· technical  · 4 min read

Build Once, Leverage Forever: My Framework for Reusable Systems and Components

DRAFT

Outline

Hook: I’ve built authentication 50 times. Email sending 30 times. Payment processing 20 times. Stripe integration 15 times. Each time thinking “This is the last time.” It never was—until I built them to be reusable by default.

Core Argument: Most developers rebuild the same components over and over because they optimize for “shipping fast this project” not “never building this again.” The secret: Invest 30% more time making something truly reusable once, save 80% on every future project. Compound returns on engineering effort.

Key Sections:

  1. The Reusability Mindset

    • Short-term: Build for this project (fast now, slow later)
    • Long-term: Build for all projects (slow now, fast forever)
    • The switch: Third time you build something, make it reusable
    • ROI: After 3 uses, reusable version pays for itself
    • Examples: Auth, email, payments, admin panels, API wrappers

  2. The Reusability Pyramid

    • Level 1: Code snippets (copy-paste, 5 min save)
    • Level 2: Utility functions (import, 30 min save)
    • Level 3: Packages/modules (install, 3 hour save)
    • Level 4: Starter templates (clone, 2 day save)
    • Level 5: Internal platforms (use, 2 week save)
    • Focus: Most value at Level 3-4

  3. What to Make Reusable (High-ROI Candidates)

    • Authentication: Login, signup, session management, password reset
    • Email systems: Templates, sending, tracking
    • Payment processing: Stripe/payment wrapper, webhooks, subscription logic
    • Admin panels: CRUD interfaces, user management
    • API integrations: OpenAI, Supabase, Stripe, Resend wrappers
    • Data pipelines: ETL patterns, vector embeddings, search
    • UI components: Forms, tables, modals, layouts
    • Rule: If you’ve built it twice, consider reusability

  4. Design Principles for Reusable Components

    • Principle 1: Configuration over customization
      • Pass config, not hard-code behavior
      • Example: sendEmail({to, subject, template}) not sendWelcomeEmail(user)
    • Principle 2: Reasonable defaults, escape hatches
      • Works out of the box, configurable when needed
    • Principle 3: Zero dependencies or explicit dependencies
      • Don’t assume framework or setup
    • Principle 4: Documented with examples
      • README with copy-paste examples
    • Principle 5: Versioned and tested
      • Breaking changes = new major version

  5. My Personal Component Library

    • @modible/auth: Supabase auth wrapper, ready to use
    • @modible/email: Resend + templates, one function call
    • @modible/payments: Stripe subscription boilerplate
    • @modible/ui: Svelte components (forms, modals, tables)
    • @modible/ai: OpenAI + embedding utilities
    • Structure: Monorepo, private npm, documented
    • Time saved: ~40 hours per new project

  6. Starter Templates (Level 4 Reusability)

    • SvelteKit + Supabase starter: Auth, DB, deployment ready
    • FastAPI + AI starter: LLM integration, RAG pipeline, API
    • Streamlit dashboard starter: Charts, data viz, filters
    • When to use: New project, 80% overlap with past projects
    • Time saved: 2-3 days of setup per project

  7. When NOT to Make Something Reusable

    • Too specific: One-off business logic
    • Changing rapidly: Design patterns not settled yet
    • Premature optimization: First time building something
    • Over-engineering: Simple 10-line function doesn’t need a package
    • Rule: Wait for the third use before abstracting

  8. The Maintenance Tax (And How to Minimize It)

    • Reusable code requires: Updates, documentation, support
    • Mitigation strategies:
      • Keep it simple (fewer features = less maintenance)
      • Version carefully (don’t break existing users)
      • Write good docs once (saves support time forever)
      • Automate testing (catch breaks before they ship)
    • Balance: Reusability benefits > maintenance cost

  9. Open Source vs. Private Reusability

    • Private (my default): Faster iteration, no support burden, proprietary advantage
    • Open source: Community contributions, portfolio value, gives back
    • Hybrid: Open source utils, keep business logic private
    • When to open source: Generic enough, proud of it, want feedback

  10. Compound Returns: The Long Game

    • Year 1: Build 3 projects, create 5 reusable components
    • Year 2: Build 5 projects in same time (using components)
    • Year 3: Build 8 projects, components mature
    • The math: 10% faster each project compounds dramatically
    • Real impact: Ship 2x products with same effort

Examples/Stories:

  • Personal: Rebuilt Supabase auth 5 times before making wrapper → saved weeks
  • 99 Minds + Client work: Shared UI components → consistent design, faster builds
  • Starter template: New SaaS in 2 days instead of 2 weeks
  • Open source: Shared utility became popular, got contributions
  • Failure: Over-engineered “reusable” component that was harder to use than building fresh

Takeaways:

  • Invest 30% more making component reusable → save 80% on reuse
  • Make reusable: Auth, email, payments, UI components, API wrappers
  • Design for config, provide defaults, document well
  • Wait for third use before abstracting (avoid premature optimization)
  • Compound returns: Reusable components make you exponentially faster
  • Balance: Reusability benefits must outweigh maintenance costs

Cross-Links:

  • ← “How to Design Products for Non-Tech People” (Series 2-19)
  • ← “From One-Off Project to Sellable SaaS” (Series 2-18)
  • ← “The Narrow But Complete Rule” (Series 2-12)
  • ← “How I Design AI Systems” (Series 1-7)
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