Build an outstanding portfolio with these 3 React project ideas - Part 3

In part 1 of this series we saw how you can build impressive portfolio projects by working like a professional developer in a real team.

The idea in a nutshell: you build your project with a structured approach. You start with designs, create tasks, and only then write the code. You use the tools, workflows, and libraries that also real companies use. You write custom and responsive CSS. Your app contains state and business logic. You write concise yet descriptive Git commit messages and work on branches.

And if you really want to stand out, write automated tests with React Testing Library. That will put you way ahead of a typical Junior candidate.

In part 2 I explained how you can present your projects to hiring managers. Use your project's README file to ensure that the reviewer sees what they need to see. Let them follow your thought process and decisions. You'll make a professional impression and along the way prove you communication skills.

Now it's time for part 3 of this series.

React project ideas for your portfolio

So you know how to build and present an impressive portfolio project. You only need to know what to build.

The idea of this guide is to imitate a real work environment. So you need an idea that resembles a real-world production app.

A Todo or Weather app clearly won't cut it. A social media app is a bit more complex, true. But really? Do you want to build another one of those?

Ideally, you want a portfolio that is different from other candidates'. Just different enough to make the reviewer care about you.

You want a project that has enough complexity to prove your skills. At the same time, it should be small enough to finish within a few weeks.

And finally, it would be awesome to have ready-made designs. This would allow you to imitate professional workflows. And you wouldn't have to waste a lot of time fiddling with the layout.

This list of React project ideas for your portfolio provides exactly that.

All of these projects are business use-cases as they are used in many tech companies:

• a UI kit
• an analytics app
• an error tracking tool.

UI Kit

A UI kit is a set of reusable components such as buttons, inputs, cards, modals, you name it.

I know it's doesn't sound super-sexy. But many companies create their own custom UI library. So this project is very close to the work of a professional frontend developer.

By building a UI kit you demonstrate that you understand modern & professional UI development.

And honestly, it may look easier than it is. From my experience, you can spend a good deal of time on getting the styles right for every dynamic state.

To appear more professional you can

1. use this Chrome extension to make your CSS pixel-perfect
2. document the components with a tool like Storybook.

Using Storybook will not only make you look like a pro. It will also improve your developer experience drastically. And as you can see on their homepage you'd be in good company with major players like Airbnb, Lyft, Auth0, or Salesforce.

Where you get it: You can find a great UI Kit here on Figma.

Time required: 1 week

Difficulty: medium

Features

• static & interactive components
• many different dynamic states

What you'll learn

• work with designs like in a professional team
• advanced CSS
• UI documentation with Storybook

Reddit Analytics

With Reddit Analytics users can find the best time to create a post on a subreddit. Subreddits are like niche forums that are highly popular among marketers to promote their content.

So this app can be used by marketing teams or individuals who want more people to see their blog posts.

In a nutshell, the user can enter the name of a subreddit. The app then fetches the corresponding data from the Reddit API and displays it in a heatmap.

If you're not familiar with professional workflows yet, this is the ideal starting point.

I already prepared this project for you on Profy.dev. It includes designs in Figma and tasks in ClickUp. You'll learn and practice the workflows used by many professional teams around the world. Including working with feature branches and Pull Requests.

On top of that, you will get tips to improve your code via code reviews. You'll also be able to compare your code to a professional implementation.

The goal of this project is to not only practice your coding skills but experience what it means to be a professional developer. That will give you a great advantage for your job hunt.

Where you get it: You can find the whole project including designs & tasks here.

Time required: 2 - 4 weeks

Difficulty: advanced

Features

• static marketing page
• heatmap & table for data visualization

What you'll learn

• work with designs & tasks like in a professional team
• advanced CSS & styled-components
• data fetching & transformation
• writing integration tests with React Testing Library
• professional Git workflow using feature branches & pull requests

Error tracking tool

Error tracking tools like Sentry (screenshot above) or Rollbar are used in every serious software product.

The basic functionality is to report expected and unexpected errors on websites. The user can see the numbers, times, and causes of these errors in a dashboard.

This is how it works in a nutshell:

1. The user imports a small JS library into their code.
2. When an error in the JS of the website occurs the library sends it to a backend where it's stored in a database.
3. The error tracking tool has a frontend where the user can see all the error data in a dashboard.

As a portfolio project this reduced feature set should be sufficient. Since it's an essential tool in the stack of any production app you'll not only prove your technical skills. You'll also demonstrate a good understanding of professional software development.

To make your life easier, focus on building the frontend and the JS library. You can quickly build the backend with services like AWS Amplify, Nhost, or Hasura.

Where you get it: Unfortunately, I don't have complete designs. But you can find a nice dashboard design here on Figma.

Time required: 3 - 6 weeks

Difficulty: hard

Features

• separate error tracking library or npm package
• dashboard with chart & table

What you'll learn

• building and publishing a JS library (e.g. on npm)
• sending and fetching data from an API
• advanced CSS & data visualization

Wrapping it up

I hope with this series you have everything you need to build React portfolio projects that are stand-out professional.

Here is a final summary of all the important aspects we covered in these three parts:

• Workflows: Write your code based on designs and tasks.
• Styles: write custom & responsive CSS, use styled-components or CSS Modules.
• Logic: your app should have multiple pages, be stateful, and fetch data from an API. I'd highly recommend covering at least part of your code with automated tests.
• Git: Write clear commit messages. Ideally use branches and Pull Requests.
• Presentation: Use the README to guide the reviewer through your project. Make sure to point at the most relevant places (e.g. each item in the list above).
• Ideas: A UI kit is a great starting point with many free designs out there. Reddit Analytics on Profy.dev gives you the opportunity to learn professional React development while building a great portfolio project. Last but not least, cloning an error tracking tool is an ambitious yet fun project.

Illustration based on drawkit.io