The Myth of SaaS Complexity: How the Industry Sells You What You Don’t Need

In today’s tech landscape, the rise of Software as a Service (SaaS) has transformed the way businesses operate. SaaS solutions promise to simplify complex tasks, automate workflows, and scale effortlessly. But with this convenience comes a growing narrative that you, the developer or entrepreneur, can’t possibly manage key aspects of your infrastructure on your own. According to the merchants of complexity, you can’t handle authentication, you can’t scale your application, and you certainly can’t run a database without their help. This myth of complexity has become pervasive, convincing many that they need expensive, sophisticated tools to succeed. But the truth is far simpler: all you really need to start is a $5 VPS server. In this blog post, we’ll debunk the myth of SaaS complexity and highlight how a simple, cost-effective setup can be more than enough to build and scale your applications.

The Merchants of Complexity: Selling What You Don’t Need

The SaaS industry has flourished by offering services that promise to take the burden off developers and businesses. From managed databases to authentication services, these tools are marketed as essential, with the underlying message that you can’t do it on your own. This narrative has become so widespread that many startups and developers feel they have no choice but to subscribe to multiple SaaS products to get their projects off the ground.

The problem with this approach is that it fosters dependency on external services and perpetuates the idea that building and maintaining your own infrastructure is too complex, too risky, or too time-consuming. But is this really the case? Are these services truly necessary, or are they simply selling you convenience at a premium?

The Reality: Simplicity Can Work

To challenge this narrative, let’s consider the example of Pieter Levels, a Dutch solopreneur who has managed to build and maintain highly successful applications with minimal infrastructure. Levels is the creator of several popular micro-SaaS products, including Remote OK, a remote job board that attracts millions of users. What’s remarkable about Levels’ approach is that he hosts all of his applications on a single machine — a 16 CPU, 64GB RAM VPS — without redundancy, and it has been running smoothly for over a decade.

Pieter Levels’ success story is a powerful counter-narrative to the SaaS industry’s complexity myth. It shows that with the right approach and a focus on simplicity, it’s possible to build and scale applications without relying on a myriad of external services. Here’s how he does it:

• Single Machine Hosting: Levels hosts his applications on a single VPS, which costs a fraction of what many businesses spend on cloud services. This machine handles all traffic, databases, and application logic with ease.
• No Redundancy, No Problem: While many advocate for complex setups with redundancy and failover mechanisms, Levels has demonstrated that a well-maintained single server can be highly reliable. His VPS has run uninterrupted for ten years, handling millions of users without any significant issues.
• Minimalist Tech Stack: By using a simple tech stack, Levels avoids the bloat and complexity that often come with more sophisticated architectures. His approach emphasizes efficiency and minimalism, proving that you don’t need a vast array of tools to build a successful product.

Debunking the Myths: What You Can Do Yourself

The idea that you can’t handle essential aspects of your application on your own is a myth perpetuated by the SaaS industry. Here’s a breakdown of common claims and how you can effectively manage these aspects yourself:

1. Authentication

• SaaS Claim: Authentication is complex, and you need a third-party service to manage user identities securely.
• Reality: While authentication can be tricky, it’s entirely possible to implement it yourself using well-established libraries and frameworks. Tools like OAuth2, JWT (JSON Web Tokens), and libraries like Passport.js (for Node.js) or Devise (for Ruby on Rails) make it straightforward to handle authentication securely without relying on external services.

2. Scaling

• SaaS Claim: You need cloud services with auto-scaling capabilities to handle traffic spikes and ensure your application is always available.
• Reality: Scaling can often be managed with a single well-configured server or by adding additional servers only when necessary. For many applications, vertical scaling (adding more resources to a single server) is sufficient. Pieter Levels’ approach shows that a single machine can handle significant load with proper optimization.

3. Database Management

• SaaS Claim: Managing a database is complex, and you need a managed database service to ensure performance, backups, and reliability.
• Reality: Running your own database is entirely feasible with the right tools and practices. Most VPS providers offer automated backups, and with databases like PostgreSQL or MySQL, you can set up replication, perform regular backups, and optimize queries without needing a managed service.

4. Monitoring and Logging

• SaaS Claim: Monitoring and logging require sophisticated tools to track performance and detect issues.
• Reality: Basic monitoring and logging can be implemented with open-source tools like Prometheus, Grafana, and ELK stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana). These tools provide comprehensive insights into your application’s performance without the need for expensive SaaS solutions.

The $5 VPS: All You Need to Start

For those just starting out, a $5 VPS server can be all you need to launch your application. Here’s why:

• Cost-Effective: A $5 VPS provides enough resources to host small to medium-sized applications, making it an ideal starting point for startups and solo developers.
• Control and Flexibility: Running your own VPS gives you full control over your environment. You can install the software you need, configure it to your liking, and make optimizations that suit your specific use case.
• Learning Opportunity: Managing your own server helps you build valuable skills in system administration, security, and performance optimization — skills that are increasingly important in the tech industry.

Why Simplicity Wins

The lesson from Pieter Levels and the myth of SaaS complexity is clear: simplicity can be more powerful than complexity. By focusing on what you really need, rather than what the industry tells you is necessary, you can build and maintain robust applications without breaking the bank or becoming dependent on a multitude of external services.

SaaS tools can be valuable, but they should be used selectively and with a clear understanding of the trade-offs. Before subscribing to yet another service, ask yourself if you really need it. Can the task be accomplished with a simple script, an open-source tool, or a basic VPS setup? Often, the answer is yes.

Conclusion: Empower Yourself to Build and Scale

The SaaS industry thrives on selling convenience, but don’t let it convince you that you can’t do things yourself. With a $5 VPS, a minimalist tech stack, and a focus on efficiency, you can build and scale applications just like Pieter Levels. The key is to prioritize simplicity, learn the basics of system administration, and use tools that you can fully control.

By debunking the myth of complexity, you empower yourself to take control of your projects and make informed decisions about when — and if — you need external services. Remember, the best tool for the job is often the simplest one, and with the right approach, you can achieve great things without falling into the trap of unnecessary complexity.