Michael, Brittany, and Dave all staring intently at their code. the text reads, "Web Dev Challenge community hackathon, S2.E1 Custom API + App, presented by Postmand and CodeTV"

Photos: Jason Hill

The prompt: Build a custom API — and an app that consumes it — that makes something in your life a little more convenient.

Not every app needs to be the Next Big Thing. Sometimes you have a specific problem, challenge, or even just a pet peeve that can be solved with software. And these days, building an app that’s just for personal use is faster than ever.

For this challenge, your team needs to create a custom API that uses at least one third-party source and extends it in some way. You’ll also need to build a web app that interacts with your API. The end result should be a system that adds convenience to your life.

This could be something larger and practical, like automating something tedious you have to do over and over again (e.g. turn important incoming emails into calendar invites and/or Discord notifications), or it could be something fun and silly (e.g. use data from your wearable fitness device to calculate how many mini Snickers bars you’ve earned today).

Apps must use Postman as part of the build.

Make new connections and get expert guidance

We’ve set up a dedicated channel in the CodeTV Discord called #builder-chat for brainstorming, sharing ideas, and keeping each other accountable.

Find an accountabilibuddy, get expert guidance from the industry professionals, run your idea past Jason and other community members, and listen in to what the rest of the community is cooking up in this open call to kick off the hackathon.

RSVP to add it to your calendar:

The first 5 devs to submit a qualifying app get their choice of gear

The first 5 qualifying apps submitted will receive an item of their choice, up to $150 value, from one of the following sites:

Watch the episode for inspiration

See how Michael and Will, Brittany and Dave, and Abbey and Alex tackled the challenge in the latest episode of Web Dev Challenge to jumpstart your own creativity.

The rules and how to submit

If you want to play along, here’s how:

  1. Build a web app that meets the challenge
  2. Spend 30 minutes¹ planning your app
  3. Spend 4 hours¹ building your app
  4. Use Postman to build your web app
  5. Publish the source code as a public GitHub repo
  6. Publish the web app to a public URL
  7. Submit your web app by 11:59 pm Pacific on Wednesday, April 28, 2025

Submit your web app

Happy building! Let’s have some fun.