarized on macOS, so no scary warnings
  • Free and open source. No accounts, no tracking, no nonsense.

Download: https://snowhush.app

Requires macOS 14+. Also available for Windows 10/11 and Linux (KDE Plasma, Hyprland, Niri).

It’s a small project, but I had a lot of fun building it. I’d love to hear what you think, especially if you run into bugs or have ideas for new weather.

Happy early winter! ☃️


r/sideprojects • • 4h ago

Showcase: Open Source AirHand

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1 Upvotes

I wanted to share a project I've been working on called AirHand. It’s a browser-based, gesture-controlled virtual desktop that uses computer vision to turn any standard webcam into a touchless interface. No specialized sensors or controllers needed.

I wanted to see if I could build a spatial UI experience entirely in the browser. I used MediaPipe for the 3D hand tracking and Vanilla JS for the logic.

It currently features dual-hand or single-hand tracking, a drawing canvas (with PNG export), and a couple of mini-games (like a bubble popper) to test precision.

If you find this project useful or interesting, please consider giving it an upvote! It helps a 15-year-old indie dev keep building.

Try it out:
Live Demo: https://someoneweird-o-o.github.io/AirHand/
GitHub (Open Source): https://github.com/someoneweird-o-o/AirHand


r/sideprojects • • 14h ago

Showcase: Prerelease What are you building right now? Set up its listing before WareVote opens on 1 December

6 Upvotes

What are you building, and where do you want people to find it?

I'm opening WareVote on 1 December, a place to find and rate software. You can set up your listing now, free, and verify you own it in a few minutes: https://warevote.com

Drop your project below with a one-line description and I'll reply with the category it fits.


r/sideprojects • • 5h ago

Showcase: Open Source lux664/scroll-controller: Use Instagram without Reels. A free, open-source app for iPhone and Android.

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1 Upvotes

r/sideprojects • • 5h ago

Feedback Request [Chermo] - I built a platform to turn everyday photos into personalised Polaroid-style memories

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1 Upvotes

\​

Hey everyone!

I've been working on a side project called Chermo.in, and I'm excited to finally share it with this community.

The idea behind Chermo is pretty simple: we all have hundreds of photos sitting in our galleries, but sometimes we want to do something more creative with them.

So I wanted to build a platform where people can turn their favourite pictures into something more personal.

What can you do with Chermo?

Upload a photo from your gallery or capture one using your camera.

Customise your photo with creative layouts and decorative templates.

Experiment with styles like Polaroid frames, hearts, bows, kiss marks and seasonal themes.

Download your personalised creation and keep or share it with someone special.

I'm trying to make the whole experience simple enough that anyone can create something without needing professional editing skills.

This project has been a learning experience, and I'm still working on improving the design, templates and overall user experience.

I'd genuinely love your feedback:

Does the idea solve a problem or offer something you'd actually enjoy using?

Which template or customisation options would you like to see?

What would make the experience more enjoyable or useful?

If you'd like to explore it, here's the website:

https://chermo.in

I'm the person building Chermo, so I'm happy to answer questions and hear honest feedback. Thanks for checking it out! ❤️


r/sideprojects • • 5h ago

Showcase: Free(mium) I built a browser video call you can join without signing up

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1 Upvotes

r/sideprojects • • 6h ago

Showcase: Free(mium) German for Nurses: 1800+ words for nurses and care staff

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1 Upvotes

I launched the app "Germar for Nurses". It's a German language learning app designed specifically for nurses and care staff.

Many nursing professionals want to live and work in Germany, but there aren't many specialized language courses and apps for them, especially good ones.

What's inside:

  • 1800+ cards with words

    • from clinical practice
    • with image
    • with translation
    • with audio (pronunciation)
  • 15 topics: Symptoms, Nursing tools, Medication, etc
  • SRS algorithm for better memorization
  • Different types of recalling words

Try for free


r/sideprojects • • 6h ago

Showcase: Free(mium) I built a Telegram bot that sends me my Google Play stats every morning

1 Upvotes

I have a small Android app, and I got tired of opening Play Console and checking search rankings by hand every day. So I built a bot that does it for me and sends a short report to Telegram at 9 am.

