A few years ago, I started building small web utilities—nothing fancy.
A unit converter.
A randomizer.
A simple calculator.
Then a text formatter.
Then a symbol library.
Then a probability simulator.
Each tool was supposed to be a fun weekend project.
But little by little, something unexpected happened:
> My “simple tools” started forming a real ecosystem.
Today, I have more than twenty of them—and maintaining them taught me more about web engineering than any big project I’ve ever done.
This is the story of how that happened.
🔹It started with one small tool
The first tool was a basic unit converter.
Simple UI.
No framework.
No backend.
Just JavaScript and a table of mappings.
People liked it.
So I built a second tool.
Then a third.
Then a fifth.
Before I realized what was happening, I had built:
- converters
- calculators
- simulators
- text generators
- symbol libraries
- formatters
- randomizers
Each tool solved one tiny problem.
Each tool was small, clean, and satisfying.
But something was wrong…
🔹 The tools looked nothing alike
By tool #6, I noticed something embarrassing:
Every tool looked and behaved differently.
- different buttons
- different spacing
- different input styles
- different error handling
- different mobile layout
Even I got confused switching between them.
That’s when it hit me:
> These tools need to feel like they belong together.
And that single thought changed everything.
🔹 The first big turning point: a unified Tool Shell
I stopped coding new tools and spent a week building a “Tool Shell”:
A small framework that standardized:
- layout
- spacing
- buttons
- input areas
- output components
- mobile behavior
- error states
When I plugged the older tools into the new shell, the result was shocking:
They instantly felt like a real suite.
I had accidentally built the first version of a design system.
🔹Then I realized the logic was repeating too
Converters?
All had the same transformation logic patterns.
Calculators?
All had similar expression behavior.
Simulators?
All had the same event loops and state machines.
So I built shared engines:
✔ Converter Engine
Handles parsing, mapping, formatting.
✔ Calculator Engine
Handles precision, math modules, evaluation.
✔ Simulator Engine
Handles state changes, variables, visual updates.
Suddenly, adding a new tool became easy.
🔹 The ecosystem started to grow on its own
Once tools shared a UI shell and shared engines, something magical happened:
New tools emerged naturally.
A converter inspired a generator.
A simulator inspired an experiment visualizer.
A symbol library inspired a formatter.
Tools stopped being isolated projects.
They became modules of a larger idea.
🔹 The biggest lesson: lightweight ≠ trivial
People often think small tools are easy.
But building many small tools requires:
- strong architecture
- reusable components
- abstraction discipline
- predictable UX
- performance optimization
- consistent patterns
Lightweight tools are unforgiving.
Every flaw is visible.
But every improvement scales across the ecosystem.
🔹 What I love most about building small tools
Small tools:
- reach more people
- solve very real needs
- load instantly
- avoid complexity traps
- encourage better engineering habits
- force clarity
And best of all:
> You can finish one in a day, improve it for a year, and use it for a lifetime.
That type of impact is rare in software.
🔹 What’s next?
Now that the ecosystem is stable, here’s what I want to build next:
- a shared API layer
- more advanced simulators
- reusable visualization components
- improved accessibility
- keyboard-first UX everywhere
- optional power-user modes
- better onboarding for new tools
And of course:
More tools.
Always more tools.
🔹 Final thought
I didn’t set out to build a platform.
I just wanted to build fun tools.
But the tools connected themselves.
They pushed me to think about:
- architecture
- UX systems
- abstractions
- maintainability
- ecosystems
And that’s the beauty of lightweight tools:
Big systems often start with small ideas.
And small tools can grow into big lessons.
If you’ve ever built a tiny tool that somehow turned into something bigger—you’re not alone. And I’d love to hear your story.
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