Explore posts by Rob Hallam
3,170 posts by Rob Hallam
Select a post to readguideIf you wanna do it yourself, this is how:
Buy (~15 min)
1. Cheap VPS from Hetzner or DigitalOcean (~€5-10/mo), Ubuntu 24.04, tick automatic backups at checkout
2. Add your domain to Cloudflare (free plan), switch nameservers at your registrar
3. Install Termius (SSH app) + Tailscale (private network) on laptop and phone, free tiers
Lock it down (~20 min)
4. Generate an SSH key in Termius, add it to the VPS at creation. Keys only, never passwords
5. SSH in once via public IP, run updates, install Tailscale on the server, log it in
6. Disable Tailscale key expiry for the server (admin console, one click)
7. Verify you can SSH via the server's Tailscale 100.x address BEFORE the next step
8. Provider firewall: delete all inbound rules, allow only port 443 from Cloudflare's published IP ranges. No public SSH at all. You enter through the tunnel
9. Test from outside: public IP times out on everything, Tailscale IP connects. Server is now invisible
10. One SSH key per device. Phone gets its own key added to authorized_keys
Install the brain (~5 min)
11. apt install tmux then install Claude Code (official native installer, one curl command)
12. Run Claude Code inside a tmux session so it survives disconnects and keeps working while your laptop is closed
Hand over everything else
13. Write ONE long handover prompt telling Claude Code: the server facts, the security model (so it doesn't "fix" it), folder conventions (/srv/http/domain per project, one tmux session each), your preferences, and standing rules (confirm before destructive actions, new services bind to localhost/Tailscale only)
14. Make it write all of that into CLAUDE.md first, so every future session already knows everything
15. Backups before features: nightly job pushing your data to GitHub, tested, before a single page exists
16. Then let it install the web server (Caddy + Cloudflare DNS plugin plays nicest with the locked firewall), set up SQLite, deploy the first page
From then on you never administer the server again.
You open Termius from anywhere, on any device, and just say what you want.
BOSH
Rob HallamJul 262.1K5.5KHow to get backlinks organicallyguideHow I got 1,700 backlinks in 2 weeks:
> no, I didn't submit to any directories
> no, I didn't email for backlinks
> no, I didn't pay for backlinks
What I did was:
1. go viral
2. give links to 'free alternatives' on the site
3. become top traffic source for those alternatives
4. get a backlink as a "thanks"
You get what you give, I guess 😄Rob HallamAug 26336494guideYou still pay for SaaS?
I have officially built the biggest free alternative directory on the internet.
1,832 free alternatives to 422 apps.
Live now. https://t.co/4NcjPR5CwzRob HallamAug 26482432Sponsorships as a media company modelinsightPeople seem confused how this is making money.
It's 100% sponsorships.
canivibecodeit.com is basically a media company.
It brings traffic (by being valuable), and I transfer some of that traffic (value) to sponsors, and they pay me for it. https://t.co/Qf1nA38qOrRob HallamAug 26392289insightEgypt gets a lot of hate.
Fun fact is I started my indie hacking journey in Egypt 🇪🇬
If you visit the right parts, you will be blown away by how developed it is.
New Cairo, El-Alamein, El Gouna, etc are all more impressive than 99% of western cities.
Amazing people.
Amazing food.
I ate and lived like a king.
Hope to go back again and visit my friends there for a 3rd time soon.
p.s. some of the best engineers and bootstrapped founders in the world are Egyptian too like @yasser_elsaid_ there is insane talent density
Ta7ya masr om el donia 🇪🇬🇪🇬🇪🇬❤️Rob HallamAug 261.5K223Most SaaS moats are execution polishinsightSaaS is not dead.
I analyzed 900+ products to prove it.
54% have nothing protecting them but execution polish 💅
Full moat list is live, with notes on every product.
Pick one. Build it better. https://t.co/7GPGgKnyAARob HallamAug 26230179August 2026 income breakdownguideI made $29,310.35 in August 2026.