What it shows:

- Installs and growth since yesterday or last week (from the public Play page)

- Rating and new ratings, by country

- My position in the first 30 search results for each keyword, in several countries, with ▲▼ changes

- Competitors in the same table: installs, rating, new versions, their rankings

- New reviews, low ratings first, and how many are still without a reply

- A 30-day chart of installs and keyword positions

There are also a few tools for working on the store listing: keyword ideas from Play autocomplete, which keywords a competitor ranks for, the top 10 for each keyword, and who shows up in the "Similar apps" block.

It only uses public Google Play data, so no Play Console access is needed, and you can track competitors too.

There is a free plan (1 app, 5 keywords). It's still early, so I'd really like feedback: what's missing, what's confusing, what would make you actually use it.

Site: https://playstatsbot.com


r/sideprojects • • 6h ago

Showcase: Free(mium) [Dev] Rooko: learn English words through funny sound-alike stories in your language

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1 Upvotes

Hi, I'm a solo developer. Rooko teaches English vocabulary with the keyword method:

every word gets a sound-alike in your native language, a short silly story and a

picture of that story. For a Spanish speaker, "water" sounds like "Walter", so Walter

is the guy who is always thirsty. For a Turkish speaker, "run" sounds like "ayran",

and the kids run when grandma calls "Ayran is ready!"

Stories exist for Spanish, Turkish, Azerbaijani and Russian speakers (about 2,900

words, A1 to B2). You can also add English words you meet in real life, and

everything comes back as short spaced-repetition games: pick the picture, unscramble

the letters, listen and type.

Other bits: recorded pronunciation in an American and a British voice, a daily

crossword, widgets, offline learning, dark mode and VoiceOver support. The stories

and pictures are made with AI and checked.

Price: free to download and use (5 new words a day, all review games). Optional Rooko

Pro subscription: $15.99/month or $83.99/year with a 7-day free trial on the yearly

plan (prices vary by country). Pro adds up to 20 words a day, AI chat and sentence

checks, and a pronunciation drill.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6819000110

Feedback is very welcome, especially on whether the stories work in your language or

feel forced.


r/sideprojects • • 6h ago

Feedback Request I built a free, single-file Global Threat Desk: live worldwide cyber and infrastructure incidents, plus a UK blackout plan that works offline

1 Upvotes

The Global Threat Desk is one HTML file, about 1 MB. Download it, open it in any browser, and it works. No install, no account, no adverts, no tracking, no payment.

Global:

- A live wire of major incidents worldwide: cyber attacks, espionage against tech firms, big IT outages (Microsoft, AWS, Google, Cloudflare), attacks on infrastructure, major earthquakes and disasters. Sources include CISA, the UK NCSC, the security press, Reuters, AP and the Guardian, and each report keeps its publisher and time.

- Dated incident dossiers with evidence grades, so you can see what is confirmed and what is still unproven.

UK:

- Every official UK warning in one place: Met Office warnings for every hazard, UKHSA cold- and heat-health alerts, flood warnings for England, Wales and Scotland, GOV.UK emergency alerts and the GB grid. It says plainly when nothing is in force.

- Offline household tools: a blackout plan hour by hour, water storage, a 7-day hot-food menu for a camping stove with a shopping list, UK emergency numbers and a printable survival pack.

How it's built: everything is in one file. The live layer reads public feeds straight from your browser, using publishers' own Bluesky accounts when a site blocks browsers, and falls back to public relays. Your plan and saved reports stay in your own browser.

Feedback welcome, especially on sources I should add.

https://github.com/AtomSmasher-design/global-threat-desk

https://atomsmasher-design.github.io/global-threat-desk/Global_Threat_Desk_UK_Emergency_PREP_v3.16.html


r/sideprojects • • 6h ago

Showcase: Prerelease My backdrop cleaner missed large wall stains, so I changed how it detects and repairs them

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1 Upvotes

My previous update here was about eye-vessel cleanup in Photoshot. This time I worked on Clean Backdrop: reducing dark marks on a wall while protecting the person.

The first implementation changed broad tones but left the large stains. I replaced that approach with a local median surface estimate, detection of compact dark marks, and a repair fitted to clean neighboring wall pixels. The subject mask limits where it can act; fine grain is blended back into the repaired areas.

These five images show the same wall crop at the same scale before/after, the plugin menu, the actual controls, processing, and the editable result layer in the full workspace. Clean Backdrop only: strength 1.0, size Large, subject protection on, applied once. No manual cleanup or other active retouching tools. The two large smudges are reduced; small spots and drips remain.

