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Ask HN: What is the fastest way to code a website?

15 points by alphagrep12345 ↗ HN
I have an idea for a peer-to-peer startup which needs an e-commerce/craigslist kind of website. I am a good programmer, but I've only used C++/Java/Python my whole life and worked only on the platform side of non-internet products (Think of Desktop applications, MS Office, etc). I've never used any of the modern web frameworks nor know much about scaling up a website, services etc. When I look up on the web, there are literally tons of frameworks, languages, and choices to make. What would be the fastest and the most effective way to code a website? Also, I might've to scale it up in future, so I don't want to make the mistake of using esoteric or dead languages.

16 comments

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verdverm
Skip the code and make a mock up to verify the idea. Balsamic, power point, or something similar that is low effort

or PM me to talk about a platform I have in the works that is nearing beta :]

alphagrep12345
Sure, I am willing to try it out. Can you provide me your email id? However, how can I validate the idea just with a mockup?
verdverm
tony at hofstadter dot io

I can answer your other questions there

nobody271
You're underestimating how much of a pain all of this has become. For one, you'll want it to be HTTPS and right away that always seems to be difficult even when you've done it the same way before. You're going to have to interface with probably paypal which means you get to join the world of JavaScript APIs. This means often hard to follow documentation and bizarre designs. You'll probably want to set up some kind of email system which means using one of the many awesome email plugins (which ends up having a dependency on another plugin but you can't figure out how to install it). Then you have to setup CSS and people will tell you lies about how you should use x or how y will save you so much time but you definitely should NOT use x and y will take more time to setup than you could possibly save. ...just walk away man. Walk away. I'd probably use some kind of Wordpress thing or even start off with square space until I know the idea has wings.
alphagrep12345
Yeah, maybe it's a better idea. There are classifieds plugins in WordPress. I'll look into that.
quickthrower2
I’ve not used it but i saw https://bubble.is on HN recently which might help you get going fast without coding.

So it’s an online wysiwyg site builder that can handle complex interactions. I reckon you can build a simple to mid level site using it.

ethiclub
Severe performance issues at scale, unable to recommend as a solution to most clients. As yet insufficient evidence of long term solutions. Rebuttals to this comment from bubble.is staff are welcome.
siquick
Sharetribe should do the trick

`Sharetribe is easiest way to start your own online marketplace. Create a platform where your users can rent or sell goods, spaces or services online. Get started in less than a minute and launch yours today. No downloads, no installations, and all without the help of a developer. Sharetribe handles all the hosting, transactions and online payments. It is easy to use and simple to customize. Sharetribe takes care of the tech, you take care of business.`

https://www.sharetribe.com

alphagrep12345
Looks like a good one. However, the problem with US-based frameworks is that I'm not located in US, and hence these frameworks poorly integrate with payment gateways of my country (India)
lumberjack
>What would be the fastest and the most effective way to code a website? Why don't you pay a more experienced webdev to just build it for you and show you the ropes at the same time? That's what I would do. I'd go to a few of those local meetups for devs and try to meet someone. The project itself is fun enough and many people will be thrilled to tutor someone so you can negotiate a reasonable $/hour.
muzani
I need a site up soon and honestly just plan on doing this.

For one thing my specialty is in Android and certain types of web dev. I get paid good money for it. Which is money I'm not earning when I'm building a "free" site.

Rather than spending 2 days playing with WordPress themes, comparing hosts, setting up security... it's just easier to pay a specialist two hours to do it. If you're paying them hourly for a quick site, it's cheap too!

alphagrep12345
I haven't thought about it actually. Will look into. Thanks
ozfive
I actually pay freelancers to build apps from my requirements on upwork. You just need to be really good at parceling things out to people. A web scrape here in Singapore for $10, some node.js there for a couple hundred and presto you have a SaaS application. Selling it is a whole different story.
davix55
If you want to code it, Angualr7 PWA. You have a nice builder online
maceurt
If you are deadset on actually programming the website I would say your best bet is to learn django for backend stuff. Postgresql for your database. Html, Css, and Vanilla js with no other frameworks besides jquery for frontend. Then just roll it out on a pythonanywhere, heroku, or aws server.