🔥 SuperX — $18,143.76
🤖 CanIVibecodeIt — $8,791.00
💬 X — $2,337.84
📽️ YouTube — $37.75
✂️ Take-home of SuperX is ~35%, others 100%
canivibecodeit.com made $8.7k in 3 days.
You can just do things ❤️Rob HallamAug 26427162insightI finally solved my morning brain fog!
3 days ago I started taking electrolytes with my morning glass of water:
> 1000mg sodium
> 200mg potassium
> 60mg magnesium
(importantly no sugar)
My brain feels way more alert.
And I stopped getting dehydration headaches. https://t.co/09obbgzp2jRob HallamAug 26203153Low-ticket B2C needs massive trafficinsightB2C will keep you poor.
You need consistent MASSIVE traffic to fight churn on low-ticket B2C at scale.
That's why I'm pivoting SuperX B2B.Rob HallamJul 26275128Future of indie hacking is curationinsightThe future of indie hacking is curation.
I pay for SaaS because it's a curated solution to a problem I have.
I open X because it's a curated feed of what's happening in the world.
I read a book because it's a curated dump of someone else's thoughts and ideas.
I built https://t.co/VrHuzoNM9B (now $9k/month) because I wanted a curated list of prompts to rebuild subscriptions I pay for.
AI slop is the opposite of curation.
The future is curation.Rob HallamAug 2616590Existing competitors validate the ideainsightThis mindset will keep you poor.
If your idea already exists, it means it’s validated.
Go build it and do it better.Rob HallamJul 2646989insightCan I Vibecode It? has only been live 15 hours:
> 4.5k visitors 👋
> 15k page views 👀
> 10 PRs submitted 🚀
> 320 prompts copied 🔗
> $2.8k MRR destroyed 💸
This is wild. v2 is cooking. https://t.co/InfvXGHR6KRob HallamJul 2619979Open source can sustain SaaS successinsightcanivibecodeit is 100% opensource.
If SaaS was dead, it wouldn't be doing $7.5k/month 😅 https://t.co/35F5Tg2N1YRob HallamAug 2620071guideCurrently BryanJohnsonmaxxing
Getting the following tested:
CBC
Fasting glucose
HbA1c
Total cholesterol
LDL
HDL
Triglycerides
Chol/HDL ratio
Uric acid
Creatinine
BUN
AST
ALT
ALP
GGT
Hepatitis B (HBsAg + HBsAb)
Urine
Stool + occult blood
EKG
Chest X-ray
Abdominal ultrasound
This will set the health baseline for the rest of my life.
(just turned 25 yo)Rob HallamJul 2612554Absurd ideas attract trafficinsight“This is just like NFT crypto hype!” is wrong.
Jonathan made $100k in 48hrs because businesses will pay for traffic.
The idea is as old as time.
But it works because it’s a new idea, and it’s absurd, so it gets eyes.
If you try to copy it, you will fail.Rob HallamAug 2618747guideGitHub hosts your code.
Nowhere hosts your prompts.
I built https://t.co/g7Ciu1sEzp: post what you vibecoded, with the exact prompts that made it.
1. Post your build
2. Paste the prompts you actually used
3. It's live
Everyone says "I built this in one prompt". Here, you show the prompt.
Rebuilt an app people pay for? Your build sits on that app's page forever.
Go post yours.Rob HallamAug 2614845guide11/10 experience at Bumrungrad in Bangkok 🇹🇭
$500 for health check, done in 3hrs.
I wanted extras:
> heart echo
> thyroid blood check
> heart doctor consult
They referred me immediately and did the tests.
Getting this service in Europe is unheard of.
Long live Thailand.Rob HallamJul 2614140tip5,000 visitors later.
I'm still only paying $8/month to host this on my little VPS.