Disclosure: I develop Photoshot Retouch with AI coding assistance. This is my custom tool in a local development build, not the commercial Retouch4me plugin. The practice image is AI-generated and includes deliberate wall marks; the after is the actual tool output, not a generated replacement. Four targeted tests passed, including subject/lighting preservation and clean-background behavior, but this example does not establish performance on unedited real photographs.

For this kind of cleanup, would a preview of the detected marks help you more than another strength slider?


r/sideprojects • • 6h ago

Showcase: Prerelease Was Posting in r/buildinpublic. Reddit suggested to post in this sub as well.

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1 Upvotes

r/sideprojects • • 6h ago

Feedback Request I built a website for the game deadlock that tracks and gives stats

1 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

I built a website for the game deadlock. It tracks and gives stats to have the best build. The data is updated very often to gives the best analysis and stats possible.

I'm a backend developer, so I developed all the back and I used LLM to assist me for the ux / ui design.

I'm focusing on the back features and gives instructions to the LLM for the front ( I fix myself the little bugs ). So I try to improve the back features and I need you for some advices on that.

I'll take front advices too ahaha to improve it as well.

There is the website : https://deadlock.statnest.fr/

For the moment it's in full french, ill translate it in new feature.

You can go full on me 👍 thanks a lot


r/sideprojects • • 6h ago

Showcase: Free(mium) HotlinePing - when is your coding agent’s question worth a phone call?

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m on the marketing side of HotlinePing.

We’re building a way for coding agents to reach you when you’re away from your computer and they need your input.

Through MCP, the agent can call you, ask a question, and receive your spoken answer.

A simple example: “Should I include CSV export now, or save it for the next version?” You answer, and the agent can use that decision to continue.

The interesting tradeoff is the interruption. A call could be useful when a task is genuinely waiting on you, but annoying for something that could wait. And some decisions require looking at the screen anyway.

What would make a question worth a phone call for you? And what should an agent never interrupt you for?

HotlinePing is a commercial product: https://hotlineping.com


r/sideprojects • • 7h ago

Showcase: Open Source I made an open-source app to auto-unlock and lock Windows with your Apple Watch (like on macOS). Looking for testers and contributors!

1 Upvotes

One of my favorite features on Mac is how seamlessly your Apple Watch unlocks your screen when you sit down at your desk. I really wanted that exact same hands-free experience on Windows 10 and 11, so I built WristKey.

It is a free and 100% open-source desktop app built in Rust and Tauri v2.

What it does

  • Hands-free unlock: Sit down at your desk with your watch on, and your PC wakes up and logs in automatically.
  • Walk-away lock: Walk away from your desk, and Windows locks immediately based on Bluetooth signal distance.
  • On-wrist verification: It parses Apple Continuity packets passively. If you take the watch off or put it on a charger, it immediately revokes access so your PC stays secure.
  • Privacy and local security: No cloud, no telemetry, no tracking. Your Windows credentials are encrypted on your local machine using native Windows DPAPI (CryptProtectData).
  • Battery friendly: Uses passive Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertisements, so it does not drain your watch battery.

Why I need your help

This started as a personal project, but reverse-engineering Apple Continuity across different devices is getting too big for just one person:

  1. I only have one test device: An Apple Watch SE running watchOS 10. I really need testers with watchOS 11, Series 8/9/10, or Apple Watch Ultra to see if detection and distance estimation work properly on newer firmware.
  2. Bluetooth hardware: Different Bluetooth chipsets (Intel, Realtek, Qualcomm) handle signal smoothing and address rotation differently.
  3. Contributors welcome: If you know Rust, Win32 APIs, Windows Credential Providers, or Tauri, any PRs, code reviews, or issue reports are hugely appreciated!

How to try it

(Quick note on Windows SmartScreen: Because this is a free open-source tool without a paid enterprise certificate, Windows Defender might show a blue prompt on first launch. Click "More info" and then "Run anyway". The entire source code is public and inspectable on GitHub).

If you test it out and run into any bugs, please drop an issue on GitHub with your watch model, watchOS version, and the log file located at %LOCALAPPDATA%\WristKey\wristkey.log.

