Why Side Projects?
In daily work, you often use the same stack, the same patterns, the same problems. Side projects are the counterpoint: Here you can experiment, make mistakes, and try new technologies — without deadlines, without clients, without risk.
My Approach
Each of my side projects solves a real problem or answers a real question. The Shopware Database Inspector was born because I kept manually comparing database schemas during migrations. Other projects emerged from curiosity about specific technologies.
What I Learned
- Astro: Static Site Generation with Island Architecture — perfect for content-heavy sites
- gRPC + WebSockets: Bidirectional streaming for real-time communication
- Docker: Container-based development environments for reproducible builds
- Vue.js 3: Composition API and reactive state management
The Multiplier Effect
Knowledge from side projects flows directly back into daily work. Understanding container orchestration helps with deployment strategy at the company. Experience with Static Site Generation influences architecture decisions for performance-critical projects.
The best way to understand something is to build it yourself.
Tips for Getting Started
- Solve a real problem — it keeps motivation high
- Start small — an MVP is enough
- Use the stack you want to learn — not the one you already know
- Ship it — a deployed project beats a perfect local one