AI Makes DIY Dev Realistic Again

Before AI

Most devs didn’t roll their own tools. They found something off the shelf that was close enough and lived with the quirks.

• Need a website? Try Blogger.com, Ghost, or WordPress (please not WordPress).

• Need to schedule posts? Use Buffer or Hootsuite.

• Need analytics? Google Analytics or bust.

• Need a to-do list? Pick from the 200 already out there.

Nobody was building their own auth systems, credit card processors, or CMS platforms unless they wanted pain. Even the “simpler” things, like a blog, usually got punted to a third-party because who wants to spend days wiring up markdown parsing and draft support?

The cost (time, complexity, maintenance) just wasn’t worth the benefit.

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After AI

That’s where things flipped. AI doesn’t magically solve complexity, but it does wipe out a lot of the grunt work that used to make DIY less likely.

Let’s be real: most devs are probably not going to write their own auth, credit card processing, or anything that touches government regulations as a side project. That’s still third-party land.

But the number of things we can reasonably build ourselves has grown. A lot.

Things that are now DIY-friendly

• API key usage and tracking
  Instead of duct-taping Google Sheets or paying for an overpriced SaaS, we can spin up a lightweight API key manager in a weekend.

• Blog engines
  I built my own blog because I wanted markdown-first, tags, drafts, and scheduled posts without blogger.com, Ghost, or dragging along the weight of WordPress. AI made that possible without wasting weeks. Read more here

• Ad engines
  Most existing ad systems are bloated or ugly. If we want ads that fit our own projects (instead of whatever Google decides), rolling our own is suddenly realistic. That’s why I’m working on one now.

• Custom dashboards, CMS-lite, usage tracking, billing layers
  All the “small glue apps” that sit between bigger systems are now worth considering. They used to be too boring and repetitive to hand-roll. Now AI will happily crank out the boilerplate while we focus on the specific features we actually need.

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The Bigger Purpose

So why bother? Why not just keep leaning on whatever tool is “good enough”?

Because building more ourselves — even small things — has bigger benefits than just saving a subscription fee.

Ownership & Control

When you roll your own, you’re not at the mercy of someone else’s roadmap, pricing, or half-baked features. Your tool does what you need, and nothing you don’t. That kind of control is worth a lot.

Learning & Growth

Every project you build sharpens your skills. A small blog engine or API tracker might feel trivial, but the lessons you pick up carry over. You get better at design, architecture, debugging — all the stuff that makes you a stronger dev.

Freedom & Independence

Third-party tools can shut down, raise prices, or vanish without notice. When you’ve got your own version running, you’re not trapped. AI lowers the barrier to taking that independence into your own hands.

Future-Proofing

Today’s “side project” might be tomorrow’s SaaS. A simple blog engine could turn into a platform. An API tracker might evolve into a full monitoring tool. The things you roll for yourself now can become opportunities later.

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The Bottom Line

Before AI, most devs rolled their own simple stuff — little scripts, utilities, or basic apps. But when it came to anything complex, secure, or regulated, we leaned on third-party tools because building from scratch just wasn’t realistic.

After AI, the barrier is low enough that building your own is often the better option—fewer compromises, more control, and still reasonable on time.

You’re probably not going to rebuild Stripe or Auth0. But you can roll your own blog, ad engine, API tracker, or whatever small but important thing your project actually needs.

And here’s the real kicker: you’re not just saving yourself frustration in the short term. You’re building skills, independence, and maybe even planting the seeds for your next big project.

That’s the shift: building it yourself isn’t crazy anymore. In a lot of cases, it’s the smarter play — and the more purposeful one.