"There ain't no such thing as a top software tool!"
By an irony of fate, while writing this post related to the top tools to create your SaaS, I experienced the failure of a SaaS. I create and write the blog using Wix, a well-known platform to build websites. It is a decent tool with handy user experience and a variety of templates. But during the time of writing this specific post, I faced the disappointing and bitter feeling of losing part of the document. Here it is the short story: after a couple of break days, I resumed my writing, with enthusiasm and a clear mind on completing this technical post. Wix provides an autosaving mechanism of the posts while working on them. Unfortunately, it's buggy! At my unpleasant surprise, I realized that the last updates of my draft version have been lost.
And there was no mechanism to recover the previous versions for that draft post!
This was not the first time for me to face an unreliable tool. And won’t be the last. Besides, reading my post entitled "Genesis 3.0: Love in the time of (encoding) Cholera", you can understand that software tools incline to fallibility, and under conditions, result in unreliability! In any case, this unfortunate incident is the best prologue for a guide on the top tools for a SaaS:
There ain't no such thing as a top software tool!
And before unveiling my top picks, maturing after at least 15 years of experience into the SaaS development field, let me point out one more lesson:
No matter what tool you use, do backup!
What is "SaaS"
We, humans, are toolmakers. From the prehistorical stone tools to today's sophisticated rocket jet engines, we build tools trying primarily to improve the quality of our life.
Software as a Service, also know as SaaS, is a cloud-based software service where instead of downloading software to your desktop PC, you access remotely an application via the internet. In other words, it's an online tool.
This online software tool can be anything starting from Google maps, office automation like Microsoft Office or Google docs, client management like Salesforce, web site creation like Wix, books writing assistant like Squibler, a socializing platform like Facebook or LinkedIn, funding automation toolkit like Graypes and many more.
The blessing of our digital era is that fortunately there is a plethora of software tools, SaaS in many cases, as well, assisting innovators on creating even for free, their SaaS prototype or SaaS product.
[1] Editor: Sublime text
To start your service you need to write code. And to write you need a text editor.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
Don't waste your time on lengthy searches and comparisons. There is a clear winner and it's callee Sublime Text. It's the top choice due to its intuitive user experience and mind-blowing reconfigurability. And it's free!
[2] Code control: Gitlab
There is no such thing as coding without source control. And there is no source control other than git!
Among the various git implementations, I pick Gitlab for its simplicity and aesthetics. I like the name and guess what: it's free too!
[3] Project Management: Teamwork
I used to adore the simplicity of basecamp and the entrepreneurial style of the entire 37signals band and some of their brilliant contributions to software (Ruby on Rails) and business (Rework).
But at some point, I felt that it was a sophisticated task list manager, while I needed something more for my increased complexity of projects.
After spending countless hours evaluating PM tools, I have been astonished and happily surprised by the simplicity of Teamwork.
To make the long story short, Teamwork is my top pick for three main reasons:
Super intuitive Tasks hierarchy and nesting,
Countless attributes per task, including reminder, transforming it to light CRM,
Great support!
Versatile free version!
[4] Document automation: Google Docs, Drive
When the time comes for document automation and distributed organization of online documents, the winner in simplicity and intuitive user experience is the platform of Google.
Coupled with Gmail, Calendar, and Drive, the entire toolkit of Google, is highly recommended for you and your team, to create documents, presentations, spreadsheets, share them, and organize your time.
[5] Recommended language: Python!
Python undoubtedly is the top pick for the server-side backend logic. Python is fast, easy-to-use, and easy-to-deploy. Python provides huge and excellent library support, having an immense developer community. Among the dozen, programming languages I had to learn during my professional journey, Python had the shortest learning time. I could prototype complex services in a matter of hours!
I couldn't imagine myself writing anymore the "Biblical" in size files on Java.
I wouldn't spend my time trying to understand my own code "lost in the translation" of the "cryptic" syntax of Scala.
Python, unlike other programming languages, emphasizes into code readability and allows you to use English keywords instead of punctuations. The superb readability and maintainability of Python's clean code help you to maintain and update your software without putting extra time and effort.
Your SaaS will definitely need data organization and consequently sooner or later you will join the never-ending dispute on selecting the best database technology:
SQL (relational) or NoSQL (non-relational)?
My top pick is undoubtedly MongoDB. It is an open-source, non-relational database developed by MongoDB, Inc. MongoDB stores data as documents in the well-know data interchange JSON format or in its binary representation called BSON (Binary JSON).
The following are the top strengths of MongoDB:
Dynamic schema: Data fields can vary from document to document, giving you the flexibility to change data schema without modifying any of your existing data.
Scalability: MongoDB is horizontally scalable, which helps reduce the workload and scale your business with ease.
Manageability: It doesn’t require a database administrator. Since it is fairly user-friendly in this way, it can be used by both developers and administrators.
Speed: It’s high-performing for simple queries. You can add new columns or fields on MongoDB without affecting existing rows or application performance.
And in order to manage your MongoDB I highly recommend Studio3T. The most simple, intuitive and professional GUI, IDE & client software, available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, with a versatile free version.
[7] UI framework: Between Scylla and Charybdis
In Greek mythology, the hero Odysseus was compelled to sail through a perilous narrow strait on his long journey home from the Trojan War. The strait was guarded by two formidable monsters. Scylla, a six-headed sea serpent perched on the rocks on one side. Charybdis, an enormous whirlpool loomed on the other side of the channel. Following the advice of the sorceress Circe, Odysseus chose to steer clear of Charybdis, only to lose six of his crew to Scylla when they became transfixed by the fearsome whirlpool as they sailed past it.
"Between Scylla and Charybdis" derives from this story, referring to situations in which we must choose between two equally unpleasant decision options. In this context, the dilemma resides not in choosing between problematic alternatives, but in navigating between two inescapable options that arise.
And this is my approach every time I face the dilemma of choosing the best User Interface framework: "Between Scylla and Charybdis".
User experience is the number one priority for every business in the market today. As a developer of your own SaaS, the simplicity of the user interface is your top feature. No matter how complex functions and operations happen in the background, what users see and experience has to be seamless and intuitive.
Unfortunately, while we demand simplicity for the user interface, the tools to create are formidable monsters! We know that anyone doing frontend development today is not coding plain and simple vanilla JavaScript or TypeScript. We all use monstrous frameworks for building our applications.
As you can understand I have an aversion on those frameworks, but I would select React, as my top pick for its reusability, huge community, and the plethora of third-party tools. React is the Scylla, and Angular my second pick, the Charybdis!
[8] Deployment: DigitalOcean!
When the time comes for your SaaS deployment, you might recall Amazon AWS. And yes, it's really the most sophisticated and top-engineered service up to the "clouds". But for most of the cases, at least at your early stages of your SaaS, it's like a bazooka trying to kill a fly.
Instead start with the simplest, cheapest and super reliable cloud service: DigitalOcean.
Bonus: Calendly, scheduling meetings 101
Calendly is not an engineering tool for the development of your SaaS, but it's a super cool and tiny SaaS. It's the easiest automated scheduling software for you, your team and everyone you meet. In minutes you create your availability for the next days, you send the link to your team or sales leads and they choose their time.
You can start using it among your team members to avoid lengthy email feeds on time conflicts and restrictions.
You can use it also for your sales leads once you start selling your Saas, created perhaps with tools I recommended for you!
Thanks for your time and always live your day with a smile.
The Cyclyst
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