TomatoWeb - Building a Personal Developer Hub

A dev diary on why and how I built TomatoWeb as a long-term home for experiments, tools, and projects.

TomatoWeb started as a simple question:

Where do all my side projects actually live?

Over time, I had experiments, tools, games, and half-finished ideas scattered across repositories, subdomains, and local folders. Some were demos. Some were serious. Most didn't belong on a traditional “portfolio”.

So instead of forcing everything into one site, I decided to build a hub.

The idea behind TomatoWeb

TomatoWeb is not a portfolio replacement.
It's a developer lab.

Each project lives on its own subdomain (structural example):

• experiments.tomatoweb.site - UI ideas, canvas tests, visual demos
• games.tomatoweb.site - indie games, mechanics experiments
• tools.tomatoweb.site - utilities, dashboards, small apps

The main site (tomatoweb.site) acts as a map, not a showcase.

This separation lets me:

• Deploy projects independently
• Break things without fear
• Treat side projects like real production apps
• Avoid “everything must be perfect” pressure

Why subdomains instead of folders?

Subdomains give psychological and technical isolation.

Each project can have:

• Its own repository
• Its own deployment strategy
• Its own tech stack
• Its own lifecycle

If a game experiment is messy, that's fine - it doesn't pollute the rest of the system.

This mirrors how real-world systems work more than a single monolithic site.

Tech decisions (intentionally boring)

TomatoWeb itself is intentionally simple:

• Static HTML
• Tailwind via CDN
• Minimal JavaScript
• No framework overhead
• Strong semantic HTML
• Accessibility-first decisions (skip links, proper landmarks)

The goal wasn't to show off a framework - it was to get out of the way.

Performance, clarity, and maintainability mattered more than novelty.

Design philosophy

I wanted TomatoWeb to feel:

• Calm
• Neutral
• Slightly playful (🍅)
• Not over-designed

No dark UI experiments here.
No heavy animations.
No distractions.

The site should load fast, read clearly, and explain itself without trying too hard.

Relationship with my portfolio

My portfolio lives at:

👉 https://ionihal.vercel.app

That's where:

• Recruiters land
• Projects are selective
• Presentation matters

TomatoWeb is different.

It's where I:

• Experiment freely
• Ship imperfect ideas
• Build systems over time
• Learn in public (quietly)

What TomatoWeb is not

• Not a startup
• Not a product
• Not a company
• Not affiliated with anything called “Tomato Web”

It's just a long-term personal space for building things.

Where this goes next

TomatoWeb will grow slowly.

New subdomains will appear when needed.
Old projects may break.
Some ideas may never be finished.

And that's exactly the point.

Closing thoughts

TomatoWeb exists so I don't have to ask:

“Is this good enough for my portfolio?”

I can just build.

And for me, that's enough.

Links

• Live site: https://www.tomatoweb.site