Forem: Wesley Bertipaglia

🧑‍💻 How a Simple Idea Turned Into One of the Most Important Projects of My Journey — The Story Behind Backend Challenges

Wesley Bertipaglia — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 22:06:17 +0000

This is a submission for the 2025 Hacktoberfest Writing Challenge: Maintainer Spotlight

When I first started learning backend development, I felt completely lost.

Sure, there were tutorials, courses, and documentation everywhere. But none of it felt like it was for me. Everything assumed I already knew the basics, or worse — skipped the fundamentals entirely. I was trying to learn how to build APIs, handle authentication, work with databases, and deploy services… but I had no idea where to start or what order to follow.

I wasn’t looking for a quick fix. I wanted a path — something practical, step-by-step, that could help me grow from zero.

That’s why I created Backend Challenges.

Why I Built It

At the time, I was struggling to stay motivated. I would start learning something like JWT or Docker, only to realize I didn’t have the right context or experience to fully understand how or why to use it. I’d jump between tutorials, trying to piece together a learning path that didn’t really exist.

So I started building my own challenges. Very simple ones at first — like an API that just returns "Hello, World!". Then a to-do list. Then authentication, file storage, caching… and before I knew it, I had built a series of progressively harder backend exercises, grouped by experience level: Beginner, Junior, Middle, Senior.

Each one taught me something new. Each one pushed me just a little further.

And then it hit me:

“If this helped me so much… maybe it could help others too.”

That’s when I decided to make it open source.

What Makes It Different

There are plenty of challenge-based repos out there, but I wanted to do things differently.

Here’s how Backend Challenges stands apart:

Structured by skill level — You don’t need to guess where to start. Whether you're a total beginner or already have experience, there's a clear entry point.
Tech-agnostic — You can use whatever language or framework you’re learning. The focus is on backend concepts, not specific tools.
Real-world problems — These aren't just toy examples. They mirror the kinds of systems you actually build on the job: authentication services, APIs, email queues, payment integrations, microservices, etc.
From nothing to something — Many devs don’t have real-world projects to add to their portfolios. Solving these challenges can give you something concrete to show (or even turn into your own startup idea).

But most importantly, it's for people who are just like I was — figuring things out, curious, motivated, but overwhelmed.

The Impact (So Far)

I open-sourced the project without any expectations. I just wanted it to be out there — something that could help others the same way it helped me.

And even though it hasn’t had many pull requests or GitHub issues (yet 😅), I’ve received surprisingly positive feedback through other channels — especially LinkedIn.

People have reached out to tell me they used the challenges to improve their backend skills, to prepare for interviews, or even to create their own spin-off projects. That alone makes it all worth it.

Sometimes the impact of open source isn’t in the contribution graph — it’s in the quiet messages from someone who just wanted to say “Hey, this helped me.”

Why It Still Matters to Me

Even now, after I've grown a lot as a developer, I still come back to this project — not just to maintain it, but to remind myself how far I've come.

This repo is more than a collection of challenges. It’s a reflection of the path I walked — the confusion, the breakthroughs, the late-night debugging sessions, and the satisfaction of building something real.

It’s a small piece of my story, and I’m proud of it.

Want to Contribute?

If you're participating in Hacktoberfest, or just want to contribute to open source in a meaningful way, I’d love to have you involved:

Solve one of the challenges and share your approach
Suggest new challenges
Improve the documentation
Translate the content into other languages
Add tooling (like tests or CI)

You can find the project here:
👉 github.com/wesleybertipaglia/backend-challenges

Final Thoughts

If you’re a developer who feels stuck or doesn’t know where to begin, I want you to know:

You’re not alone.
It’s okay to feel overwhelmed.
And it’s totally possible to grow — one challenge at a time.

That’s what this project is really about.

Thanks for reading, and happy coding ❤️
Let’s build something great together.

