DEV Community: HITO

I Built a Website Analytics Tool That Sends Notifications to Discord and Telegram

HITO — Sun, 01 Nov 2026 16:50:12 +0000

Hey!! I thought I would share my thought train and a bit of my build process. This is definitely my favorite build of the year, I got to work with servers and bots.

It started with a pretty simple problem.

I was building websites and experimenting with products, and naturally, I wanted to understand what people were doing on them.

Who was visiting? Which pages were they exploring? Were people signing up? Where were they dropping off?

You know, the usual questions every developer or founder eventually asks.

But I had two problems.

First, I didn't always have the time to keep opening analytics dashboards just to check what was happening.

Second, a lot of the analytics tools I came across were either too expensive for where I was as a founder or offered more complexity than I actually needed.

I didn't want another dashboard full of numbers that I had to remember to check.

I wanted to know when something happened.

A new visitor. A signup. A conversion. A sudden traffic spike.

And I wanted to understand the journey behind those numbers.

That's when the idea for DataQuest started.

It began as a personal solution

Initially, I wasn't thinking about building another SaaS product.

I just wanted something that solved my own problem.

What if website analytics could come directly to the tools I already used every day?

I was already spending time on Discord, so why couldn't my website analytics live there too?

Instead of opening a dashboard every few hours, I could receive notifications when something important happened.

That became the foundation of DataQuest.

Then came the building part

Of course, having an idea and actually building it are two very different things.

I started working on the tracking system, figuring out how to collect website events and send them to a backend reliably.

Then came the dashboard.

I wanted more than just a visitor counter. I wanted to see how people moved through a website.

A visitor landing on a homepage, exploring the pricing page, checking features and eventually signing up tells a much more interesting story than a pageview count.

So user journeys became an important part of DataQuest.

I also wanted the integration to be simple. Developers shouldn't need to spend hours configuring analytics just to understand their own websites.

The unexpected challenges

Getting the first version working was only the beginning.

There were issues with data collection, event delivery, deployment and making sure analytics remained reliable even when the backend wasn't always awake.

I had to rethink how events were queued, retried and delivered.

I also spent time fixing integration issues and making sure the numbers shown in the dashboard actually reflected what was happening on the website.

Because what's the point of analytics if you can't trust the data?

I learned that building an analytics product isn't just about collecting events. It's about making sure those events are accurate, delivered and presented in a way that makes sense.

From Discord to Telegram

The original idea was to bring analytics into Discord.

But I wanted to make DataQuest useful to more people, so Telegram became another integration.

Now users can receive important website activity directly through either platform.

Some of the things DataQuest supports include:

Real-time visitor monitoring.
Signup and sign-in notifications.
Custom event tracking.
Conversion monitoring.
Traffic spike alerts.
User journey visualization.
Country, browser and referral insights.

It's also built around cookieless tracking.

The goal has always been to make analytics simpler and more accessible.

What DataQuest looks like today

What started as a solution to my own frustration has turned into a working analytics product.

It works with any web stack and takes around 30 seconds to integrate.

You can monitor your website, understand how visitors navigate it and receive important updates through Discord or Telegram.

I'm also working on making the product easier to access and pay for, recently completing and testing its Whop payment integration.

There's still plenty to improve, but seeing the original idea become something people can actually use has been incredibly rewarding.

Why I'm sharing this

I'm still on the journey of building DataQuest and finding its first paying customers.

I don't have a huge team or an enormous budget behind this. I'm figuring things out, shipping improvements and learning as I go.

And honestly, that's part of what makes building interesting.

Sometimes the best product ideas don't come from trying to invent something revolutionary.

They come from being frustrated with something that already exists and deciding to solve the problem yourself.

For me, that problem was analytics.

I'd love to hear from other developers and indie founders:

Have you ever built a product because the existing solutions were too expensive, too complicated or simply didn't fit the way you work?

I'd be interested to hear your stories.

If you'd like to see what I've been building:

DataQuest

DataQuest: Your users are moving. Watch them.

I have not been here in a while😅 Hello World!

HITO — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 03:37:36 +0000

I added Discord alerts to my analytics app — here's how it works

HITO — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 14:54:07 +0000

Hey,

I built DataQuest because I wanted simple website analytics without constantly opening an analytics dashboard.

But there was one problem.

