Ghanshyam Kanojiya

Posted on Apr 15

Why I Built My Own Blogging Platform Instead of Using Medium

#buildinpublic #webdev #nextjs

Most platforms today are noisy.

What started as a place to write and share ideas slowly turned into something else — feeds, distractions, and constant scrolling.

The Problem with Modern Platforms

Over time, I realized something.

Writing online no longer felt like writing.

It felt like performing.

Every platform I used had the same pattern:

Too many distractions
Too much focus on engagement
Not enough focus on actual content

Even when I sat down to write something meaningful, I found myself:

checking notifications
thinking about how it would look
worrying about reactions

And slowly, the process of writing became… exhausting.

Why I Wanted Something Different

I didn’t want another platform.

I wanted a space.

A place where:

writing feels natural
content comes first
there is no pressure to perform

Something minimal. Something quiet.

Something that lets ideas exist without noise.

So I Built My Own Platform

Instead of searching for the perfect tool, I decided to build one.

That’s how LUMEN started.

Not as a big product idea —

but as a simple attempt to create a better writing experience.

Building LUMEN

From a technical perspective, I kept things simple and modern:

Framework: Next.js
Database & Auth: Supabase
Editor: TipTap
Styling: Tailwind CSS

Here’s a simple example of how a post is created:

const createPost = async () => {
  const { data, error } = await supabase
    .from("posts")
    .insert({ title, content });

  if (error) console.error(error);
};

The goal wasn’t complexity.

It was clarity — both in code and in experience.

What Makes It Different

While building, I focused on a few core ideas:

1. Minimal Experience

No unnecessary clutter. Just content.

2. Multi-format Writing

You can:

write blogs
share code
post audio
write short thoughts

3. Anonymous Expression

Sometimes, the most honest thoughts are the ones we don’t attach to our identity.

So I added a simple option:

→ post anonymously

What I Learned

Building this taught me something important.

People don’t need more features.

They need better experiences.

I also realized:

simplicity is harder than complexity
removing things is more difficult than adding them
and most importantly…

writing should feel natural, not stressful

Where It Is Now

LUMEN is still early.

It’s not perfect.

But it’s something I genuinely enjoy using — and that matters more than anything.

Final Thought

Maybe the goal isn’t to build the next big platform.

Maybe it’s just to build something that feels right.

If you're curious, you can check it out here:

https://lumen-archive.vercel.app/

If you’re building something similar or thinking about it, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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