nearby

Inspiration

We wanted to build something that feels close to everyday life. A lot of useful things happen nearby all the time, like good food, local events, pop-ups, and places worth checking out, but they’re easy to miss. Nearby started from a simple idea: make it easier for people to discover what’s around them and share useful local updates with others.

What it does

Nearby is a website that helps people discover interesting places and things to do nearby. Users can browse a map and a live feed, explore restaurants, events, pop-ups, free items, and other local finds, and also post their own updates to help others nearby. It works both for everyday use and for travel, when you want to quickly figure out what’s worth seeing around you.

How we built it

We built the frontend with React and TypeScript, and used PocketBase for the backend and data storage. For the map experience, we used MapLibre GL JS. The app is designed around a lightweight but complete local discovery flow, with login, posting, map browsing, and list views all working together. During development, we also used GPT-5.6 to help move faster, refine the product flow, and iterate on the implementation.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was making the “nearby discovery” experience feel useful without becoming messy. We had to think through a lot of details, like location handling, map display, login and posting flow, backend structure, and how content should be organized on the page. Another challenge was getting the frontend, backend, deployment, and submission details all aligned so the project would feel stable and ready to present.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud that we turned the idea into a working product instead of just a concept. Nearby is not just a static demo, it actually lets people sign in, browse local content, post updates, view items on a map, and switch between different ways of exploring. We also got the deployment and project documentation into a solid enough state to hand off for judging, which matters a lot for a hackathon project.

What we learned

This project reminded us that good products are not just about adding features. They’re about making the main path feel simple and clear. We also learned that things like maps, location, login, posting, and backend logic may look separate at first, but they all need to come together into one smooth experience. Using GPT-5.6 helped us iterate faster and spend more time improving the actual product instead of getting stuck on smaller details.

What's next for nearby

Next, we’d like to keep making Nearby feel more like a real local discovery platform. That means better search, stronger moderation, improved place info, better mobile behavior, and more useful save and reminder features. Over time, we want Nearby to become more than a way to find what’s around you. We want it to feel like a useful local companion for everyday life and travel.

Built With

• codex
• github
• gl
• javascript
• maplibre
• pages
• pocketbase
• query
• react
• router
• tanstack
• typescript
• vite