Ship real data apps with AI —
in days, not months.
The exact workflow I used to ship six live data apps in a few weeks of evenings — mostly by talking to my editor. Idea → vetted data → lazy build → deployed on your own box → shipped. It starts from zero — VS Code, Claude Code, your first server — so it works even if you've never touched a terminal.
Free to read — no signup to preview · make a free account to save your progress
You have the ideas. Shipping is the wall 😬
AI can write the code now. So why is there still nothing live? Because the gap was never the code — it's everything around it.
❌ The usual way it dies
- ❌ Pick an idea, find the data doesn't actually exist or is unusable
- ❌ AI builds you a 12-service monster you can't deploy or afford
- ❌ "Just deploy it" turns into a week of YAML, DNS, and 502s
- ❌ Vercel/Render bills creep; your side project costs more than it makes
- ❌ Months later: a localhost demo nobody can open
✅ The playbook way
- ✅ Vet the data first — build only ideas that can actually exist
- ✅ "Laziest thing that works" — static-first, the smallest stack that ships
- ✅ One box, one reverse proxy: add an app in minutes, not a migration
- ✅ Your own VPS — flat ~$7/mo hosts the whole fleet, not per-app bills
- ✅ A real URL other people can open — in days of evenings
I'm not a 10× engineer. I'm a data guy who got tired of dashboards dying on localhost. This is the system that finally got them out the door.
The whole loop, end to end
Same five moves every time. Once it's muscle memory, an idea becomes a live URL in an evening or two.
Vet the idea + data
Confirm the data is real, open, and usable before you write a line. Kill bad ideas in 20 minutes.
Build the lazy version
Talk to Claude Code in your editor. Static-first, the smallest stack that works. Ship the lazy version, question the rest.
Deploy on your own box
One VPS, one reverse proxy, one DNS record. The whole fleet behind one Caddy. Then add accounts + Stripe when it's worth it.
What's inside the playbook 📦
A from-zero setup guide + seven modules — the exact path the whole fleet was built on. No filler, no 4-hour intro video. Free, and updated as the workflow evolves.
0 · Set up your workshop start from zero
For total beginners: install VS Code + Claude Code, spin up your own Hostinger VPS, and connect the Hostinger MCP so Claude manages your servers and DNS just by chatting. Never touched a server before? You will have by the end of this module.
1 · Find an idea & vet the data
How I find app ideas hiding in public datasets, and the 20-minute check that proves the data is real, open, and usable before you commit. Where the good free data lives (gov APIs, ArcGIS, open-meteo, assessor records) and how to spot a dataset that'll betray you later.
2 · The "laziest thing that works" method
How I drive Claude Code in VS Code to build the smallest thing that ships — and the plugin setup that keeps it from over-engineering. The ladder: does it need to exist? does the platform already do it? can it be one line? Ship the lazy version, then question it.
3 · Build static-first
Why almost every app starts as one static HTML file — and how far that actually gets you (maps, search, charts, even a whole SRS trainer). When to add a tiny backend and when you absolutely don't need one. Proxying third-party APIs through your reverse proxy so the static page stays static.
4 · Deploy to your own box behind one reverse proxy
The pattern the whole fleet runs on: one cheap VPS, one shared Caddy reverse proxy, a static container per app, automatic HTTPS, and a DNS record via API. Add a new app to your live fleet in minutes — no per-app hosting bill, no platform lock-in.
5 · Add accounts + Stripe billing
When (and only when) it's worth charging: a central accounts store, server-verified entitlements, Stripe Checkout + the hosted billing portal, and webhook signatures done right. The boundary that stays un-lazy — secrets server-side, never fake-unlock. (This very page runs on it.)
6 · Ship in public
How I launch each app, link them so the fleet compounds, and keep momentum without a marketing team. The boring-but-honest version of building in public that actually gets the next thing shipped.
7 · Know if it's working — analytics with Umami
Self-hosted, cookieless analytics on your own box (no Google, no cookie banner) — the exact setup that runs the whole fleet. One dashboard, a one-line snippet per app, and the one honest number that tells you which app earns your next evening.
➕ Always free, always growing
The workflow keeps evolving as the tools do — and every future update lands right here, free, forever.
The stack you'll actually use 🧰
No mystery tooling. The same boring, cheap, durable pieces behind every app in the fleet.
🖥️ VS Code + Claude Code
Your editor, talking. Where the building actually happens.
🦥 The lazy plugin
Keeps the AI honest: laziest thing that works, no bloat.
🌐 A Hostinger VPS
One cheap box hosts the whole fleet. ~$7/mo, not per-app.
