I built a SaaS without being a developer. Here's how it actually works.

I'm a 25 year old machine technician from Germany. Nine years of metal processing. No CS degree. No bootcamp.

I tried learning to code for years. Did every tutorial. Started courses. Never finished a single one. Every time I hit a wall, I stopped.

Then something clicked a few weeks ago.

I stopped trying to become a developer. I started trying to build a product.

What I did instead:

I set up an AI agent (Hermes) for architecture, research and planning — and paired it with Claude Code for implementation. My role became: product decisions, testing, deploying. Not typing.

The result after 4 weeks: PingMon (pingmon.ai) — an API monitoring tool that's live, working, and slowly getting traffic.

Tech stack (all chosen by AI, reviewed by me):
Python 3.11 / FastAPI
SQLite
Vanilla HTML + CSS + JS (no framework)
Stripe for payments
Docker / docker-compose
Caddy for reverse proxy + SSL
Netcup VPS
Umami Analytics

What it does: Pings APIs and websites every minute. Alerts via Telegram, Slack or Email when something breaks. Includes SSL monitoring, domain expiry tracking, and a public status page. Free tier available. Paid from 12€/month.

What I actually did:

Designed the architecture (what goes where, which tech fits)
Wrote the prompts that generated the code
Set up the server, DNS, domain, SSL — myself
Tested every feature before launch
Handled the bugs, the crashes, the "why won't this deploy" moments
Made all product decisions — pricing, features, UX
Deployed at 3am after a family wedding. While everyone was dancing. Also yes.

What I didn't do:

Write most of the code
Know the frameworks beforehand
Have an exit plan
What I learned:

Having an idea. Planning it out. Building it. Making it real.

But the most important thing I learned: I actually love building this. The process. The decisions. Solving problems.

That feeling alone makes it worth it. I started this as an experiment. I'm continuing because it's the first thing in years that truly fulfills me.

Why I'm posting this:

I see questions every week: "Can I build something if I can't code?" or "Is AI-assisted development real or a scam?"

This is my honest answer: yes, you can ship a working product. But you need to understand the system, not just copy-paste prompts. You need to know what you want, test it, and fix it when it breaks.

I'm not here to sell you PingMon. I want honest feedback from experienced devs: does this setup count as building a product? What am I missing?

I know this is a controversial topic. Some will say it doesn't count. Others will say this is exactly how building works now. I want to hear both sides.

I'll answer everything. Including the hard questions.

pingmon.ai