Making a Full-Time Living Solely from an Open-Source Project

About

HTTP Toolkit is an open-source tool designed to help developers debug, test, and build with HTTP(S) on Windows, Linux, and macOS.

It offers features like one-click interception, traffic inspection, and request/response rewriting, making it a versatile choice for developers working across various platforms.

The Creator

HTTP Toolkit was founded by Tim Perry, a software developer based in Barcelona, Spain. Since its inception in 2018, Tim has been the sole full-time contributor to the project, focusing on creating a powerful and user-friendly tool for developers.

Business Model & Revenue

HTTP Toolkit operates on a freemium model. The core features are available for free, allowing users to intercept and inspect HTTP traffic without any cost. For advanced functionalities—such as automated mocking, traffic rewriting, and enhanced debugging—users can subscribe to the Pro version.

While specific revenue figures aren't publicly disclosed, HTTP Toolkit has achieved financial sustainability, supporting Tim's full-time work on the project.

Traffic

HTTP Toolkit gets most of its visitors from two main sources:

• Direct Traffic (46.65%): Many users come by typing the URL or using bookmarks, showing strong brand loyalty.
• Organic Search (38.61%): A large share finds it through Google and other search engines.

Keywords

It ranks high for relavent keywords as shown below:

Tech Stack

• Frontend: TypeScript (Electron)
• Backend: JavaScript/TypeScript
• Mobile: Java (Android)