I Built a Code Editor App in 30 Days: My 2025 Secrets

The 30-Day Challenge: Why a Code Editor?

It sounds like a monumental task: build a fully functional, desktop code editor from scratch in just 30 days. Most people would call it impossible. But I’m here to tell you that in 2025, with the right tools, mindset, and a few well-guarded secrets, it’s not only possible but an incredibly rewarding experience. I wanted a project that would push my limits, force me to learn deeply, and result in a tangible product I could actually use. A code editor was the perfect candidate—it touches on UI/UX, file system management, performance optimization, and complex state management. This post is my complete playbook, detailing the journey, the tech stack, the weekly sprints, and the key insights that made it all happen.

The 2025 Tech Stack: Choosing the Right Tools

The success of a 30-day project hinges almost entirely on the technology choices you make in the first few hours. You need tools that offer high leverage, allowing you to build complex features quickly without getting bogged down in low-level details. Here’s the stack that powered my journey.

The Core: Monaco Editor vs. The World

The heart of any code editor is the text editing component itself. This is not something you build from scratch. The choice came down to two main contenders: Monaco Editor and CodeMirror. While both are fantastic, I chose Monaco Editor, the engine that powers VS Code. Why? In 2025, its maturity is unparalleled. It offers rich IntelliSense, built-in diffing, and a vast ecosystem of language support out of the box. This single choice saved me hundreds of hours.

The Shell: Electron.js for Cross-Platform Magic

To create a native desktop application using web technologies, Electron.js is still the king. It allows you to wrap a web app (built with HTML, CSS, and JS/TS) in a native container, giving you access to the underlying operating system. This means I could write code once and deploy it on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The key advantage is its direct access to Node.js APIs, which are essential for file system operations, process management, and more. While alternatives like Tauri are gaining ground due to their smaller bundle sizes, Electron's stability and mature ecosystem made it the pragmatic choice for a rapid build.

The Glue: TypeScript and React for a Modern UI

For the user interface, I paired React with TypeScript. TypeScript is non-negotiable for a project of this scale in 2025. Its static typing caught countless bugs before they ever made it to runtime, making refactoring a breeze. React’s component-based architecture was perfect for building a modular UI—the file explorer, the tab bar, the status bar, and the settings panel were all self-contained components. Using a state management library like Zustand provided a simple, boilerplate-free way to manage global state, like the list of open files and the active theme.

The Week-by-Week Breakdown

A 30-day timeline requires a disciplined, sprint-based approach. Here's how I broke down the monumental task into manageable weekly goals.

Week 1: Scaffolding and Core Editor Integration

The first week was all about momentum. The goal was to get a basic window on the screen with a working editor. I used an Electron + React + TypeScript boilerplate to get started quickly. By day 3, I had a blank window. By day 7, I had successfully integrated the Monaco Editor component, and I could type code into it. It couldn't save, it couldn't open files, but it was a real, tangible start. This initial victory was a massive psychological boost.

Week 2: File System and UI/UX Fundamentals

This week was dedicated to making the app useful. I implemented the core file system logic using Electron's APIs to read and write files. I built the file explorer sidebar, allowing for directory traversal. I also created a tab system to manage multiple open files. This involved heavy state management and was the most complex part of the build so far. By the end of the week, I had a basic but functional editor that could open, edit, save, and switch between files.

Week 3: Advanced Features and Polish

With the fundamentals in place, it was time for the fun stuff. This week was about adding features that make a code editor feel professional. I implemented a search-and-replace feature, added a theme switcher with a couple of default themes (dark and light), and created a simple settings panel where users could change the font size. This is where I started to feel the pressure of the deadline, forcing me to prioritize features ruthlessly.

Week 4: Performance, Packaging, and Release

The final week was a race to the finish line. I focused on bug hunting and performance optimization. I analyzed the startup time and memory usage, making small tweaks to improve them. The most critical task was packaging the application for distribution. Using `electron-builder`, I created installers for macOS and Windows. The final day was spent writing a simple landing page, taking screenshots, and officially “launching” my project on my blog and social media. Hitting that 30-day mark with a downloadable app was an incredible feeling.

My Top 3 "Secrets" That Made This Possible

Beyond the tech stack, a few key strategies were instrumental in meeting the deadline. These are the modern “hacks” that give developers superpowers in 2025.

Secret #1: Leverage AI for Boilerplate and Debugging

I used GitHub Copilot extensively. It wasn't about having AI write the entire app for me. It was about accelerating the mundane. I used it to generate boilerplate for React components, write complex regular expressions for syntax parsing, and suggest solutions for cryptic error messages. Instead of spending 20 minutes looking up API documentation on Stack Overflow, I could ask a question in a comment and get a working code snippet in seconds. This easily saved me 2-3 full days of development time.

Secret #2: The Power of Modern Native APIs

Electron exposes powerful native APIs that are often overlooked. Instead of relying solely on Node's traditional `fs` module for all file operations, I leveraged Electron's `dialog` module to use the native OS file open/save dialogs. This provides a much better user experience. For inter-process communication (IPC) between the main process (handling Node.js) and the renderer process (handling the UI), I used the `contextBridge` to securely expose specific functions. This modern, secure approach is faster and safer than older IPC methods.

Secret #3: Ruthless Prioritization with MoSCoW

You can't build every feature in 30 days. I used the MoSCoW method to categorize every potential feature:

• Must-Have: Core text editing, open/save files, file tree. (Non-negotiable)
• Should-Have: Tabs, search/replace, syntax highlighting themes. (High priority)
• Could-Have: Git integration, extension marketplace, command palette. (If time permits)
• Won't-Have (for now): Live collaboration, remote development. (Explicitly out of scope)

This framework was my North Star. Whenever I was tempted to work on a shiny “Could-Have” feature, I forced myself back to the “Must-Haves” and “Should-Haves”. It kept the project focused and on track.

Beyond 30 Days: Monetization and the Future

The 30-day challenge is over, but the journey for my app, now named 'Codex Lite', is just beginning. I’m currently exploring a simple monetization strategy: a one-time purchase model for a “Pro” version that includes more advanced features like a full command palette and custom themes. Building a community around the app through a public roadmap and a Discord server is my next big goal. The foundation is solid, and the future is exciting.

Conclusion: You Can Do It, Too

Building a code editor in 30 days was one of the most challenging and fulfilling projects of my career. It proved that with modern tools like Electron and Monaco, the assistance of AI, and a disciplined project management approach, ambitious goals are within reach. The key is to start small, build momentum, and prioritize relentlessly. If you've been dreaming of a big project, stop dreaming and start building. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish in just one month.