Every developer dreams of building "the platform."
A comprehensive, all-in-one solution that does everything.
I used to think that way. Now I intentionally build small tools instead.
Philosophy in action: My Document AI Starter is intentionally lightweight — here is why.
The Platform Trap
Platforms promise:
- One tool for every use case.
- Deep integrations.
- Endless customization.
Platforms deliver:
- Overwhelming complexity.
- 80% of features go unused.
- Maintenance nightmares.
I've seen teams spend 6 months building a "Universal Automation Platform" that ends up being used by 3 people.
The Small Tool Philosophy
A small tool does one thing extremely well.
Examples:
grep— Search text.ffmpeg— Convert media.- Document AI Starter — Extract data from PDFs.
Each tool is:
- Easy to learn (15 minutes, not 15 hours).
- Easy to maintain (no sprawling codebase).
- Easy to extend (compose with other tools).
Why Small Tools Win
1. Faster to Ship
I can build and ship a small tool in a weekend. A platform takes months (or years).
Shipping fast means faster feedback, faster iteration, and faster value.
2. Easier to Explain
Can you explain your tool in one sentence?
- ✅ "It extracts structured data from PDFs using Google Cloud."
- ❌ "It's a comprehensive business intelligence platform with AI-powered workflows and real-time analytics dashboards."
If you can't explain it simply, users won't understand it (or use it).
3. Composability
Small tools can be combined to create powerful workflows.
Instead of building one giant tool that does A + B + C, build three small tools.
Example:
- Tool 1: Extract data from PDFs.
- Tool 2: Validate data quality.
- Tool 3: Upload to database.
Users can mix and match based on their needs.
When Platforms Make Sense
I'm not anti-platform. Platforms make sense when:
- You have a dedicated team to maintain them.
- You have a large, captive user base.
- The cost of integration is higher than the cost of building.
But for solo developers and small teams, small tools are almost always the better bet.
Conclusion
The Document AI Starter does one thing: extract data from PDFs. It doesn't manage databases, send emails, or build dashboards.
And that's exactly why it works.
Stay small. Stay focused. Ship fast.
