How I built my first side project: Tubee, in 2017
3 days ago
- #youtube-automation
- #side-project
- #learning-journey
- The author built Tubee, a YouTube content tracking platform, to address concerns about YouTube's recommendation algorithms and notification systems.
- Tubee allowed users to subscribe to channels, track new videos, and set up automated actions like adding videos to playlists or sending notifications via Pushover and LINE Notify.
- Development started in 2017 as a CS student project, using Python, SSH, and basic web technologies without AI assistance.
- Key milestones included learning Git, setting up Travis CI, using the YouTube Data API, and containerizing with Docker.
- Challenges included architectural decisions, refactoring, and debugging issues like APScheduler running multiple times in a Gunicorn pre-fork model.
- The project peaked at tracking 250 channels and processing 600+ videos daily but eventually faded due to shifting priorities and lack of a concrete problem to solve.
- Lessons learned include seeking help early, valuing foundational knowledge, and the importance of collaboration and feedback.
- Reflections highlight the benefits of boundaryless exploration and the value of reading documentation and solving problems without AI assistance.