🐕 shortio — Secure Links for the Right People, Every Time

Wesley Bertipaglia — Mon, 05 May 2025 01:23:00 +0000

This is a submission for the Permit.io Authorization Challenge: Permissions Redefined

Hey everyone! 👋

Super excited to share Short.io, my submission for the Permit.io Hackathon 🚀

Short.io is a smart, secure, permission-aware link shortener made for organizations that take access control seriously… but still want their apps to feel clean, simple, and easy to use.

📦 Source Code: GitHub Repository

💡 The Idea

I kept running into the same issue:
Internal tools often rely on sharing URLs for resources, but those links don’t know who should (or shouldn’t) be clicking them.

So I built shortio — a URL shortener that bakes permission checks into every link it creates. It’s built for multi-tenant orgs where you need fine-grained control over who can view, create, or manage resources, and it uses Permit.io to manage dynamic, role-based access in real time.

Think of it as a tiny security guard 🛡️ at the door of every link you share.

🛠️ How It Works

Whenever someone tries to access a shortio link:

✅ If they’re logged in and have the right permissions → seamless redirect to the resource.
🚫 If not → they’ll land on a clean, friendly page rendered via Qute templates inviting them to log in or sign up.
📜 Access is decided based on their organization membership and role, all enforced by Permit.io behind the scenes.

Admins and owners can create links and decide who gets access — whether it’s a whole org, specific roles, or individual users.

✨ Why This Is Cool (and Useful)

shortio isn’t your average URL shortener:

🛡️ Every link knows who should click it
🎛️ Fully multi-tenant, with clear org boundaries
🔐 Fine-grained, real-time permission checks via Permit.io
🖥️ Clean, no-fuss UX rendered server-side with Qute
🏢 Built for internal tooling, dashboards, and resource management

Whether you’re:

An engineer working on internal tools
A security-conscious team sharing sensitive resources
Or just someone who loves links that behave themselves

…shortio’s here to keep your links smart, secure, and well-behaved.

📚 Tech Stack

⚙️ Backend & Frontend: Quarkus (Java 21) + Qute Templates
📦 Database: MongoDB + Panache
🛡️ Authorization: Permit.io SDK

🔭 What’s Next?

If I had a bit more time (and coffee ☕️), I’d love to add:

📊 Link analytics (who tried to access, from where, and when)
🔗 Custom link slugs
🛑 Expiration dates and temporary permissions
🛡️ A little animated security shield mascot for the UI (seriously)

Got more ideas? Drop them in the repo — would love to hear what you'd build on top of it!

🧠 Final Thoughts

This was a super fun project to build — mixing backend security, clean server-side pages, and dynamic permissions management into a simple tool that actually solves a day-to-day problem for orgs.

Big thanks to the Permit.io and Dev.to teams for the challenge. I had a blast, and I’m already thinking about new features I could sneak into shortio next.

Secure links, smart permissions, and a smooth experience — every time.

Let’s keep building cool, secure stuff together 🚀🛡️

🔦 Spotlight on Devs — My Submission for the DEV.to Challenge!

Wesley Bertipaglia — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 22:39:34 +0000

This is a submission for the WeCoded Challenge: Celebrate in Code

Hey everyone! 👋
This is my submission for the DEV.to WeCoded Challenge!

🔗 Live Project: Deploy
📦 Source Code: GitHub Repository

🌟 The Idea: Put Someone in the Spotlight

We all write, build, and share — but sometimes we miss great voices in the crowd.

So, I wanted my project to bring random creators into the spotlight.

✨ Spotlight Stories

It's a feature that highlights one random story from the #wecoded tag every time you visit the page. It’s like a mini-stage for someone in the community. You can then read their full post, follow them, and maybe even leave a comment to brighten their day.

🔁 Every click = a new story = a new person in focus.

🪄 Features

Spotlight Story – puts a random article in focus every visit
Wall of Stories – grid of stories from the #wecoded tag
Share Button – easily copy/share a story's link
Clickable Tags – explore similar stories by topic
Author Info – links to the author's profile
Fun 404 Page – with random gifs, quotes, or ASCII art (try it 😉)
Slick design – styled with Tailwind, smooth UX, lightweight
Lazy loading images – for performance boost

🛠️ Built With

React + TypeScript – fast, typed, and modular
TailwindCSS – utility-first styling for a clean and responsive UI
Phosphor Icons – beautifully simple icons for UI interactions
DEV.to API – stories pulled from real community posts via the API

💡 Final Thoughts

I loved building this, especially the idea that someone out there might get their story seen because of a little random spotlight. That's the spirit of DEV!

