From Side Project to Production App

Over 4 years ago I started building an RSS reader called FeedMe.

I've decided to evolve this side project into a Production-quality application.

Why does FeedMe exist?

Initially, there were two main reasons to build this app.

1. I wanted full control of a portal into the corners of the internet that I'm interested in.
2. I wanted to work on a side project that's practical for personal use and I could use to experiment with technology.

One classic example of using a side project for learning is when devs build a To-do MVC app to learn new tech stacks. FeedMe was essentially serving the same purpose but was a more useful product for me.

Over time I've rebuilt this application using a whole bunch of different tech stacks. Most times I would try out new programming languages, infrastructure, etc. to help learn the tech for my day job. Other times I would rebuild the application using technology purely because it interested me.

As the years passed, the why of this project has matured.

Since the inception of the project I was not on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok but I would still spend a lot of time on YouTube, Reddit, and occasionally X. Long story short, I found that the feed algorithms were doing a great job of capturing my attention and time.

I realized two things:

1. I was becoming addicted to these platforms.
2. There was once a "before time" where each day I chose where to focus and for how long.

Nowadays I see the value of my attention. FeedMe helps me reclaim my attention from the big tech algorithms.

Deciding to build a Production app

One day I realized that using this app daily has had such a positive benefit on my life. I asked myself, "What if one more person could reclaim their attention?"

The prospect of being able to help just one more person inspired me to slowly start converting my untested, hobby code into a robust production system on nights and weekends.

Given my professional work experience, I know how to write production code. However, the code I've historically written for hobby projects has always been extremely naive in comparison. When I'm slinging code for a side project I optimize for time, don't write tests, and just get something working. If it's buggy but there are workarounds then I simply live with the bugs because I'm the only user.

In hindsight, I realize I would've saved myself a ton of time by being a bit more thorough when building the hobby project. It took longer than expected to essentially port my spaghetti code into solid production code.

Next steps

Now that the app has launched, I will maintain the product and polish it indefinitely. Unless RSS goes away, I don't foresee the need to use any other application to browse the web for as long as I live. It's a pretty cool feeling.

I've learned a ton and I'm still learning each day. My plan is to write down my learnings from this journey, publish them online, and deliver tech talks at local meetups.

My hope is that my journey inspires others to embark on similar adventures.

The product itself isn't the only thing that has improved my life. There's something special about working on a project that truly interests you. I've found the learnings to be much deeper than at my day job. I've found my passion for building is at an all-time high. Last but certainly not least, it's awesome to take pride in building something and bringing your vision to life.