Side projects I've built since 2009
63 comments
·May 19, 2025PaulRobinson
90s_dev
> I wish I had this energy again.
I used to think my youthful energy was gone forever. Then about 3 months ago I had an idea for a project I truly believed in. I was able to write code for 16 hours straight, day after day, for most of the last 3 months. And it's not exhausting, it's rejuvenating. I feel like a young man again, despite my gray hairs! (I was planning on releasing it today actually, but this weekend I had an epiphany that requires a half rewrite for significant gains, which might add another few weeks.)
johnmaguire
Careful not to fall into the trap of never releasing - it can always be better.
90s_dev
Definitely something I've worried about. But a major architectural change is different than an improvement. I've left a lot of low hanging fruit for me to fix up after release. But with this change it would literally become a new, backwards-incompatible product. That's where I personally draw the line for when to wait.
dmos62
Happy to hear this, good luck!
drish
totally feel you, I also have a list of projects I wanted to jump in, but I feel exhausted, and blame myself for not working on them.
naeemnur
Totally relatable. I’ve stepped back a bit since my son was born. It’s a different pace now, but that’s fine. Rest isn’t a pause, it’s part of it.
jonplackett
I should make a page of ‘Every Side Project I haven’t quite finished building since 2009’
But it would be so huge I can’t afford the hosting bill.
mickeyr
And if you’re like me, you probably wouldn’t finish the list either…
skeeter2020
I have - and still - struggle with this. My (unsolicited) advice:
1. just start anything NOW. Don't worry about getting organized or the correct order; just go. The act of working creates momentum; early on moving is more important than progress.
2. today's good enough > tomorrow's perfect. I found an OSS project for something I was going to build to help me capture "personal content". It's rough and not exactly what I was after but good enough. I've built (less than) half a system to help me with my job on top of PocketBase. Maybe someday I'll finish it (or even add another feature - #1 above has lots of ideas captured!) but until then I get value today.
3. Find something that has ongoing personal value: I help an animal rescue and pay the ongoing costs to run the system I built more than 10 years ago. Dropping $20/month to $5/month is possible but not a big enough motivation for a significant new version. The looming tech debt and support load might be over the rest of this year though!
4. Recognize that the incomplete part of side projects is a feature not a bug. Curiosity and exploration almost always end in specific dead ends, but the illumination gained can be used throughout your life. It's largely the act not the explicit output.
90s_dev
> just start anything NOW. Don't worry about getting organized or the correct order; just go
Yes! Projects develop organically, with many stop gap solutions and temporary scaffolds built and torn down along the way. Rome wasn't built in a day.
alentred
Preach. Sign me up when you finish this side project, I will list mine there too :)
nonethewiser
Good.
I don't see this as a bad thing. Most people make side projects for fun, trying knew things, solidifying knowledge, etc.
I mean, if you have a goal of starting a SaaS and you've spent years starting and stopping a bunch of projects that you never follow through on then yeah, you should improve on that. But that's not most people with a bunch of unfinished side projects.
fm2606
Excellent point
diggan
Meh, just change your personal definition of "finished" and everything gets easier :)
I too struggled with the feeling of not completing things, until I realized I didn't actually want to "finish" projects in the sense of "have paying users" but instead wanted to learn something new, try out some design/architecture or just solve a personal problem.
So for the last few years, my "finished" ratio is much higher, as I got the value I wanted out of almost every project I started.
mfalcon
And you probably won't finish that too :)
90s_dev
Maybe someone can make a curated wiki page of people's unfinished and/or abandoned projects so everyone can put theirs there? (Oh wait, that's just github.)
skeeter2020
except you said curated :)
I actually love this part of github; it reminds me of the old internet, full of under construction Geocities pages and other half-baked projects. It's the polar opposite of today's bland, instagram-perfect same-same internet.
90s_dev
Yep. I love finding someone's old project on github and going through it and especially comparing it to stuff they did release and seeing how it was merely a stepping stone and a way for them to learn something. That significantly influenced how I code and helped me to be okay with writing code that never sees the light of day, as long as it helps me get past something in a project that does.
giantg2
That's a pretty high percentage of sold vs dead products. I think most people would be lucky to sell even one side project.
mattrighetti
That’s the first thing I thought about too. OP how do you sell your side projects? Does people just reach out or are you actively looking for people interested in buying?
loveparade
I think "sold" probably doesn't mean what you think it means here. Have you looked at the projects? Nearly all of them are just statics lists of things. Like "a list of all country flags" or "a list of modern inventions"
Maybe it was some SEO related sale with the domain and bit of ad revenue that someone bought for $100, which probably isn't the definition of selling a side project that most users on HN have. In fact, looking at the domains, the domains were probably worth more than the content on those sites.
