Gratitudes

Gratitudes is a simple journalling app. It notifies you every day to stop and reflect on what you are grateful for.

I designed and built Gratitudes so I could be reminded to reflect each day. It also serves as a repository for all my past entries.

>< >< >< >< >< >< >< >< ><

Tech Stack

React Native and Expo

React Native has proven to be a valuable framework for building native apps. It’s written in a language and framework that I am familiar in (React/Typescript). It also removes the need for me to write the same code twice, once for iOS and once for Android.

Using the Expo framework has greatly simplified working in the native app eco-system. It handles the deployment pipelines to the native App Stores (which is a headache on the best of days). It also provides some helpful libraries which are actively supported and maintained.

Features

Push notifications

A simple reminder to complete an entry was one of my main requirements. Using local push notifications I am able to create opt-in reminders at whatever time the user chooses.

Local on-device storage

I decided to simplify the tech-stack by removing the need for a external server. Instead, I store all entries on the device. This decision has its benefits and negatives. It means there are no additional server costs which come with hosting. It also means that your data is never leaving your device and is private (unless you export it). One immediate downside is backing up your entries, or viewing them on other devices is much harder (and more manual) to manage.

Importing and exporting your entries

Because all entries are stored on device I decided to build a simple import/exporting feature. This allows the user to export all the entries save the file anywhere they want and then re-import it on another device. The exported file is a simple JSON blob, which means people can run their own analysis over their entries if they want to.

Private

Your data never leaves the device on this app. Your entries remain on device unless you ever decide to export them. Meaning your entries are as secure as you keep them.

No ads, free forever

It's becoming more and more uncommon to find free apps without ads nowadays. Hence why I think it's worth calling this out as a feature. This app is a hobby project of mine and has no running costs other than my time to maintain the code. Which is why it will always remain ad free and cost nothing to use.