DEV Community

gleamso
gleamso

Posted on

2

Building a SaaS as a Solo Developer: Month 1 Learnings

After a month of building gleam.so as a solo developer, I want to share my experience and key learnings. This journey has taught me valuable lessons about technical decisions, development processes, and overcoming challenges alone.

gleam.so
Flash Sale: 75% off all plans

The Initial Vision

When I started building gleam.so, I had a clear goal: create an OpenGraph image generator that developers would actually enjoy using. The existing solutions felt either too complex or too limiting, leaving a gap for a developer-focused tool that balanced simplicity with power.

Technical Foundation

The technical stack selection proved crucial for solo development. I chose:

// Tech Stack
const stack = {
  framework: 'Next.js 14',
  styling: 'Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui',
  database: 'Supabase',
  deployment: 'Vercel',
  image_processing: {
    primary: '@vercel/og',
    optimization: 'sharp'
  }
};
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

This combination offered several advantages for solo development:

First, Next.js 14 with the App Router provided a robust foundation for rapid development. The built-in optimizations and edge runtime support meant I could focus on features rather than infrastructure.

The decision to use shadcn/ui with Tailwind CSS significantly accelerated UI development. Instead of spending days designing components, I could compose interfaces quickly while maintaining a professional look:

// Component-driven development
const ImagePreview = () => {
  return (
    <Card className="p-4">
      <CardHeader>
        <CardTitle>Preview</CardTitle>
        <CardDescription>
          See how your image will appear on social media
        </CardDescription>
      </CardHeader>
      <CardContent>
        <PreviewRenderer />
      </CardContent>
    </Card>
  );
};
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Development Process

Working alone required a disciplined approach to development. I established a simple but effective process:

// Daily development cycle
interface DevelopmentCycle {
  morning: {
    review: 'Previous day\'s work',
    plan: 'Top 3 priorities',
    setup: 'Development environment'
  },
  development: {
    focus: '90-minute blocks',
    breaks: 'Every 90 minutes',
    documentation: 'As you code'
  },
  evening: {
    review: 'Day\'s progress',
    testing: 'New features',
    planning: 'Next day\'s goals'
  }
}
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

This structure helped maintain momentum while ensuring code quality didn't suffer from working solo.

Major Challenges

1. Feature Scope Control

The biggest challenge was managing feature scope. Without a team to provide perspective, it's easy to overcomplicate things. I implemented a simple rule:

// Feature evaluation framework
const evaluateFeature = (feature: Feature): boolean => {
  return (
    feature.implementationTime <= 1 day &&
    feature.solvesCriticalProblem &&
    feature.maintainableByOne
  );
};
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

2. Technical Debt Management

Working alone meant being extra careful about technical debt. I adopted a "pay as you go" approach:

// Technical debt management
interface TechDebtPolicy {
  immediate: 'Critical bugs, Security issues',
  weekly: 'Code refactoring, Performance optimization',
  monthly: 'Architecture review, Dependency updates'
}
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

3. Quality Assurance

Testing became crucial when working alone. I implemented an automated testing strategy:

// Test-driven development approach
describe('OG Image Generation', () => {
  test('generates correct dimensions', async () => {
    const image = await generateOGImage({
      title: 'Test Image',
      template: 'default'
    });
    expect(image.width).toBe(1200);
    expect(image.height).toBe(630);
  });

  test('handles errors gracefully', async () => {
    const result = await generateOGImage({
      title: null // Invalid input
    });
    expect(result.fallback).toBeDefined();
  });
});
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Key Learnings

Technical Decisions Matter More Solo

When working alone, every technical decision has amplified impact. I learned to:

  1. Choose mature, well-documented technologies
  2. Prioritize developer experience for solo productivity
  3. Implement automation early
  4. Focus on maintainable code

Time Management is Critical

I developed a focused approach to time management:

interface TimeAllocation {
  development: '70% of time',
  planning: '15% of time',
  maintenance: '10% of time',
  exploration: '5% of time'
}
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Community Support is Invaluable

The dev community provided crucial support through:

  1. Technical feedback on architecture decisions
  2. Early testing and bug reports
  3. Feature suggestions and use cases
  4. Moral support and encouragement

Moving Forward

After one month, gleam.so has evolved from an idea to a working product with real users. The focus now is on:

  1. Expanding the template library based on user needs
  2. Improving generation performance
  3. Adding API access for automation
  4. Building a sustainable revenue model

For Fellow Solo Developers

If you're considering the solo developer path, here are my recommendations:

  1. Start with a clear, focused problem
  2. Choose boring technology that lets you move fast
  3. Build in public to get early feedback
  4. Automate everything you can
  5. Stay close to your users

Let's connect and share experiences! Drop your questions or share your solo development story in the comments.


Building gleam.so in public. Follow along as we make OpenGraph images less painful for developers!

Billboard image

The Next Generation Developer Platform

Coherence is the first Platform-as-a-Service you can control. Unlike "black-box" platforms that are opinionated about the infra you can deploy, Coherence is powered by CNC, the open-source IaC framework, which offers limitless customization.

Learn more

Top comments (0)

The Most Contextual AI Development Assistant

Pieces.app image

Our centralized storage agent works on-device, unifying various developer tools to proactively capture and enrich useful materials, streamline collaboration, and solve complex problems through a contextual understanding of your unique workflow.

👥 Ideal for solo developers, teams, and cross-company projects

Learn more

👋 Kindness is contagious

Discover a treasure trove of wisdom within this insightful piece, highly respected in the nurturing DEV Community enviroment. Developers, whether novice or expert, are encouraged to participate and add to our shared knowledge basin.

A simple "thank you" can illuminate someone's day. Express your appreciation in the comments section!

On DEV, sharing ideas smoothens our journey and strengthens our community ties. Learn something useful? Offering a quick thanks to the author is deeply appreciated.

Okay