Why Most Devs Waste APIs (Do This Instead)

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by 0x7b-shop

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APIs are goldmines—but most developers treat them like scratchpads.

They build one-off projects.
Cool demos.
Hackathon experiments that never see the light of day.

Meanwhile, a small but growing number of indie devs are quietly building products using public APIs—and cashing in.

Here’s how they’re doing it (and how you can too).

👉 Create and Sell Public API Products That Make \$500+ Per Sale

🚀 The Public API Opportunity No One Talks About

You’ve probably used APIs like:

• OpenWeatherMap
• CoinGecko
• Notion / Airtable
• Stripe
• Recipe APIs
• AI endpoints

But instead of building a SaaS platform or a startup, what if you packaged these APIs into niche tools that solved one clear problem?

Tools you can sell for \$197+, license to clients, or even offer as a monthly subscription.

Here’s the playbook that’s working right now.

🧩 Step 1: Pick a Pain Point

Don’t start with the API. Start with the problem.

Ask:

• What’s annoying people in a niche?
• What repetitive task are people doing manually?
• What do they already spend money on?

Examples:

• Local businesses manually checking reviews? → Use the Google Places API.
• Nutrition coaches struggling with macro planning? → Use a recipe + nutrition API.
• SEO freelancers wasting time? → Use SERP or keyword APIs.

🔍 Step 2: Find the Right API

Now that you’ve picked a pain point, go hunting.

Great places to discover APIs:

• RapidAPI.com
• APIList.fun
• Awesome-APIs GitHub lists

Look for:

• Free or freemium tiers
• Stable and documented endpoints
• Easy authentication (avoid OAuth if you can)

⚙️ Step 3: Build a Simple UI Wrapper

You don’t need a full web app.

You need:

• A landing page
• A simple interface (can be Airtable, Retool, or a basic frontend)
• A way to input → API → output

Keep it focused:

• One API
• One outcome
• One type of customer

You’re not building Zapier. You’re building a single tool that solves a small, painful problem.

💰 Step 4: Price Like a Solution

This is where most developers mess up.

They price their tool at \$9/month, hoping for SaaS MRR.

Bad move. Here’s why:

• You need a LOT of customers.
• You’re undervaluing your work.
• You create support debt for a small payout.

Instead, package it as a downloadable product or one-time-use license.

Examples:

• \$297 for a “Lead Extractor for Agencies”
• \$499 for a “Crypto Tracker Template for VCs”
• \$997 for an “SEO Data Studio Dashboard Generator”

This isn't fantasy. It’s real—devs are already doing this.

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👉 Create and Sell Public API Products That Make \$500+ Per Sale

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• ✅ Step-by-step guide (PDF)
• 🧠 Visual mindmap
• 🛠️ Plug-and-play checklist
• 🤖 20+ ChatGPT prompts to accelerate your product idea

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🎯 Takeaway

You don’t need to build the next unicorn.

You just need to build something useful—and APIs are your shortcut.

Treat them like raw materials, not demos.

Build. Sell. Repeat.

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This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by 0x7b-shop