Launching devxjobs.com

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Last updated: 2024-03-18

Introduction

I've always dreamed of launching my own side project. And, as they say, the best way to do it is to “scratch your own itch”. Or, in other words, to solve your own problems. So, I decided to do just that. I've noticed that there is a lack of a proper job board for developer experience related offers, and so I decided to built one.

Technology

For the geeks and nerds out there this is the "stack" I used. I opted for a minimalist approach, both for learning purposes and to maintain control over my resources. The focus was to "get something out there" quickly, in order to provide value. On the other hand, I wanted to have a fully functioning MVP.

• Domains and email: GoDaddy. (Note: It can be quite challenging to come up with a good domain name.)
• I'm hosting everything on a Nanode 1 GB Linode Machine, the cheapest you can have (~$5 a month, very transparent pricing and easy to upgrade).
• HTTP Server: Caddy - super easy to configure plus on-demand TLS feature.
• Code: vanilla HTML/CSS/JS + barebone NodeJS server. I'm mostly familiar with Clojure/Script but decided to go with native technologies for the prototype.
• DB: I just collect data in a Google Sheet 😁
• Forms: for the prototype, I'm just using Google Forms (subscribe, post a job). Looked into how to manage a subscriber list but there are way too many companies and I need something very simple.
• Cookies banner: used this code, works well.
• Deployment: Automated FTP. Will work on a better setup later (GH Actions integrated with git or similar)
• Analytics: super happy with simpleanalytics.com
• Added a button for donations (not expecting anything but was too simple to setup not to do it)

Marketing

I always feel uncomfortable when I have to do marketing, but I guess that's how most people feel. Selling something can be tough. My main marketing approach is to be highly active on LinkedIn, where I aim to attract and connect with people interested in this field. What makes me more self-confident doing all of this is my belief that I am genuinely providing value to my fellow engineers all over the world!

Currently, I manually add the offers. In the future, I hope to generate enough momentum for companies to post them themselves.

Conclusion

That's it! Launching an MVP can be daunting so I hope you found it useful! Feel free to leave any comments/thoughts/feedback on LinkedIn.

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