(whilst also coding from my phone via Termius) https://t.co/3FTnEHRGG2Rob HallamJul 269538insightImagine 2 years ago building an app where you just ask:
“Find me leads for [x]”
We literally live in a sci-fi movie 😅 https://t.co/SzW0bmgEhmRob HallamSep 267437Automate reminders with VPS and Resend APItipI am worried I will forget stuff.
So I gave my VPS a Resend API key.
Now it emails me what I need to do, right when I need to do it :) https://t.co/b6W6SvzCCVRob HallamAug 269526Fear of winning harms performanceinsightEnglish culture has a fear of winning and an obsession with not losing 🏴
And it's exactly why I left England 3 years ago.
Last night's Argentina game was the perfect example.
We went 1-0 up in the 55th min. 35 mins from a World Cup final.
And what does the coach do? Brings on defenders.
We literally stopped attacking and spent half an hour trying to hold on against Messi.
Argentina scored in the 85th and the 92nd.
Thing about trying not to lose is all you're thinking about is losing.
You're rehearsing it in your head for 30 minutes.
Argentina went behind and attacked MORE.
Same mentality everywhere.
I stopped sharing wins with my English friends cos all you get back is envy.
Tell an American your business had a good month and they ask how you did it, they acc celebrate with you.
Tell an English friend and the vibe goes weird.
When you're winning that should be the signal to push harder.
In football, business, everything.
FOOOT ON THE GASSSSSSSS!!!!!
Not the signal to switch cruise control mode on and just defend.Rob HallamJul 2622826insightSome ppl said this is overkill.
I'm 25, fit, healthy, lift weights, eat clean, sleep well, get sun, no drugs/alcohol.
But that's exactly why I did these tests
It's data.
Data I can upload to a VPS like @levelsio
And in 2 years' time when I check again, if creatinine is too high:
"Hey Fable 16, what did I change in the last 2 years that would increase this?"
> "You started taking creatine, your kidneys are fine dw"
"Thanks"
--
"Hey Claude, should I take [this] supplement?"
> "No need, you're already covered by your baseline"
"Thanks"
--
"Hey Claude, I'm feeling tired lately, any idea?"
> ...
you get the point.
This data sets a baseline for every future decision I make with my body going forward.
Data that I keep forever, and compound.
Your health is your most valuable asset.
Treat it like such!!Rob HallamJul 268424An audience is a learned advantageinsight"you only made money because you have an audience"
yeah and the fisherman only caught fish because he learned how to fishRob HallamAug 2618423Progress fuels happinessinsightIf you strive for progress, you will be happy.
Quick story time.
Fable said this thing to me recently that stuck.
I asked “what’s the meaning of life?”
It replied “Meaning tends to show up as a byproduct of engagement, not as an answer you can hold”
i.e. the art of the chase
For example when I get stuck on a problem and I feel there is no way out, I feel trapped.
Then I get depressed.
The reverse is when I am chasing something.
More MRR.
Heavier weights in the gym.
Maybe even a new travel destination.
Basically when I am trying to achieve something or get more stuff, I feel alive.
I feel fulfilled.
I feel happy.
But only if I’m making progress.
As a human when you get stuck you often get yourself more stuck if you don’t stop to take a break.
Now with AI if I get stuck (and I mean truly stuck) on one project, I stop and start on another.
Sleeping on it is usually the answer to get unstuck.
Except for a small subset of people, I think everyone should be doing more things.
More hobbies.
So when you’re not feeling one thing, you stop and switch to something else.
Then come back later.
So do more things, make progress every day, and you will be much happier I promise.Rob HallamJul 266222Build a personal dashboardguideI built a little dashboard that runs on my VPS and visualizes my training.
I haven't been this consistent in 6 months.
You can just build things :)
bio.robhallam.com/training https://t.co/D5NtF7tpC6Rob HallamAug 265213guideFull list with notes here: canivibecodeit.com
Sort by moat, find the ones held together by code, build your version.
