u/BackRoomDev92

I’ve been experimenting with a different approach instead of building one big startup:

Launching small, focused desktop apps that solve very specific problems (one-time purchase, no subscriptions).

One I recently shipped came from a super annoying workflow I kept hitting:

“port already in use”

Every time:

netstat → find PID → taskkill

Not hard… but it breaks flow constantly when you're restarting servers.

So I built a tiny Windows tray app that:

• Shows all active ports instantly

• Lets you kill the process in 1 click

• No terminal needed

It’s a small thing, but I was hitting it enough times per day that it felt worth solving.

What I’m trying to figure out now:

Is this kind of “small pain, high frequency” tool something worth stacking into a real portfolio…or do these only ever stay side-project level?

Curious if anyone here has gone down the “multiple small products” route instead of betting on one big idea.

Would love to hear what worked (or didn’t).

https://preview.redd.it/9vkfj8gh0oug1.png?width=1442&format=png&auto=webp&s=1e12dd90a1975b6ad5c9f2e10f00640901cb4892

https://preview.redd.it/sk8ddagh0oug1.png?width=1442&format=png&auto=webp&s=b5b7ac5a79cbfa5c52358a34af4fce8a40cde1ee

I’m part of a small startup and instead of building one big product, we’re experimenting with a different approach:

A portfolio of focused desktop apps (paid, one-time purchases — no subscriptions).

The idea is:
Solve very specific, high-frequency problems instead of trying to build an all-in-one platform.

One example:

We built a Windows tool to fix “port already in use” issues.

Instead of:
netstat → find PID → taskkill

It lets you:
• See all active ports instantly
• Kill the process in 1 click
• Stay in flow without touching the terminal

It’s a small problem — but one that happens constantly for developers.

Now the bigger question we’re trying to answer:

Is this a viable startup strategy?

Build many small, focused tools that each:
• Solve a clear pain point
• Are cheap enough to impulse buy
• Require minimal onboarding

Instead of betting everything on one large product.

For those further along:

• Have you seen this model work long-term?
• Would you double down on a portfolio like this or consolidate into one product?
• What signals would you look for early to validate this approach?

Happy to share more details or the app itself — just trying to pressure-test the strategy before going deeper.

I kept hitting this problem constantly while developing:

Port already in use → stop what I’m doing → run netstat → find PID → taskkill

It’s not hard… but it’s annoying enough that it breaks flow every time.

So I built a small Windows app to fix that:

• Instantly shows all active ports

• Kill any process using a port in 1 click

• Runs in the system tray (always available)

• No terminal / no setup

The goal was simple:

Remove a repeated 10–20 second annoyance that happens multiple times a day.

Would love some honest feedback from other devs:

👉 Is this something you’d actually keep running daily?

👉 Or just a “nice to have”?

If you’ve ever run into port conflicts (Node, React, APIs, etc.), I’d appreciate you trying it out.

Download (Microsoft Store):

https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/9P3N1R131WDZ?cid=reddit

Happy to answer anything or add features if there’s demand 👍

https://preview.redd.it/2p2qo9keynug1.png?width=1442&format=png&auto=webp&s=23bbf4852c545af1af16433c6059904b56d4fde0

https://preview.redd.it/4ejv1bkeynug1.png?width=1442&format=png&auto=webp&s=5377b059650b22a0bcef403074f2f0dbb24886e7

Hey everyone — looking for some early testers for a small Windows dev tool I built.

Problem:

If you’ve ever hit “port already in use” (EADDRINUSE, etc.), you probably know the usual workflow:

netstat → find PID → taskkill

It works… but it’s slow and breaks your flow, especially if you’re restarting servers a lot.

What I built:

A lightweight system tray app that:

• Shows all active ports instantly

• Lets you kill the process using a port in 1 click

• No terminal / commands needed

Who I’m looking for:

Developers on Windows who regularly:

• Run local servers (Node, React, APIs, etc.)

• Hit port conflicts more than occasionally

• Want something faster than the command line workflow

What I’d love feedback on:

• Does this actually save you time vs your current workflow?

• Anything confusing or missing?

• Would you keep this running daily or not?

If this sounds useful, I’d really appreciate you trying it out and giving honest feedback (good or bad).

I’m happy to share the download link in comments or DM — just let me know 👍