Hello World! Welcome to Byvalue
We want to change how you think about code
Hello World! We are Byvalue and we want to change the way you think about, use, and earn money from code.
We’ve set out to build a platform that will make it easy and intuitive for any developer to turn their code into a business that creates value in real projects, without having to worry about deployment.
Our platform turns any function into a scalable API that can be used by anyone, anywhere, and that will earn the creator money when it’s used.
Unlike other platforms or services that help you create API’s, we not only make the process simpler and more intuitive, we also remove the need to configure your own deployment servers or cloud infrastructure.
We enable developers to earn money from the value their code creates, not the time they spend writing it.
If you’re already sold and want to check out our platform, go to www.app.byvalue.org and create your own service.
If you want a tutorial on how to create your own service on Byvalue, check out this post we put together.
Have questions and want to talk to us in person? Join our Slack community or check us out on Product Hunt.
If you want to learn more about us and how it works, keep reading 🙂
Code. What is it good for?
In the classic -98 buddy-cop movie Rush Hour, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker ask themselves “WAR. What is it good for?”. The answer given to this very philosophical question is “Absolutely nothing”. Unlike war however, we do think programming and computer code is good for an incredible amount of things.
We believe that, at its core, code is a tool for leveraging human creativity into generating value without repetitive work. The way we see it, code is an asset that can generate value. Developers are people skilled in using code to create value, and that value can be turned into a productive asset.
Turning code into a productive asset multiplies its value with virtually no marginal cost
Like with any asset, we believe that the owner should be the one to reap the benefits from the value their asset generates. In other words, if you’ve made and own something that creates value for people, they should pay you for using it.
To make this a reality, we’ve created a way for you to turn your code into a productive asset that can make money for you. The only cost to you is the time and creativity you put into writing the code.
Turn your functions into assets
“How do I create a productive asset from code” you might ask? Well, that’s where we come in.
If you’re even somewhat familiar with computer programming you’ve probably heard of something called “functions”. Explained in very simple terms, a function is simply a block of organized, reusable code that is used to perform an action. The function can take an action based on a certain kind of input, or simply run a pre-defined set of commands.
If you already know how to write a function then congratulations, you can start using Byvalue!
Focus on your passion
Your next question might be “But what function should I create?”. If it is, it’s a good one, and one we take very seriously.
We want to give developers the freedom and empower them to choose for themselves how they create value. That freedom and power can sometimes be scary. There is an endless number of functions that can be created, and an equally infinite number of reasons to create them.
For us, that freedom is a beautiful thing, and we’re here to help you find your passion and enable you to express it in code.
Are you passionate about Machine Learning? Upload your own model to Byvalue and show the world what it can do.
Do you love working on algorithms? Upload your solution to the Traveling Salesman problem and let the world use it.
Worried about COVID-19? Share a function that returns the latest case-counts from around the world.
In any domain where code is useful there are countless potential use-cases and functions to be created. We’re incredibly excited to learn what our users are passionate about.
To open-source or not to open-source
On most code-sharing platforms you share and open-source the code itself. The point of this is to encourage collaboration, an open exchange of ideas, and ensuring the continuous evolution of the code itself.
While this is a wonderful and altruistic thing, many people avoid publishing open-source projects because they think their code isn’t good or useful enough to be of any value. Perhaps they have to keep the source-code secret for business reasons.
Another major drawback is that anyone who wants to use open-sourced code has to figure out how to deploy, service, and maintain it for each of their own projects.
Share the value you create, not your code
The best of both worlds
We are whole-heartedly supportive of the open-source ethos, but uploading code on Byvalue is very different from sharing a public repository on Github. It serves a different, although complementary, purpose. More importantly, it adds value precisely in the way that open source cannot.
To be clear: on Byvalue, you don’t share or expose the code itself. You retain all the rights to any code you uploaded to Byvalue, and it is completely hidden both from other users on the site, and also from your customers.
Now you might be asking yourself “If no one can see it, how can anyone use my code?”. Easy. Your function will be shared with the world through an Application Programming Interface, or API for short.
The simplest way to think of an API as a standardized way of interacting with a function or set of functions — whether they’re hosted on a web server, in an app, or simply within your own code. The API allows these functions to be called through a simple HTTP requests to a dedicated URL.
To give you an example of how you can use a Byvalue service, we created a simple function that randomly scrambles a text and uploaded it to Byvalue. You can read the tutorial here.
If you just want to try out the end product, use the interactive code window below to call the API. Try giving it your own input string and see how it changes.
Invoke a Byvalue API service with one click
As you can see in the example above, the only thing that is visible to the world is the API we create around your function. Behind the scenes, we make sure that your service has all of the infrastructure needed for it to run.
Earn by value
So you’ve found a problem you can solve, in a domain that you’re passionate about or that you know affects a lot of people. You’ve created a function that addresses the issue/problem/need. You’ve uploaded it to Byvalue and now have an API service that can deliver your function to anyone, anywhere. Great! But what now?
Our focus is on enabling your functions to generate as much value as possible for as many people as possible. In other words, we want to remove barriers to using and deploying code.
We want you to be rewarded according to the actual value your solution brings, not the time you spent working on it. Therefore, as part of the service creation process you can set whatever price you want to charge for using your service.
That means whomever subscribes to your service and uses your function will pay royalties to you, the function creator, every time they invoke the service. Each subscriber gets a personalized endpoint for your service API, so that we know who is using your function. As the service creator, you can of course
Find your audience
The question still remains, who will use your service? To whom should you market your function?
We believe that those who benefit the most from Byvalue are people or companies who are building any kind of software-based product and want to add functionality to their code-base in a quick, efficient, and cost-effective way.
If you want to spread the word about your functions think of who would benefit from integrating it into a product, and perhaps reach out to them with a simple demo of the value your function generates.
As the creator of a service, you can use it for free* in any of your own projects. We believe that simply showing what your function does is the best way to demonstrate the value it generates. The more people see what you’ve created the higher the chance that its value will be recognized and made part of other applications.
It’s our ambition to help function creators as much as possible with gaining new subscribers and consumers to their services. We have a lot of ideas and plans for developing the platform in order to help and encourage the discovery of useful services, and we’ll be working hard on bringing them live.
In the meantime, there are many different ways to gain exposure for your function and enable the world to discover it, and lots of functions to create!
Create by passion, earn Byvalue
We want everyone to be able to share what they’re passionate about with the world, and to be able to earn a living while doing so. That’s why we created Byvalue. Go to www.app.byvalue.org and create your service today!
*All service invocations incur an infrastructure execution cost that is paid for by the consumer