Shoutout to @medhansh for helping me seed all of this initial data.Rob HallamAug 26913Life improves with perspectiveinsightLife gets 100x better the moment you see that everything depends on how you look at it.
Even winning depends on how you look at it, because you get to pick the game you play.Rob HallamAug 2613812guideDay 432 of growing SuperX to $100k MRR
Progress: $22k MRR 🟩🟩🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ (22%)
How I hit an all-time high 2 weeks after launching: https://t.co/HA5YZmOPD9Rob HallamAug 266711insightThen the sponsors, e.g. @gojiberryai make a return on their investment (hopefully).
Visitors get free value.
Sponsors get exposure, new users, and make $$$.
Then sponsors pay me some of that $.
So it's a win-win-win (as business should be!)
x.com/pierreeliottla…Rob HallamAug 26137insightBasically every idea that could be thought has already been thought.
99.9999% chance you’re not Zuckerberg special.
(And even Zuckerberg stole the idea for Facebook)
But you can beat idea guys with better execution.
It’s all in the execution.Rob HallamJul 26416
Rob HallamJul 262.1K5.5KHow to get backlinks organicallyguideHow I got 1,700 backlinks in 2 weeks:
> no, I didn't submit to any directories
> no, I didn't email for backlinks
> no, I didn't pay for backlinks
What I did was:
1. go viral
2. give links to 'free alternatives' on the site
3. become top traffic source for those alternatives
4. get a backlink as a "thanks"
You get what you give, I guess 😄Rob HallamAug 26336494guideYou still pay for SaaS?
I have officially built the biggest free alternative directory on the internet.
1,832 free alternatives to 422 apps.
Live now. https://t.co/4NcjPR5CwzRob HallamAug 26482432Sponsorships as a media company modelinsightPeople seem confused how this is making money.
It's 100% sponsorships.
canivibecodeit.com is basically a media company.
It brings traffic (by being valuable), and I transfer some of that traffic (value) to sponsors, and they pay me for it. https://t.co/Qf1nA38qOrRob HallamAug 26392289insightEgypt gets a lot of hate.
Fun fact is I started my indie hacking journey in Egypt 🇪🇬
If you visit the right parts, you will be blown away by how developed it is.
New Cairo, El-Alamein, El Gouna, etc are all more impressive than 99% of western cities.
Amazing people.
Amazing food.
I ate and lived like a king.
Hope to go back again and visit my friends there for a 3rd time soon.
p.s. some of the best engineers and bootstrapped founders in the world are Egyptian too like @yasser_elsaid_ there is insane talent density
Ta7ya masr om el donia 🇪🇬🇪🇬🇪🇬❤️Rob HallamAug 261.5K223Most SaaS moats are execution polishinsightSaaS is not dead.
I analyzed 900+ products to prove it.
54% have nothing protecting them but execution polish 💅
Full moat list is live, with notes on every product.
Pick one. Build it better. https://t.co/7GPGgKnyAARob HallamAug 26230179August 2026 income breakdownguideI made $29,310.35 in August 2026.
🔥 SuperX — $18,143.76
🤖 CanIVibecodeIt — $8,791.00
💬 X — $2,337.84
📽️ YouTube — $37.75
✂️ Take-home of SuperX is ~35%, others 100%
canivibecodeit.com made $8.7k in 3 days.
You can just do things ❤️Rob HallamAug 26427162insightI finally solved my morning brain fog!
3 days ago I started taking electrolytes with my morning glass of water:
> 1000mg sodium
> 200mg potassium
> 60mg magnesium
(importantly no sugar)
My brain feels way more alert.
And I stopped getting dehydration headaches. https://t.co/09obbgzp2jRob HallamAug 26203153Low-ticket B2C needs massive trafficinsightB2C will keep you poor.
You need consistent MASSIVE traffic to fight churn on low-ticket B2C at scale.
That's why I'm pivoting SuperX B2B.Rob HallamJul 26275128Future of indie hacking is curationinsightThe future of indie hacking is curation.