🔁 Caddy reverse proxy
One shared ingress, automatic HTTPS, a block per app.
🤖 The Hostinger MCP
Claude adds your DNS & manages your server — by chat, no panel.
💳 Stripe Checkout
Hosted payments + portal when it's time to charge.
The proof is live. Go open it 👇
Not a screenshot of a localhost demo. Six real apps, on real domains, built with the exact workflow in this playbook.
🗺️ travelmap live
Community travel pins over Nomad-List-style city data.
🏥 healthcare prices live
Hospital cash prices + Medicare benchmarks + a negotiation script.
🌪️ habooby live
A windy.com-style live map of Phoenix dust storms & air quality.
🏠 who owns phoenix live
The corporate & shell-LLC landlords behind Phoenix homes.
🚦 ticket heat live
Where & when Phoenix writes tickets — plus crashes & DUIs.
🗣️ acento live
Argentine-Spanish accent trainer: native voices, record-and-score, SRS.
…and the fleet keeps growing. See them all at traqqit.com.
What readers say
★★★★★
[PLACEHOLDER — replace with a real testimonial once you have one. Do not invent quotes.]
— real name & @handle here
★★★★★
[PLACEHOLDER — real testimonial]
— real name & @handle here
★★★★★
[PLACEHOLDER — real testimonial]
— real name & @handle here
Early honest note: this playbook is new. The only proof I'll show you is the apps above — they're real and you can open every one.
Alex Halloran
Data Hound · maker of the traqqit fleet
"I'm a data person, not a rock-star engineer. For years my projects died on localhost — cool dashboard, never shipped. Then I started treating my editor like a pair I talk to, kept the stack stupidly lazy, and put everything on one cheap box behind one reverse proxy. Suddenly I had six live apps in a few weeks of evenings. This playbook is just that loop, written down — the data-vetting, the laziness, the deploy pattern — so you can skip the year it took me to figure out. If the apps above don't convince you it works, nothing I say will."
— building in the open at traqqit.com · datahoundtech.com
It's completely free. No catch. 🎁
I'm not selling anything here. I taught myself this in public, and this is me giving the whole playbook back — so more people ship the thing that's stuck in their head.
No paywall · no upsell · no "premium tier"
🚀 Start the course — freeRead every module · make a free account only to save your progress
- ✓ A from-zero setup + all 7 modules — idea & data vetting → ship → measure
- ✓ The exact deploy pattern the whole fleet runs on
- ✓ The lazy method + plugin setup that stops AI over-building
- ✓ Accounts + Stripe billing + self-hosted analytics, done right
- ✓ Every future update — free, forever
Made by Alex Halloran · Data Hound. If it helps you ship something, that's the whole reward. Curious what I build next?
Questions, answered
Do I need to be a strong coder? ⌄
No. I'm a data person, not a software engineer. The whole point is letting Claude Code write the code while you steer — vetting the data, keeping it lazy, and deploying. The first module sets up everything from scratch (VS Code, Claude Code, your first server, the Hostinger MCP) assuming zero prior tooling. If you can read and you're stubborn, you can ship.
What do I actually get? ⌄
A written playbook — a from-zero setup guide (VS Code + Claude Code + a Hostinger VPS + the Hostinger MCP) plus seven modules covering the exact workflow behind the apps above: idea & data vetting, the lazy build method, static-first, the one-box deploy pattern, accounts + Stripe, shipping in public, and self-hosted analytics. It's all free to read the moment you open it — make a free account only if you want your progress saved. New material lands there as the workflow evolves, free.
Is this just "use AI to code"? ⌄
No. Everyone can prompt an AI now — and still nothing ships. The value here is everything around the code: proving the data exists, keeping the stack small enough to actually deploy, and the boring infra pattern that gets a real URL live and cheap. That's the part nobody hands you.
What will it cost me to run my apps? ⌄
One small VPS — roughly $5–7/month — hosts your whole fleet, not one bill per app. You'll need an editor with Claude Code and a Stripe account if you decide to charge. That's it. No platform lock-in, no surprise serverless bills.
Is it really free? What's the catch? ⌄
Completely free — no paywall, no upsell, no "premium tier," no catch. I'm an educator giving back; the only ask is that you actually go build something with it. If you want to follow what I make next, the links are up in the free section above.
Do I need an account? ⌄
No — the whole course is free to read with no signup at all. The only reason to make a free account is to check off modules and save your progress across devices. It's just an email and password — no card, ever.
Stop demoing on localhost.
Ship something live.
The exact loop behind six live apps — written down so you can skip the year it took me.
Free to read · make a free account to save your progress