When I started working on Streak Calendar, it was a personal project born out of two goals: quitting smoking (a promise to my son) and creating a habit tracker that actually worked for me. Most tools I tried didn’t have the simple, visual, row-based progress view I wanted, so I decided to build it myself. In this daily.dev post—my very first—I’m excited to share the journey of developing Streak Calendar. Hopefully, over time it will evolve into a tool that I hope inspires and supports others in their own journeys.
What sets Streak Calendar apart is its unique combination of features: support for multiple calendars, multilingual interfaces, timed tasks, and both monthly and row-based views. Unlike many alternatives, it’s completely free and open-source, giving users the freedom to adapt it to their needs. Whether you’re tracking good habits or managing bad ones (like cigarette consumption), this tool offers an intuitive and highly customizable experience.
Check it out here: <a href="https://www.streakcalendar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">streakcalendar.com</a>
GitHub Repository: <a href="https://github.com/ilyaizen/streak-calendar" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">github.com/ilyaizen/streak-calendar</a>
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<h3>AI-Powered Development and a Modern Tech Stack</h3>
Streak Calendar wouldn’t exist without AI-powered development tools, which have been game-changers for me as a relatively inexperienced developer. Tools like Cursor AI and ChatGPT allowed me to build features faster than I ever thought possible while making web development enjoyable again. Sure, I might rely on AI too much, and maybe it’s a mistake—but honestly, it’s made the process creative and fun. Tasks that once took months now take days, with AI streamlining coding, debugging, and even brainstorming when I encounter roadblocks.
The project’s tech stack reflects a modern, efficient approach to web development, and hosting it on Vercel has made deployment smooth and hassle-free. I highly recommend Vercel for its simplicity and reliability, especially for new web projects.
<ul>
<li>Framework: Next.js</li>
<li>Backend: Convex (though I’m planning to migrate due to free-tier limitations)</li>
<li>Authentication: Clerk</li>
<li>Styling: Tailwind CSS</li>
<li>UI Components: shadcn/ui</li>
</ul>
For animations, icons, and charts, I used libraries like Framer Motion, Lucide React, and Chart.js. Convex stood out for backend operations, offering a streamlined and polished experience. However, I did face challenges with their free plan—despite minimal usage, I received warnings about over-usage and eventual service disruptions due to exceeding database bandwidth limits. While I’m exploring alternatives for better scalability, I still appreciate Convex’s innovative capabilities and ease of use.
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<h3>Challenges and Lessons Learned</h3>
Working with Cursor AI has reshaped how I approach development. Here’s what I’ve learned:
<ol>
<li>
Frequent commits are key: Cursor AI encourages rapid, continuous commits, helping avoid breaking changes and making it easy to revert to a stable version if needed. This practice has been critical for maintaining stability during fast iterations.
</li>
<li>
Structured planning reduces errors: Before implementing features, I ask Cursor AI to generate a detailed plan and confirm the approach. This ensures clarity and minimizes potential missteps.
</li>
<li>
Development is fun again: Beyond the technical advantages, working with Cursor AI has made the entire process enjoyable, transforming challenges into opportunities to learn and grow.
</li>
</ol>
These lessons have helped me balance rapid development with code quality, and I look forward to refining this approach further.
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<h3>The Future of Streak Calendar</h3>
Streak Calendar is currently in its alpha stage, meaning it’s functional but still evolving and actively developed. Users can expect occasional disruptions as I implement new features. To ensure data safety, I’ve included an import/export feature, allowing users to manually back up their data.
Looking ahead, my plans include:
<ul>
<li>Migrating away from services like Vercel and Convex to enable more affordable self-hosting options.</li>
<li>Introducing a Docker container to simplify deployment for advanced users.</li>
<li>Adding new features and refinements to enhance usability and customization.</li>
</ul>
I’m excited about these changes and believe they will make Streak Calendar even more accessible and versatile.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this post! As this is my first daily.dev article, I’m especially eager to hear your thoughts. I hope sharing my journey with Streak Calendar has been insightful and maybe even a bit inspiring. If you have any feedback, ideas, or just want to connect, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

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Streak Calendar is a unique, open-source habit tracker designed for visual and customizable tracking of habits. Developed with AI tools like Cursor AI and ChatGPT, it features multi-calendar support, multilingual interfaces, and both monthly and row-based views. Hosted on Vercel and built with Next.js, the project has been both challenging and rewarding, offering rapid development and user-friendly experiences. Future plans include migrating to self-hosting options and adding new features to enhance usability.

Building Streak Calendar: My Journey into Open-Source with the Help of AI

This is super awesome 👌
100% recommend for anyone who wants to build consistency and a good habit, lately streaks keeping have been a thing and I have been using my physical calender but seeing this now it will be a game changer for me.
Nice work.

What a great project idea! I’ve recently started using an app called “Don’t Break The Chain!” when I found myself regularly miss taking blood pressure medication. I also created a calendar for guitar practice. Blood pressure meds is doing great! Guitar practice?? Not so much! I look forward to checking this project out and thank you for letting everyone know about it!