I pay for SaaS because it's a curated solution to a problem I have.
I open X because it's a curated feed of what's happening in the world.
I read a book because it's a curated dump of someone else's thoughts and ideas.
I built https://t.co/VrHuzoNM9B (now $9k/month) because I wanted a curated list of prompts to rebuild subscriptions I pay for.
AI slop is the opposite of curation.
The future is curation.Rob HallamAug 2616590Existing competitors validate the ideainsightThis mindset will keep you poor.
If your idea already exists, it means it’s validated.
Go build it and do it better.Rob HallamJul 2646989insightCan I Vibecode It? has only been live 15 hours:
> 4.5k visitors 👋
> 15k page views 👀
> 10 PRs submitted 🚀
> 320 prompts copied 🔗
> $2.8k MRR destroyed 💸
This is wild. v2 is cooking. https://t.co/InfvXGHR6KRob HallamJul 2619979Open source can sustain SaaS successinsightcanivibecodeit is 100% opensource.
If SaaS was dead, it wouldn't be doing $7.5k/month 😅 https://t.co/35F5Tg2N1YRob HallamAug 2620071guideCurrently BryanJohnsonmaxxing
Getting the following tested:
CBC
Fasting glucose
HbA1c
Total cholesterol
LDL
HDL
Triglycerides
Chol/HDL ratio
Uric acid
Creatinine
BUN
AST
ALT
ALP
GGT
Hepatitis B (HBsAg + HBsAb)
Urine
Stool + occult blood
EKG
Chest X-ray
Abdominal ultrasound
This will set the health baseline for the rest of my life.
(just turned 25 yo)Rob HallamJul 2612554Absurd ideas attract trafficinsight“This is just like NFT crypto hype!” is wrong.
Jonathan made $100k in 48hrs because businesses will pay for traffic.
The idea is as old as time.
But it works because it’s a new idea, and it’s absurd, so it gets eyes.
If you try to copy it, you will fail.Rob HallamAug 2618747guideGitHub hosts your code.
Nowhere hosts your prompts.
I built https://t.co/g7Ciu1sEzp: post what you vibecoded, with the exact prompts that made it.
1. Post your build
2. Paste the prompts you actually used
3. It's live
Everyone says "I built this in one prompt". Here, you show the prompt.
Rebuilt an app people pay for? Your build sits on that app's page forever.
Go post yours.Rob HallamAug 2614845guide11/10 experience at Bumrungrad in Bangkok 🇹🇭
$500 for health check, done in 3hrs.
I wanted extras:
> heart echo
> thyroid blood check
> heart doctor consult
They referred me immediately and did the tests.
Getting this service in Europe is unheard of.
Long live Thailand.Rob HallamJul 2614140tip5,000 visitors later.
I'm still only paying $8/month to host this on my little VPS.
(whilst also coding from my phone via Termius) https://t.co/3FTnEHRGG2Rob HallamJul 269538insightImagine 2 years ago building an app where you just ask:
“Find me leads for [x]”
We literally live in a sci-fi movie 😅 https://t.co/SzW0bmgEhmRob HallamSep 267437Automate reminders with VPS and Resend APItipI am worried I will forget stuff.
So I gave my VPS a Resend API key.
Now it emails me what I need to do, right when I need to do it :) https://t.co/b6W6SvzCCVRob HallamAug 269526Fear of winning harms performanceinsightEnglish culture has a fear of winning and an obsession with not losing 🏴
And it's exactly why I left England 3 years ago.
Last night's Argentina game was the perfect example.
We went 1-0 up in the 55th min. 35 mins from a World Cup final.
And what does the coach do? Brings on defenders.
We literally stopped attacking and spent half an hour trying to hold on against Messi.
Argentina scored in the 85th and the 92nd.
Thing about trying not to lose is all you're thinking about is losing.
You're rehearsing it in your head for 30 minutes.
Argentina went behind and attacked MORE.
