Hitting 1,000 Downloads: How to Actually Host Your First Indie App Without Crying
·4 mins
Crossing 1k downloads is thrilling until your $5 VPS catches fire. Here is how to survive the traffic without going broke.
Indie-Hacker
Getting Your First Paid App From Localhost to the Real Internet
·3 mins
A stranger bought my side project today. Here is the actual server setup I used to get paid without burning cash on AWS.
I Built a Fully Automated AR Menu System for Restaurants: A r/sideproject Reality Check
·4 mins
An automated AR menu system sounds like a brilliant side project until you try to sell it to a restaurant. Here is the reality check.
I'm 42 and Wish I Knew This 20 Years Ago: The r/sideproject Reality Check
·3 mins
A 42-year-old dev’s brutally honest take on infrastructure, scopes, and tools from r/sideproject.
125 Jars of Chili Crunch in 24 Hours: The Messy Reality of Physical Side Projects
·4 mins
Shipping 125 jars of chili crunch in 24 hours proves physical products are a different beast. Here is the messy reality of scaling a food side project.
How I Built a Browser Extension That Pays You Cash Back for ChatGPT Downtime
·4 mins
A step-by-step breakdown of building a browser extension that monetizes ChatGPT server errors and pays users crypto cash back. Code included.
I'm So Over AI SideProjects: Here's What Actually Works in 2026
·4 mins
Sick of every r/sideproject post being another AI wrapper? Here are real, dumb, useful projects from the trenches.
r/sideproject Year-End Wrap: The Projects We Actually Finished (And Why)
·3 mins
Real developers share the side projects they finally shipped this year. Spoiler: nobody cares about your microservices architecture.