That's why I originally flagged this post because I thought it was a bit misleading. I didn't think most people here would consider simple lists of things as side projects.
nonethewiser
I think this is a good clarification, although I think it's still a solid accomplishment.
eastburnn
Very impressive “Sold” list! I’ve created a similar portfolio site for myself, but haven’t added a “Sold” section. Seems obvious, so I think that’ll be in my next update. Link below for reference:
fm2606
Virtual hat tip to ya!
I finally have four ideas that I think worthy to build that I would like to monetize. All would be well within my abilities to build. No vision of grandeur that I'd retire from any of them and if I made $100 from one site I'd be ecstatic.
Two are simple games, one a directory and one a utility type site. No AI, no sign-up, no affiliate marketing, no upselling, just simple sites with ads.
However, my "paralysis by analysis" affliction is strong.
skeeter2020
I think you have the motivation wrong. The cost-benefit economics work if you want to have fun building something, learn a lot and share it with others. It doesn't work if the goal is to make up to $100/month selling ads; getting a part-time job would be a better path. In this scenario not finishing your side project is the correct decision, and not starting an optimization of that.
90s_dev
> However, my "paralysis by analysis" affliction is strong.
The solution is to remember that nothing is perfect, and that all code is eventually thrown away and replaced. So just start writing code and have fun!
msephton
Nice work, particularly the amount you've sold! I keep a similar timeline of projects on my website, going back to 2004 (older stuff going back to 1990 is there, but not as organised) https://www.gingerbeardman.com
azhenley
This is beautiful. I think I'll add a similar page to my website. Side projects are what I look forward to!
Right now, I just have my blog + github as a messy portfolio of personal projects, but I like this much better.
naeemnur
Go for it! I love creating list sites, so I listed my side projects too. xD
dakiol
How does one pay taxes when selling minor side projects? I have never been a contractor/freelancer and I have never setup a company. This is the main pain in the ass for me when it comes to generating some side income. I'm in Europe, so it makes it worse I think.
msephton
It depends on the country the funds originate. Some countries have tax treaties each other. So it can be complicated. The easiest way is to get an accountant to deal with it. Then you can spend your valuable time building more stuff.
EdA1
Wow, you've sold a lot of sites. How does that work?
diggan
Create public project, have a contact-form/email somewhere on the website, if someone is interested in buying it, they'll reach out to you and you discuss the details. Isn't much more magic than that :)
MrGilbert
And also finding your niche idea, that also solves a real world problem and is interesting enough for someone to acquire. Generate enough visibility.
I'd argue there is some kind of magic here.
johnisgood
How do you get any visitors to begin with? By posting it on HN?
diggan
"Show HN" (https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html) is a great way of getting a general (but very techy) group of people to try it out and give feedback.
Otherwise, if you're solving a specific problem in a niche, start hanging out wherever those people hang out, participate in the community and share your solution if it's applicable to the discussion. Make sure not to spam/self-promote a lot though, as it comes off as really tacky in most places.
martin_a
Or share it with friends and coworkers, write an article about it, write good texts on the website itself so that search engines can pick it up, etc. pp.
Solve a problem and people will probably find your site.
wahnfrieden
IG reels, TT
naeemnur
I've sold through Acquire.com, Flippa, and also had people reach out to me directly
FiberBundle
Would you be ok with giving a range of selling prices?
naeemnur
Sure, Highest was $8,000 and lowest $250. Total so far is a bit over $35k. Thinking of adding the prices to the page soon.
monsieurbanana
Microacquistions maybe? I haven't looked much into it and I don't want to link to a random $$$ website, so instead here's the subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/microacquisitions
patapong
Very cool! How do you know when a project is done?
naeemnur
I just put out the first version once it feels usable (very important) and try not to overthink it. I add features later if it still feels fun or useful.
JoeDaDude
Symbol hunt is broken :( (FWIW, I had the same error on my website, seems PHP needs to be updated)
is_true
It got hacked at some point by the look of it
naeemnur
Sold it two years ago, not sure if the new owner is maintaining it or not
neonwatty
very nice! where did you sell your "sold" apps?
I wish I had this energy again.
I've got a list of side projects to get on with. I've made little progress in the last year, and suspect its burn out to blame - I'm just constantly exhausted.
I think if you have the energy, this is awesome fun. It might even get to the point where one of them makes some decent income.
But if you don't, like me, just realise that there is a reason for that, and it's OK. You need rest and relaxation, and it's OK to prioritise that.