Same mentality everywhere.
I stopped sharing wins with my English friends cos all you get back is envy.
Tell an American your business had a good month and they ask how you did it, they acc celebrate with you.
Tell an English friend and the vibe goes weird.
When you're winning that should be the signal to push harder.
In football, business, everything.
FOOOT ON THE GASSSSSSSS!!!!!
Not the signal to switch cruise control mode on and just defend.Rob HallamJul 2622826insightSome ppl said this is overkill.
I'm 25, fit, healthy, lift weights, eat clean, sleep well, get sun, no drugs/alcohol.
But that's exactly why I did these tests
It's data.
Data I can upload to a VPS like @levelsio
And in 2 years' time when I check again, if creatinine is too high:
"Hey Fable 16, what did I change in the last 2 years that would increase this?"
> "You started taking creatine, your kidneys are fine dw"
"Thanks"
--
"Hey Claude, should I take [this] supplement?"
> "No need, you're already covered by your baseline"
"Thanks"
--
"Hey Claude, I'm feeling tired lately, any idea?"
> ...
you get the point.
This data sets a baseline for every future decision I make with my body going forward.
Data that I keep forever, and compound.
Your health is your most valuable asset.
Treat it like such!!Rob HallamJul 268424An audience is a learned advantageinsight"you only made money because you have an audience"
yeah and the fisherman only caught fish because he learned how to fishRob HallamAug 2618423Progress fuels happinessinsightIf you strive for progress, you will be happy.
Quick story time.
Fable said this thing to me recently that stuck.
I asked “what’s the meaning of life?”
It replied “Meaning tends to show up as a byproduct of engagement, not as an answer you can hold”
i.e. the art of the chase
For example when I get stuck on a problem and I feel there is no way out, I feel trapped.
Then I get depressed.
The reverse is when I am chasing something.
More MRR.
Heavier weights in the gym.
Maybe even a new travel destination.
Basically when I am trying to achieve something or get more stuff, I feel alive.
I feel fulfilled.
I feel happy.
But only if I’m making progress.
As a human when you get stuck you often get yourself more stuck if you don’t stop to take a break.
Now with AI if I get stuck (and I mean truly stuck) on one project, I stop and start on another.
Sleeping on it is usually the answer to get unstuck.
Except for a small subset of people, I think everyone should be doing more things.
More hobbies.
So when you’re not feeling one thing, you stop and switch to something else.
Then come back later.
So do more things, make progress every day, and you will be much happier I promise.Rob HallamJul 266222Build a personal dashboardguideI built a little dashboard that runs on my VPS and visualizes my training.
I haven't been this consistent in 6 months.
You can just build things :)
bio.robhallam.com/training https://t.co/D5NtF7tpC6Rob HallamAug 265213guideFull list with notes here: canivibecodeit.com
Sort by moat, find the ones held together by code, build your version.
Shoutout to @medhansh for helping me seed all of this initial data.Rob HallamAug 26913Life improves with perspectiveinsightLife gets 100x better the moment you see that everything depends on how you look at it.
Even winning depends on how you look at it, because you get to pick the game you play.Rob HallamAug 2613812guideDay 432 of growing SuperX to $100k MRR
Progress: $22k MRR 🟩🟩🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ (22%)
How I hit an all-time high 2 weeks after launching: https://t.co/HA5YZmOPD9Rob HallamAug 266711insightThen the sponsors, e.g. @gojiberryai make a return on their investment (hopefully).
Visitors get free value.
Sponsors get exposure, new users, and make $$$.
Then sponsors pay me some of that $.
So it's a win-win-win (as business should be!)
x.com/pierreeliottla…Rob HallamAug 26137insightBasically every idea that could be thought has already been thought.
99.9999% chance you’re not Zuckerberg special.
(And even Zuckerberg stole the idea for Facebook)
But you can beat idea guys with better execution.
It’s all in the execution.Rob HallamJul 26416No posts found
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