Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2022 – Show and tell

Article summary

The article asks individuals who make $500/month on side projects in 2022 to share their experiences. A developer shared their API for generating images on the fly, which sparked a discussion about the need for such an API and the feasibility of building a similar solution. The API's creator shared their revenue and the technology used to build the service. The discussion also touched on other side projects, including a robotics newsletter and a hosted WireGuard service.

Main themes

• side projects
• API development
• scalability and reliability
• JavaScript and front-end development
• newsletter promotion
• regional expansion and deployment
• revenue and churn management
• maintenance and operations

What commenters say

• Some developers can build their own rendering system, but it may not be as efficient or scalable as a dedicated API.
• Building a solution is one thing, but maintenance, support, and operations are often more challenging.
• A pure JavaScript solution can be used for certain tasks, but it may not be suitable for all use cases, such as creating images outside of a browser.
• Using an API can save development time and effort, even if it's possible to build a similar solution from scratch.
• Server-side HTML5 canvas can be used to generate images on the fly.
• Churn can significantly impact revenue, even for successful side projects.
• Trading shoutouts with other newsletters can be an effective way to grow subscribers and promote a newsletter.
• Regional expansion can be limited by economic factors, but user feedback can help inform future deployment decisions.