Curated directory for free backend & DevOps tools that drives real users via SEO and dev community alerts.
Indie makers of free developer tools like API uptime monitors can't gain users beyond personal contacts due to Reddit post filtering and lack of budget or knowledge of devops/backend dev communities.
Indie makers submit their free dev tools to a niche directory optimized for search engines and dev communities. Users discover tools through searchable listings, weekly email digests, and social shares. Makers get analytics on views and clicks without Reddit filters or ad spend.
CS students and solo indie hackers launching free dev tools for backend developers and devops engineers
Exclusive focus on backend/DevOps free tools with AI-powered categorization and dev-only email blasts to 10k+ subscribers.
supportive
Makers submit tool details, logo, description, and GitHub link for moderation.
Users search by keyword, category (e.g., API monitor, logging), stars, or recency.
Makers view tool views, clicks, and top referrers.
Subscribers get new tools curated by upvotes.
Community upvotes and discusses tools.
Pro makers get 'Featured' badges and priority listing.
Pull latest tools via public API.
Post new tools to Slack channels.
Heatmaps and conversion tracking.
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| text | No | |
| github_handle | text | Yes |
| subscription_tier | text | No |
| created_at | timestamp | No |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| name | text | No |
| description | text | No |
| github_url | text | No |
| category | text | No |
| upvotes | int | No |
| views | int | No |
| owner_id | uuid | No |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| tool_id | uuid | No |
| user_id | uuid | No |
| status | text | No |
| submitted_at | timestamp | No |
Relationships:
/api/toolsList tools with filters
/api/toolsSubmit new tool
/api/analytics/:toolIdGet tool stats
/api/upvotes/:toolIdUpvote tool
No badges, 100 views/mo
5k views/mo
Unlimited
| Month | Users | Conversion | MRR | ARR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 200 | 1% | $50 | $600 |
| Month 6 | 1,200 | 3% | $900 | $10,800 |
Skip Reddit bans and zero-budget promo. List in our SEO-powered directory and get real users via emails & shares.
DM 10 CS student friends on Twitter who built dev tools, offer free Pro access for listings. Post in indie hacker Discord with a giveaway for first submitters. Reach out to recent GitHub repos tagged 'devops-tool' via issues.
High traffic
No analytics or promotion
Modern UI, emails, and maker tools
Curated subscriber email list of backend devs grows virally via shares.
Explosion of AI dev tools creates demand for discovery amid Reddit crackdowns.
Low submission volume
Seed with 50 tools manually
Email deliverability
Use Resend + warm-up
Success: 50+ responses, 70% interest
Success: 20 submissions
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