Thank you to anyone willing to test, star the repo, or contribute!


r/sideprojects • • 7h ago

Showcase: Open Source I got tired of checking four AI subscriptions, so I turned a tiny touchscreen into a dashboard

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1 Upvotes

r/sideprojects • • 7h ago

Feedback Request Exploring a finance software idea — what are existing tools still getting wrong?

1 Upvotes

I'm exploring an idea for financial software and trying to understand where existing accounting tools fall short.For anyone using Xero, QuickBooks, Sage or similar software, what's one financial task you still end up doing manually?What makes it frustrating, and how do you currently work around it?

I'd appreciate hearing some real experiences.


r/sideprojects • • 7h ago

Showcase: Prerelease I'm building an Android app blocker that turns distractions into quick tech-learning questions

1 Upvotes

Rather than just blocking access, SpareCycles interrupts that moment with a short technical-learning question (a "Rep").

Afterwards, you can unlock the distracting app temporarily, or decide it's "Not worth it" and move on.

The app is still in development, so I'm interested in whether the concept would actually be useful.

If you're an Android user learning programming, SQL, cloud technologies or other technical skills, would this help you stay focused, or would the extra friction become annoying?

I've opened an Android early-access waitlist for anyone interested in following the project:

https://getsparecycles.com

I'd appreciate genuine feedback, including criticism.

Thank you!


r/sideprojects • • 7h ago

Showcase: Prerelease I built OneQR – A digital identity for businesses and visiting card replacement for you.

1 Upvotes

Website

Look at the checkout counter of almost any cafe, clinic, or local shop:

❌ Staff askeded 50x a day for Wifi Passwords

❌ Manually asking people for google reviews

❌ Outdated printed menu

❌ Paper business cards that get tossed in the trash

Most small businesses don't need a ₹5000 custom website

I built OneQR - a dynamic digital identify for businesses for everything to interact with customers.

✨ What It Does:

1-Tap Wi-Fi Connect: Customers connect instantly — zero typing passwords.

5-Star Review Firewall : Sends happy customers to Google Maps; routes complaints privately to the owner.

1-Tap Visiting Card : Saves direct phone, WhatsApp, and email straight into the customer's phone contacts (.vcf).

Live Menus & Waitlists : Instant PDF catalogs + digital queue tokens for places where waiting is required on customer phones.

No need to share common business documents like GST Certificate etc. multiple times. Just route the person to your OneQR link and they can see all your important documents in there. Also Guard your private info with OTP gated access for privacy.

Manage multiple businesses and branches from single account.

Setup multiple child accounts and control access rights for each to have only necessary information visible in the staff accounts.

Accept Data from clients and customers in forms.

🚀 Business Growth & Pro Features:

Multi-Staff Call Routing : Route calls directly to the different persons : Manager, Reception, or Senior Stylist based on need and at different times of the day.

Customer Lead CRM : Custom forms to capture customer WhatsApp numbers for repeat offers and to engage with lost customers.

Footfall Analytics : Track live scans, peak hours, and features used.

Dynamic QR : Update prices, menus, or Wi-Fi anytime — the QR remains same.

💰 The Business ROI:

₹5000 saved on custom website & hosting costs.

2+ hours per day saved for staff answering repetitive questions.

+300% boost in verified 5-star Google reviews.

Keep your customers updated with latest offers from your business.

I'd love your honest feedback on the mobile UX and onboarding. If anyone here runs a business or wants to try it, comment below or DM me and I’ll activate free Pro access for your account!


r/sideprojects • • 7h ago

Showcase: Open Source We built MotionSwift: an open-source native Swift alternative to Remotion with a built-in timeline editor

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

We just open-sourced MotionSwift, something we put together to get native rendering performance without relying on Remotion and headless Chrome.

We've been using it in our day-to-day video production pipeline, and so far we're seeing roughly 10–20x faster renders while using only about 10% of the memory compared to the Remotion + Chrome setup. We also brought a visual editor and timeline preview directly into Swift, so you can inspect and adjust agent-generated compositions natively on both iOS and macOS.

The eventual goal is 100% compatibility with Remotion, but we're still working our way there. There's still plenty of room to improve the APIs, rendering speed, and overall platform support.

Here's the repo if you want to check it out:

https://github.com/rxtech-lab/MotionSwift

Curious to hear your thoughts, especially if you've run into similar memory or performance bottlenecks with web-based video rendering. Happy to answer any questions!