How indie hackers start a side project with one click

Q: Is DevWebUI free for indie hackers?

DevWebUI is free, and its core features need no account. It is open source under the MIT License, so its code can be read and reused under the terms of that license. Read the license text itself before reusing the code in a paid product, since that text sets the actual terms.

Q: Does DevWebUI need an account to start local servers?

No account is needed for its core features. An anonymous install ping is sent with update checks unless you set DEVWEBUI_NO_PING=1. Developers who prefer no install ping can set that variable before their first run, and the rest of the setup stays the same.

Indie hackers can list, order and start a side project's local servers, then compare tools that run them from one dashboard.

By SayDeploy · 2026-10-27

SayDeploy is published by LunarWerx, which makes some of the tools compared here.

List each service with its folder, start command and port, start the ones others depend on first, and use a tool that can start and stop them from one dashboard. DevWebUI does this for the servers a repo lists. ^[1]

Option	What it does	Cost
DevWebUI	Starts, stops and restarts local dev servers from one dashboard, and shows status, CPU, memory and logs. ^[1]	Free, and core features need no account. ^[1]
Saved shell scripts	Runs the commands you save for each service. Check how it reports errors and port clashes.	not published
Editor run settings	Starts the commands saved in your code editor. Check whether it covers every service the project needs.	not published

What you need before you start

Before starting a side project in one go, have its parts written down. Most side projects have a front end, a back end, a database and sometimes a background job, and each one needs its own folder and start command. Note the port each part uses, so a clash is easy to spot later.

Check that the language runtime, the package manager and any database are installed, and that environment settings such as secret keys are filled in. Decide which parts must run together and which can wait. Keep a short note of how each part stops and what its errors look like.

A plain folder layout and clear names for each service help when several processes run at once. Keeping this list in the repo, not only in your head, saves time when you come back to the project after a break. With the list ready, it is easier to choose between typing commands by hand, using saved scripts, or using a tool that can start the whole list from one place.

Step by step

List every service the project needs, with its folder, start command and port.

Install dependencies and fill in environment settings for each service before starting any of them.

Start the services that others depend on first, such as the database, then the back end, then the front end.

Give each service a clear name so terminal output, logs and errors point to the right process.

Check ports before starting. If a port is taken, find the process holding it and either stop it or change the setting.

Open each service, confirm that it responds, and check that the parts can reach each other.

Save the working setup as a list of commands or a project file, so the same group of services starts again next time.

Add automation only after the manual start works, so you still know what each service does.

Tools that can do it

DevWebUI is made by the team that publishes this site. It starts, stops and restarts local dev servers from one dashboard, and shows each one's status, CPU, memory and logs. ^[1] A small file in each repo lists the servers to run, and changes made in the dashboard are written back to that file. ^[1] When a port is already taken, DevWebUI shows which process holds it and can free the port if you ask. ^[1] If a project needs a Docker Compose setup, a compose block can start the repo's stack first, wait for its ports and set database connection settings. ^[1]

A devwebui command-line tool uses the same service as the dashboard, so processes can be controlled without opening the GUI. ^[1] If the last shutdown was not clean, the next launch loads your projects but starts nothing automatically. ^[1] There is a prebuilt Windows x64 app. On other systems you run DevWebUI from source with Bun, a JavaScript runtime, and the tray app is Windows-only for now. ^[1]

For any other tool, check how it starts and stops each service, what it does when a port is taken, where its logs appear, and which operating systems it supports before choosing it.

Common mistakes to avoid

Starting every service at once without a plan makes it hard to see which one failed. Ignoring the logs slows debugging, because the useful error can appear in a window nobody is watching. Old processes that were never stopped often hold ports, so the next start fails for a reason that is not obvious.

Changing environment settings without writing them down makes a working setup hard to rebuild. Skipping a test run after a change can leave a setup that nobody understands later. Keep the service list up to date, and check it each time a service is added or renamed.

Frequently asked questions

How can indie hackers start a side project with one click?

Indie hackers can start a side project quickly when its services are listed and ordered first. Write down each service with its folder, start command and port, then start the ones others depend on first. A tool such as DevWebUI can then start, stop and restart those services from one dashboard. ^[1] The steps above show the order to follow before adding any tool.

Can DevWebUI start a side project's services from one dashboard?

DevWebUI can start, stop and restart local dev servers from one dashboard, and it shows each one's status, CPU, memory and logs. ^[1] A small file in the repo lists which servers to run, and changes made in the dashboard are written back to that file. ^[1] Keeping that list complete helps the setup stay easy to repeat when the project grows.

Is DevWebUI free for indie hackers?

DevWebUI is free, and its core features need no account. ^[1] It is open source under the MIT License, so its code can be read and reused under the terms of that license. ^[1] Read the license text itself before reusing the code in a paid product, since that text sets the actual terms.

Does DevWebUI need an account to start local servers?

No account is needed for its core features. ^[1] An anonymous install ping is sent with update checks unless you set DEVWEBUI_NO_PING=1. ^[1] Developers who prefer no install ping can set that variable before their first run, and the rest of the setup stays the same.

What happens to a side project's services after a messy shutdown in DevWebUI?

If the last shutdown was not clean, DevWebUI loads your projects on the next launch but starts nothing automatically. ^[1] That gives you a chance to check each service before anything runs again. Errors from earlier sessions stay in one log that is kept across restarts, so you can review what failed. ^[1]

DevWebUI is free, and its core features need no account. ^[1]

Try DevWebUI

Sources

DevWebUI's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)