Shain Studio
The Ultimate Free-Tier Challenge: Proving It's Possible, One "Vibe Code" at a Time
A detailed project breakdown of my journey to build a professional-grade personal studio and marketing portfolio entirely on free-tier services, proving that technical expertise and tenacity can overcome budget constraints.
Project Overview
Who says you need a budget (or even a CS degree!) to build a professional-grade web app? I recently took on a personal challenge to build my own studio and marketing portfolio, running it entirely on free-tier services. This journey wasn’t just about the final product; it was an epic testament to creative problem-solving and proving that high-quality results are possible without a single dollar of infrastructure cost.
The Initial Roadblock
My vision was an "always-on" portfolio that showcased my work flawlessly. My initial go-to, Neon, was brilliant for development, but its 50-hour free compute limit quickly became my nemesis. My app was up for barely 24 days before hitting the ceiling, a stark reminder that "free" often comes with caveats. I had to pivot and find an "always-on" solution.
The Pivot to Aiven
The solution was found in Aiven, an enterprise-grade database with an "always-on" free tier—exactly what my Uptime Robot-managed app needed. But the transition wasn't plug-and-play. After a successful pg_restore (a win for any non-CS "vibe coder"!), I slammed into the infamous "self-signed certificate in certificate chain" error. This wasn't just a bug; it was a roadblock threatening to prove my "free-tier dream" impossible.
The Problem-Solving Process
This is where the real work began. Without a paid tier to fall back on, and definitely without a computer science textbook, I had to dig deep. I learned how to use openssl s_client to dissect the certificate chain, which led to the "aha!" moment: a two-part certificate that Node.js wasn't trusting. The solution? I concatenated the certificates, set the NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS environment variable, and empowered my Render server to trust the whole chain.
The Final Architecture
Today, my personal studio's web app runs on a resilient, high-availability architecture: two Strapi instances on Render (primary and read-only backup), powered by an Aiven database, and fully managed by a custom Cloudflare Worker. It's stable, performs well, and most importantly—it costs me exactly $0 in infrastructure fees.
Conclusion & Key Takeaways
This journey wasn't just about building an app; it was about proving that "free" can work, even for complex systems, and that a non-CS "vibe coder" can tackle and conquer professional-grade infrastructure challenges. My problem-solving skills didn't just upgrade; they completely transformed. If you're building on a budget, know that with enough tenacity and creative thinking, it's absolutely achievable!
