I run a few Discord communities and I kept needing to announce events across time zones. Discord timestamps solve this nicely (<t:timestamp>), but generating the Unix timestamp manually every time felt unnecessarily annoying.
So the goal of this tool was just to remove that small friction, pick a date/time and copy the correct format instantly.
I tend to like small utility tools that solve one problem well. This is similar to another small project I built earlier (the Twitter web viewer) where the goal was simply to make something easier to use. Thank you guys!
A quick technical update for those interested in the internals:
The main hurdle was IG’s aggressive image/video hotlinking protection. I ended up moving the media resolution to Next.js 14 Server Components. This allows me to strip tracking headers before the data reaches the client.
I've also been experimenting with Edge Runtime to minimize TTFB, as standard serverless functions had too much cold-start latency for a media-heavy feed. The result is a much snappier feel than the official web app.
If anyone's curious about how I'm handling the stream piping or edge caching, I'm happy to chat!
For those curious about the internals: I’m leveraging Next.js 14’s App Router and server-side data fetching to bypass the heavy client-side tracking usually found on IG. The main challenge was architecting a stable media proxy for high-res Reels and Tagged content without triggering rate-limits. Happy to discuss the backend scaling if anyone's interested!
Want to share a quick behind-the-scenes pain point I didn’t mention in the post: When I first launched, Vercel’s bill wasn’t just $200—they actually flagged the account for “unusual bandwidth usage” (video hosting) and threatened to suspend it. That’s why we switched to proxy links—scary moment for a solo founder!
Good question! The queries go directly to Twitter's API (via a third-party provider).
No local index or stored tweets—everything is fetched in real-time when you search or view a profile. We do cache responses temporarily to avoid hitting rate limits, but the cache expires quickly.
The benefit of this approach:
• Always up-to-date (real-time data)
• No storage costs or maintenance
• Simpler architecture
The downside:
• Dependent on API availability
• Rate limit considerations
I considered building a local index but decided against it for now—wanted to ship fast and keep it simple. Might revisit if the API approach becomes problematic.
I usually use the command-line mode of the Claude extension for VS Code. First, I hash out the requirements and solution in detail. Then I outline a plan and break down the tasks, categorizing them into those that can be run in parallel and those that have to be executed sequentially.
The parallelizable tasks get handed off to Claude Agent. Typically, the agent only handles coding work, while all builds are centralized in Claude itself to prevent conflicts. This parallel task execution approach is super efficient and saves me a ton of time.
17. Your network outlasts every job you’ll ever have.
Early in my career, I focused on the work and neglected networking. In hindsight, this was a mistake. Colleagues who invested in relationships - inside and outside the company - reaped benefits for decades.
They heard about opportunities first, could build bridges faster, got recommended for roles, and co-founded ventures with people they’d built trust with over years.
Your job isn’t forever, but your network is. Approach it with curiosity and generosity, not transactional hustle.
When the time comes to move on, it’s often relationships that open the door.
Thanks! I used to think writing code was the easiest and most enjoyable thing in the world. Interacting with people? That’s always been the hard part. Guess it’s high time I changed my mindset now.
A bit more context on why I built this:
I run a few Discord communities and I kept needing to announce events across time zones. Discord timestamps solve this nicely (<t:timestamp>), but generating the Unix timestamp manually every time felt unnecessarily annoying.
So the goal of this tool was just to remove that small friction, pick a date/time and copy the correct format instantly.
I tend to like small utility tools that solve one problem well. This is similar to another small project I built earlier (the Twitter web viewer) where the goal was simply to make something easier to use. Thank you guys!