From 3 AM Thought to Launch in 7 Days

How I stopped overthinking and shipped a VPS auditing tool in less time than it takes to pick a new JavaScript framework

Shipping ain’t rocket science

As engineers, we often fall into the perfectionism trap. I know this all too well - my history is littered with unfinished SaaS projects, each one stuck in an endless cycle of improvements and tweaks, never quite "ready" for launch.

But last week, something changed. At 3AM, while thinking about self-hosting, a simple question popped into my head: "What if there was a tool that could instantly tell you if your VPS is secure?"

Instead of my usual approach of extensive planning, feature-creep, and polishing, I decided to do something different. The next morning, I sat down and built a basic bash script prototype. Nothing fancy - just something that could check for common VPS security issues - and I shared it on my X profile.

The 7-Day Challenge

The unexpected enthusiasm from the community sparked something in me. Rather than falling back into my old perfectionist habits, I decided to turn this momentum into a challenge: Could I ship a complete, working product in just 7 days? No perfectionism allowed. No "just one more feature."

And I actually did it. In those 7 days, while posting my entire journey on X, I built:

• A bash script that runs security checks on a VPS

• A backend service that receives and processes the checks from the aforementioned script

• A web frontend that displays the checks in real-time

• Clear explanations and mitigation steps for each security check (actually this one didn't quite cut it for the MVP)

The Launch

After exactly 7 days of focused evening (and late night) work, I launched AuditVPS. No beta period. No endless polishing. Just a working tool that helps self-hosters secure their servers.

The response was immediate – 1K website visits within the first day (I’ve made the analytics public, if you’re interested). This wasn't just validation of the tool's usefulness; it proved that sometimes the best approach is to ship quickly and let real users guide your next steps. And apparently others thought so too – within 24 hours, I spotted my first copycat. I'd barely launched and someone was already cloning it. If that’s not validation, I don’t know what is!

Key Learnings

1. Perfect is the enemy of done. My previous pattern of infinite refinement had kept many potentially useful tools from ever seeing the light of day.

2. Users value solutions over perfection. A working tool that solves a specific problem today is better than a perfect tool that launches "someday."

3. Real feedback is invaluable. Launching quickly means you can start learning from actual users rather than assumptions.

4. Speed has its costs. While the 7-day sprint was exciting, the intense schedule alongside a full-time job meant sacrificing sleep, exercise, and social time. Next time, I'll aim for a more sustainable pace that lets me ship quickly without burning out.

5. Being part of a community is a game-changer. When I shared my progress, people jumped in to offer help, security suggestions, and encouragement. Accepting their support (thank you!) not only improved the product but helped maintain momentum through the intense week.

What's Next?

AuditVPS is and will remain free, with plans to introduce a sponsorship-based monetization model. I've also open-sourced the core audit script on GitHub because I believe security tools should be transparent and accessible to everyone.

While I have many ideas for future features, I'm breaking another old habit: instead of building what I think users want, I'm listening to the community first. What security checks would you find most valuable? How could this tool better serve your needs? Leave a comment below or reach out on X.

This is just the beginning of the AuditVPS journey. Sometimes, the best projects don't come from months of careful planning, but from a random 3AM thought and the courage to ship quickly.

Check it out at AuditVPS.com, and if you find the project useful, please consider starring it on GitHub. It would really help with exposure (and staying ahead of the copycats!).