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Web app and API ideas
16 web app and API project ideas from URL shorteners to webhook relays, with what each does and how to build a working Node service fast.
6 min read · Updated Jul 28, 2026
The best way to learn or ship a backend is to build a small, real service end to end. These ideas are useful on their own, small enough to finish, and each one is a genuine portfolio piece.
Every idea below is a real Node and Express service. Describe it on Devellix and it writes the API, installs the dependencies, and gives you the code to deploy.
16 ideas to build
URL shortener
POST a long link, get a short code back, and redirect to the target on visit.
Pastebin API
Store text and return a link to view it raw or as JSON, with optional expiry.
Webhook relay
Receive a payload and forward it to Discord, Slack, or another endpoint, behind a shared secret.
Notification service
A small API that sends an email or message on request.
Form backend
Accept form submissions from a static site and store or forward them.
QR code API
Return a QR image for any text or URL.
Todo or notes API
CRUD endpoints backed by a simple data store.
Image resize API
Take an image and return a resized or thumbnail version.
Short-lived share
Upload a snippet or file that expires automatically after a set time.
Status page backend
Poll a set of services and expose their up or down state.
Rate-limited proxy
Forward requests to an upstream API with keys and limits handled server-side.
RSS to JSON
Fetch a feed and return clean JSON for a frontend to render.
Feedback backend
Collect and list feedback for a product or site.
Analytics beacon
A tiny endpoint that records page views without a heavy tracker.
Link-in-bio API
Manage a set of links behind one profile endpoint.
Scheduled job runner
Trigger tasks on a schedule and expose their latest results.
Pick one, describe it in a sentence, and Devellix builds it for you.
Build one