Would love to hear your thoughts — and if you try it and discover a great post, let me know! 💬

Thanks DEV team for putting this challenge together. Let’s keep coding, keep writing, and keep lifting each other up 🚀

The future is coming: how technology is making the world cooler!

Wesley Bertipaglia — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 23:56:44 +0000

This is a submission for the Future Writing Challenge: How Technology Is Changing Things.

The future has arrived faster than we imagined and is full of innovations that can make our lives much easier, more fun and healthier. This is not science fiction, this is real technology! Get ready for a tour of the innovations that will transform the world into a cleaner, calmer and, of course, much safer place.

Cleaner air: the city cleaning itself!

Today, many cities have polluted air, filled with smoke from cars and factories. Not only is this bad for our health, but it also gives everything a weird smell and a gray haze. But what if the buildings in the cities could clean the air by themselves?

This could happen with a technology called photocatalytic materials. These are special surfaces that, when exposed to sunlight, break down pollutants and turn them into harmless substances. Some buildings are already starting to use this, and in the future, it could be common.

And it doesn’t stop there! Some "City Trees" made of special mosses are already being tested. These trees don’t have real leaves, but they filter the air better than many natural trees. One of these can clean as much air as 275 normal trees!

Quieter Cities (Finally, No More Horns!)

If you’ve ever been in a big city, you know the noise never stops. Cars honking, sirens, construction... But in the future, cities might be almost silent. How?

Ultra-quiet electric cars: No loud engines, no roaring exhausts. Just the sound of the wind.

Sound-absorbing pavements: Some streets may be made of special materials that "eat up" the noise from tires. This is already being tested in some places!

Smart traffic lights: Instead of honking horns and shouting in traffic, cars will talk to each other. They’ll know when to stop and when to go without needing honks.

The result? Less stress and a much quieter environment for everyone.

No more traffic jams: the future without chaotic traffic

Who has never spent hours stuck in traffic, not knowing what to do? In addition to being frustrating, this is bad for our health and the environment. But the good news is that technology has a trick up its sleeve to put an end to traffic jams!

Soon, smart cars will talk to each other and decide the best route, without having to stop at traffic lights. Less time stoped, more time enjoyed and, of course, less air pollution.

And it doesn't stop there! Imagine autonomous cars that drive themselves. They will be so smart that there will no longer be a need for crowded parking lots, because the cars themselves will find the best place to park and even drop you off at home while they do it. Less chaos, more space for everyone!

Improved health: the technology that is transforming our lives!

And what about health? Technology will not only improve the environment, but will also help us live longer and better. And the coolest thing: with solutions for diseases that previously seemed impossible to cure!

Food for everyone: the population is growing, and food needs to keep up. But don't worry, technology is helping! Now, with vertical farming, food can be grown in buildings, saving space and resources like water. This way, we will have fresher and more sustainable food for everyone.

Healthier food: the future of food will also be super nutritious. With genetically modified foods, we will have foods that are richer in vitamins and minerals, resistant to diseases and even grown in places that would previously have been impossible. This can help fight hunger and ensure that our health is up to date.

Cures for ancient diseases: Science is making great strides, and what once seemed impossible is now within our reach. Research is underway to cure diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's and cancer. With gene therapies and new treatments, the hope of eradicating these diseases is closer than ever. We're talking about a true revolution in medicine!

The future is coming... and it's amazing!

These innovations are not just distant dreams. They are already starting to happen, and the best part is that they are just beginning! The future will be cleaner, calmer, healthier and, of course, more fun to live in.

So, the next time someone asks you what the future will be like, you can safely say: it will be a future where the city will be quieter, the air will be cleaner, the food will be more nutritious and people's health will be better cared for. The best is yet to come!

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