From Tweet to Launch 🚀 – My Open Source Journey
Tags: opensource, showdev, nextjs, webdev
Published: 2023-09-04 20:11:28

## What you will find in this article?
Are you intrigued about taking your idea from a mere tweet to launching it as an open-source project? In this article, you will walk through my journey of building Papermark, where I'll share the importance of community engagement, lessons learned, and the tools and technologies I used to bring this project to life.


![launch gif](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/kabjuk0w7j9ak46iifug.gif)


## Papermark - the open-source DocSend alternative

Before we begin, let me introduce you to Papermark. It's the open-source DocSend alternative that helps you manage secure document sharing, including real-time analytics and custom domains. It's all open-source!


I would be absolutely thrilled if you could support us our launch today! Don't forget to share your thoughts in the comments section ❤️
[https://www.producthunt.com/posts/papermark-3](https://www.producthunt.com/posts/papermark-3)


![Papermark onboarding](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/54muwsxi74bos5ew7mpa.gif)


## The Tweet

On May 23, 2023, I bet my wife that a tweet would get 50 likes so I can work on an open-source project idea. 

The tweet received **265 likes**.

[![Initial Tweet](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/wqet5j3hfqbw5me5vcxf.png)](https://twitter.com/mfts0/status/1660980644065730561)

## The MVP

I knew it was possible to build out the MVP in a weekend because of the incredibly powerful tech stack:
- **framework**: Next.js
- **styling**: Tailwind CSS
- **database**: Vercel Postgres
- **file storage**: Vercel Blob 
- **database ORM**: Prisma
- **authentication**: Next-Auth

And right on time it was done! The launch tweet received **450 likes** and over **95,000 views**. I was onto something! 

[![Launch Tweet](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/k391wo3a2oqpeqwnbnxs.png)](https://twitter.com/mfts0/status/1663521261396320257)

## Building the product

I spent the next couple of weekends to build more features and polish the UI.

And I took the time to document how I built it open-source out in the public! 

### Post #1
👉 [Building an Open Source DocSend alternative with Next.js, Vercel Blob and Postgres](https://dev.to/mfts/building-an-open-source-docsend-alternative-with-nextjs-vercel-blob-and-postgres-18h0)

[![#1 Dev.to Post](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ofb6wsqbrdyhkwhrhj05.png)](https://dev.to/mfts/building-an-open-source-docsend-alternative-with-nextjs-vercel-blob-and-postgres-18h0)


### Post #2
👉 [Building a Beautiful Product Onboarding 👋 with Next.JS , Framer Motion, and Tailwind CSS](https://dev.to/mfts/building-a-beautiful-product-onboarding-with-nextjs-framer-motion-and-tailwind-css-d12)

[![#2 Dev.to Post](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/lsi5e4oxbpyaljippc1p.png)](https://dev.to/mfts/building-a-beautiful-product-onboarding-with-nextjs-framer-motion-and-tailwind-css-d12)


### Post #3
👉 [How to send a warm welcome email with Resend, Next-Auth and React-Email](https://dev.to/mfts/building-a-beautiful-product-onboarding-with-nextjs-framer-motion-and-tailwind-css-d12)

[![#3 Dev.to Post](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/qmfowymhx948lzskv0um.png)](https://dev.to/mfts/how-to-send-a-warm-welcome-email-with-resend-next-auth-and-react-email-576f)


### Post #4
👉 [Building a Real-Time Analytics Dashboard with Next.js, Tinybird, and Tremor: A Comprehensive Guide](https://dev.to/mfts/building-a-real-time-analytics-dashboard-with-nextjs-tinybird-and-tremor-a-comprehensive-guide-15k0)

[![#4 dev.to post](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/hr5zdja4mf5ajw85wbjl.png)](https://dev.to/mfts/building-a-real-time-analytics-dashboard-with-nextjs-tinybird-and-tremor-a-comprehensive-guide-15k0)


### Post #5
👉 [Building a Document Viewer with react-pdf](https://dev.to/mfts/building-a-beautiful-document-viewer-with-react-pdf-666)

[![#5 dev.to post](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/f2x4rewi2egvgo042png.png)](https://dev.to/mfts/building-a-beautiful-document-viewer-with-react-pdf-666)


### Post #6
👉 [Build an Expandable / Collapsible Data Table with 2 shadcn/ui Components](https://dev.to/mfts/build-an-expandable-data-table-with-2-shadcnui-components-4nge)

[![#6 dev.to post](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/5qv3xb4bxeem78nuj17w.png)](https://dev.to/mfts/build-an-expandable-data-table-with-2-shadcnui-components-4nge)

Finally, after the product felt "ready", I launched it on Product Hunt.

## The Launch

On September 4, 2023, we launched on [Product Hunt](https://www.producthunt.com/posts/papermark-3). 

[![Producthunt launch](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/pzsjb1l4yijnu7uc86f5.png)](https://www.producthunt.com/posts/papermark-3)



## Conclusion

From a tweet to a launch, building Papermark has been a rewarding journey. Along the way, I learned the importance of community engagement and the role of choosing the right tools and technologies in building a successful open-source project.

I am Marc, an open-source advocate and the created the open-source project behind [papermark.io](https://www.papermark.io) - the open-source DocSend alternative. Remember, the journey of coding is a continuous process of learning and discovery. So, keep coding, my friends!


## Help me out!
If you found this article interesting and maybe inspired you to build your own open-source project, I would be extremely glad if you could show your support on Product Hunt! And don't forget to share your thoughts in the comments ❤️

[https://www.producthunt.com/posts/papermark-3](https://www.producthunt.com/posts/papermark-3)

![cat thanks](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/3etxn9ugxefj3jhwidgi.gif)