Barhopp
- Product
- Live iOS and Android app
- Traction
- 12,000+ downloads
- Use case
- Happy hours, bars, and events
Creator and developeriOS & Android app + website
The app today
The result
12,000+ downloads across iOS and Android.
A live Iceland nightlife app with 12,000+ downloads, built around happy hours, venue discovery, events, and local bar onboarding.
Among the top free apps
Barhopp appeared in the App Store's Food & Drink Top Free Apps chart, as shown in this archived photo.
01
The problem
Reykjavík bars wanted people to notice their happy hours and deals, but customers never knew what was on or where to go, so the best offers went unseen.
02
What I did
Built the React Native and Expo app from scratch, alongside its Node.js backend and admin tools. Shipped it on iOS and Android and maintained notifications, content, and performance.
Evolution
From the first build to a new look.
The early app established the core experience. In 2025, I redesigned the interface and its visual identity.
Early version
Built from scratch with React Native and Expo. The original app already combined venue lists, happy-hour prices, maps, and filters.
4 images2025 redesign
A new interface and visual identity, with photo-led venue cards and opening status alongside distance and happy-hour details. The full gallery is above.
1 image
What I used
One codebase, two stores, seven languages.
App
- React Native
- Expo
- iOS
- Android
- Push notifications
Backend
- Node.js
- REST APIs
- Authentication
- Transactional email
Data
- MongoDB
- Venue and event content
- Geo queries
Reach
- 7 languages
- 100+ countries
- Store releases
Built and kept running
A worldwide nightlife app, operated end to end.
I built the app and its backend, shipped both store releases, and kept the product running as people used it around the world.
- 12,000+
- Downloads
- 100+
- Countries
- 7
- Languages
- iOS + Android
- Live stores
01 / Product system
More than a mobile interface
The visible app depended on a complete product system for users, venues, content, and communication.
Mobile product
Built the customer app with React Native and Expo and shipped it for both iOS and Android.
Node.js backend and admin
Built the server and admin workflows used to manage venues, happy hours, events, offers, and product content.
Accounts and communication
Implemented authentication, automatic emails, push notifications, and the operational paths around user accounts.
Product data
Managed users and nightlife content in MongoDB and maintained the data needed to keep discovery useful.
02 / Production
The work continued after launch
Keeping Barhopp useful meant owning releases, servers, performance, and support as the audience grew beyond Iceland.
Store releases
Prepared and shipped App Store and Play Store releases, handled updates, and resolved issues found after release.
Server and delivery
Managed hosting, deployments, DNS, traffic, errors, and production debugging for the live service.
Image loading and caching
Optimized images and payloads for mobile connections. The current image layer preloads into the same memory and disk cache used to display images.
Persistent data cache
Used TanStack Query and AsyncStorage to retain loaded content while requesting fresh data.
Seven-language product
Maintained a multilingual experience used in more than 100 countries, including Japanese, Chinese, English, French, German, and Spanish.