This page is read only. You may view, but not change it. ===== Building my own infrastructure when free is costing more than you think ===== * **Speaker**: Mariatta * **Room**: Room 250 * **Time**: [[https://pretalx.seagl.org/2026/talk/JTFWJK.ics|Fri Oct 23, 09:40 am – 10:10 am]] * **Format**: Talk (30 min) * **Difficulty**: Intermediate * **Track**: Cloud and Infrastructure * **Additional Tags**: Python, Django, Self-Hosting, Privacy, SaaS * **Experience**: Python Core Developer and community leader with 15+ years experience; PSF Community Service award recipient and Microsoft MVP 2026. ==== Description: ==== Why build your own infrastructure when there are existing SaaS products out there? While many "free" tools exist, they often come with hidden costs: accepting third-party cookies, having your data used for training, or paying for essential powerful features. In this talk, Mariatta walks through the creation of her "secret codes"—a suite of open-source Python web apps built on Django, including a QR code generator, scheduling calendar, community feedback surveys, and an expense tracker. This session explores why building custom tools can be a superior alternative to SaaS, focusing on how ownership of data and code provides a level of convenience, privacy, and trust that is worth the initial effort. Project URL: [[https://secretcodes.dev]] **Target Audience:** * Python developers * Privacy and data sovereignty advocates * Community organizers * Those interested in self-hosting alternatives to SaaS
