# Dhiraj Arya — Self-Taught Full-Stack Engineer

Sections: writing (https://dhirajarya.in/blog) and a site-wide feed at https://dhirajarya.in/rss.xml, both generated from the same source files.

## Contact & Socials
- **Email:** dhirajarya.ptn@gmail.com / hello@dhirajarya.in
- **Website:** https://dhirajarya.in
- **GitHub:** https://github.com/dhirajaryaa
- **Twitter:** https://twitter.com/dhirajarya01
- **LinkedIn:** https://linkedin.com/in/dhirajarya01
- **Telegram:** https://t.me/dhirajarya01
- **YouTube:** https://youtube.com/@dhirajaryaa
- **Instagram:** https://instagram.com/dhirajarya01
- **Resume:** https://dhirajarya.in/resume.pdf | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ClHy3E1LAc4mVUurzYGVTI5IXY3mTY26/view

## Core Tech Stack
- **Languages:** JavaScript, TypeScript, SQL, HTML, CSS
- **Frontend:** React, Next.js (App Router), Tailwind CSS, Shadcn UI, Zustand, React Query, WXT (Chrome Extensions)
- **Backend & Database:** Node.js, Express, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Firebase, Drizzle ORM, Better Auth, Inngest
- **Tools & Platforms:** Vercel, Git, GitHub Actions, Bun

## Live Tools
Small, useful developer utility web applications:

### 1. Temp Mail
- **URL:** https://tempmail.dhirajarya.in
- **Description:** Sign-up walls everywhere, one disposable inbox fixes all of them. Generate an address, watch the inbox update in real time, and never hand over a real email again.
- **Key Features:** Instant address generation, no account required, Real-time inbox viewer over a live connection, Perfect for trials, newsletters and one-off sign-ups.

### 2. Compressly
- **URL:** https://compressly.dhirajarya.in
- **Description:** Most compressors make you choose between a small file and an image that still looks right. Compressly does not — drop the file, pick a target, and get something you can actually ship.
- **Key Features:** Drag-and-drop, no upload dialog, PNG, JPG, WebP and PDF in one place, Quality stays high at meaningful compression ratios.

### 3. LowPDF
- **URL:** https://lowpdf.dhirajarya.in
- **Description:** A PDF is often the most sensitive thing on your desktop, so this one never leaves it. The whole pipeline runs in your browser — no servers, no upload, no log of what you compressed.
- **Key Features:** 100% client-side — the file never leaves the machine, No upload step and no server storage at all, Good enough compression for sharing and email limits.

### 4. PDFAny
- **URL:** https://pdfany.dhirajarya.in
- **Description:** A PDF tool that stayed private. Sixteen operations covering organise, annotate and convert, and every one of them runs in your browser — so the document never touches a server, and it still works on a dead connection.
- **Key Features:** 16 tools across organise, annotate and convert, 100% in-browser — nothing is ever uploaded, Works offline, even on a weak connection.

### 5. Snapshot
- **URL:** https://snapshot.dhirajarya.in
- **Description:** A screenshot is not a post. Snapshot takes the capture and composes it into something worth publishing — custom backgrounds, frames, shadows, all processed locally in the browser.
- **Key Features:** Custom backgrounds, frames and drop shadows, Client-side compositing, so captures stay private, One-click export in the size you need.

## Real-World Projects & Proof of Work (POW)

### 1. BlogDrop v1.2 (Completed)
- **URL:** https://blogdrop.in
- **Repository:** https://github.com/dhirajaryaa/blogdrop
- **Description:** I built BlogDrop to make keeping up with engineering blogs less repetitive. It collects articles from RSS sources, extracts and cleans article content, processes metadata with AI, and presents everything in a single reading-focused feed.
- **Tech Stack:** Next.js, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle, Tailwind, Shadcn UI, Better Auth, Inngest, Gemini AI, Zustand, React Query, Cheerio

### 2. QueryMate (Completed)
- **URL:** https://querymate.dhirajarya.in
- **Repository:** https://github.com/dhirajaryaa/querymate
- **Description:** QueryMate lets users connect a database and ask questions in natural language. It uses the database schema to generate SQL, runs safe read-only queries, and shows the results directly in the chat.
- **Tech Stack:** Next.js, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle, Tailwind, Shadcn UI, Groq, Vercel AI SDK, Better Auth

### 3. SmartForm (Completed)
- **URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wan9QWfXF-Y
- **Repository:** https://github.com/dhirajaryaa/smartform
- **Description:** SmartForm is a browser extension built to reduce repetitive form filling. It detects form fields, understands their context, and uses an AI provider to generate appropriate values while keeping the user in control of the final submission.
- **Tech Stack:** TypeScript, React, WXT, Chrome Extension, Tailwind, Gemini AI, Groq

### 4. QuickFormX (Completed)
- **URL:** https://quickformx.dhirajarya.in
- **Repository:** https://github.com/dhirajaryaa/quickFormx
- **Description:** QuickFormX is an early SaaS form-builder MVP focused on creating forms and managing submissions. The project helped me work with client-side state, form validation, API communication and data fetching.
- **Tech Stack:** React, TypeScript, Vite, TanStack Query, Zustand, Tailwind, React Hook Form, Zod

### 5. ResuCraft (Discontinued)
- **URL:** https://ai-resume-builder-dhirajaryaa.vercel.app/
- **Repository:** https://github.com/dhirajaryaa/AI-Resume-Builder
- **Description:** ResuCraft is an earlier resume-builder project where I experimented with AI-assisted content generation, customizable resume templates, authentication and persistent user data.
- **Tech Stack:** React, Firebase, React Hook Form, Tailwind, shadcn/ui

## Gears & Setup
- **PC:** CPU (Intel Core i5-3470), Memory (16GB RAM), Storage (256GB SSD), Primary Monitor (1600×900), Secondary Monitor (1400×1050), UPS (Frontech Mars725)
- **Gadgets:** Punta Rainbow Keyboard, Dell MS116-BK Wired Mouse, Lapcare Webcam, Logitech Headphones, Vivo V19 (128GB)
- **Environment:** Arch Linux (rolling release, no bloat), Hyprland (Wayland compositor, tiled & animated), VSCode (Vim emulation, custom dark theme), Kitty (primary terminal — GPU accelerated), Alacritty (backup terminal, fast to start)
- **Web Extensions:** SmartForm (owned : AI form filler), AdGuard AdBlocker, uBlock Origin, React Developer Tools, Redux DevTools, Goal Countdown (owned), Screely


## Writing
Blog posts, newest first:

### 1. Why I Built BlogDrop
- **URL:** https://dhirajarya.in/blog/why-i-built-blogdrop
- **Published:** 2026-09-28
- **Reading Time:** 3 min read
- **Tags:** blogdrop, engineering, developer tools, technical blogs, web development, ai
- **Summary:** Why I built BlogDrop to collect engineering blogs in one place and make it easier to find useful technical articles.

### 2. Next.js App Router in Practice: What Actually Changed
- **URL:** https://dhirajarya.in/blog/nextjs-app-router-in-practice
- **Published:** 2026-07-10
- **Reading Time:** 3 min read
- **Tags:** next.js, react, web development
- **Summary:** Six months of shipping App Router code in production — the rules that held up, the ones I quietly reverted, and the mental model that finally made it click.

## Beyond the Code
- **Books:** Ikigai by Héctor García & Francesc Miralles
- **Movies:** Interstellar (2014); The Social Network (2010); LifeHack (2025)