Coding Projects That Prove You Can Do the Job

These coding projects are not synthetic puzzles - they are real, approachable problems from production systems across every stack. Fix one in a live cloud workspace and it becomes a portfolio proof point, not just a green checkmark.

Why a fix counts when a clone no longer does

A coding project only counts if someone cannot tell whether you or an AI did it, and a from-scratch app no longer passes that test. Fixing a broken system does: the diagnosis is yours, the dead ends are yours, the reason it works is yours. These stay approachable across every stack, so you start where you are comfortable and still produce something un-fakeable.

24 projects to start with

Restore a Broken LLM API IntegrationAI/ML · JuniorHarden an LLM Pipeline Against API FailuresAI/ML · JuniorParse JSON From an LLM (Strip Markdown Fences)AI/ML · JuniorBuild a Text Summarization Endpoint With an LLMAI/ML · JuniorReturn the Correct HTTP Status CodeBackend · JuniorRepair Broken API PaginationBackend · JuniorAdd CORS Middleware to an Express APIBackend · JuniorAdd a Health Check Endpoint in GoBackend · JuniorMake an ETL Pipeline IdempotentData · JuniorSpeed Up a Slow SQL Report QueryData · JuniorMake a CSV Importer Resilient to Bad DataData · JuniorConvert Timestamps to Local Time (Timezones)Data · JuniorFix the Nginx 502 Bad GatewayDevOps · JuniorRecover a Crashed Linux ServiceDevOps · JuniorCorrect a Postgres Port MismatchDevOps · JuniorReopen the Redis Bind Address (Connection Refused)DevOps · JuniorFix a React useState Stale-State BugFullstack · JuniorFix a Blank React Dashboard (Failed Fetch)Fullstack · JuniorFix the React Search That Won't Filter (useEffect Deps)Fullstack · JuniorFix the CORS Error Blocking Your API CallsFullstack · JuniorFix a Kubernetes CrashLoopBackOffKubernetes · JuniorHeal a Kubernetes Service With No EndpointsKubernetes · JuniorFix a Kubernetes ImagePullBackOffKubernetes · JuniorSchedule a Pending Kubernetes PodKubernetes · Junior

Pick by the skill you want to prove

Do not pick by language, pick by the gap on your resume. Light on backend? Take the API bug. Never touched infra? Take the deploy outage. Each project is one focused problem, so you can target exactly the skill a job description asks for and have a concrete answer when they say "have you done X."

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