Ask HN: How do you monetize personal code if it's not an "app"?

S

splimeproject

Hey HN,
I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately and wanted to ask — how do you monetize your personal code if it doesn’t really fit into a classic product or SaaS model?
For example:
  • I have a trained ML model that solves a niche task really well — but turning it into a full-blown app seems like overkill.
  • I’ve written a CLI tool that processes log files better than anything else I’ve found, but it’s too specialized to justify making a company out of it.
  • I built a few small functions in different languages (Python, Go, Rust) that do neat things — data cleanup, API scraping, PDF generation — but none of them are “products” by themselves.
I’m exploring ways to package and expose this kind of work: maybe as paid APIs, small function services, or even “pocket FaaS” instances others can plug into.
Curious if anyone here has tried something similar — or if you’ve seen creative ways to turn technical tools or utilities into sustainable side income.
Thanks in advance for sharing ideas or examples!


Comments URL: Ask HN: How do you monetize personal code if it's not an "app"? | Hacker News

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