I still had to open the dashboard to see what was happening.

So I decided to build something simpler: Discord alerts.

What does it do?

DataQuest connects to a Discord server and sends notifications when something important happens on your website.

For example:

Someone signs up
A page is viewed
A custom event happens
Other events you choose to track

Instead of constantly checking your analytics, you can just let DataQuest tell you when something happens.

How it works

The setup is pretty simple.

You connect your Discord server to DataQuest and choose the events you want to receive.

When DataQuest receives one of those events from your website, it checks your notification settings and sends the appropriate alert to your Discord channel.

So the flow is basically:

Website → DataQuest → Discord

The important part is that users aren't forced to receive every notification. They can decide what they actually care about.

Why Discord?

I wanted the alerts to go somewhere developers already spend time.

Discord also makes it easy to keep the notifications separate from the main analytics dashboard. You can be working on something else and still know when something important happens.

What's next?

I'm currently focused on getting people to actually use the feature and seeing what they find useful.

There are plenty of things I could build around DataQuest, but I'm trying to avoid the classic indie-dev trap of building 50 features before enough people use the first ones.

For now:

Track → Get notified → Check the details when you need them.

That's DataQuest.

If you're interested, you can check it out here: [https://questdata.vercel.app/]

analytics

HITO — Sun, 13 Sep 2026 16:20:20 +0000

Building Hideout: a browser-based hangout space without the noise

HITO — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 21:50:06 +0000

I’ve been building Hideout, a browser-based hangout space for friend groups where you can jump in and play games together instantly.

The idea came from something I kept noticing.

Whenever you try to play games with friends online, there’s always too much setup:

downloading apps or games
making accounts
joining lobbies
switching between chat and the actual game

And by the time everyone is ready, people lose interest or the moment is gone.

What I’m building

Hideout is a real-time hangout space where:

you join with a link
your friends join the same room instantly
you can talk and interact in real time
and play built-in multiplayer games inside the same space

Everything is inside the browser.

No installs. No switching between apps. Just one place where everyone is together.

Where it started

It started as a social deduction game (Mafia-style), but I kept expanding it.

Now it’s more like a general space for friend groups to hang out and play without setup getting in the way.

What I’ve learned so far

A few things I noticed while building this:

friction kills multiplayer way faster than bad gameplay
people don’t really care about “features”, they care about getting into the same experience quickly
the hardest part isn’t the game itself, it’s getting everyone in the same place at the same time
groups matter more than individual users when it comes to retention
What I’m working on next

Right now I’m focusing on:

making it faster to start a session with friends
making rooms feel more active and alive
figuring out what actually makes people come back with the same group
Feedback

Would love feedback from anyone who has built:

multiplayer games
real-time apps
social platforms

Especially around what makes people actually stick around and come back.

Link: [The Hideout(https://hideout-fa01d.web.app/)

Thank you!!

The Hideout Update: New Features, Cleanup, and More Fun!

HITO — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 18:04:04 +0000

Hi everyone 👋, it’s Hito again! I’m 16 and I’m back to share the latest updates I’ve made to The Hideout, my real-time virtual hangout app where you can join rooms, chat, and chill with friends.
You can try it here: joinhideout.vercel.app

What’s New

Since my last post, I’ve focused on improving the experience for everyone and making the app feel cleaner, faster, and more fun. Here’s a summary of what’s changed:

✅ New Features

Real-Time Mafia Game: Players can now join Mafia games with strangers in real-time. It’s fully interactive, just pure social deduction fun.

Feedback System: You can now give feedback directly in the app. Huge thanks to everyone who’s already sent their thoughts, it’s been super helpful!

Presence Improvements: Online/offline indicators are more accurate, so you can see who’s active instantly.

Better Notifications: You’ll get alerts for room activity, messages, and game events.

🧹 Features Removed or Simplified

Excessive UI Animations: Some fancy transitions were slowing down older devices, so I cut them to make the app smoother.

Overcomplicated Settings: I realized too many toggles were confusing. Now, only the essentials remain simple and easy.

Old Test Features: Early experiments (like temporary emojis and hidden rooms) have been removed to focus on what users actually use.

⚡ General Improvements

Faster room creation

Smoother chat updates

Cleaner UI with Tailwind refinements

Optimized Firebase queries for real-time updates

Challenges I Faced

Even with improvements, building The Hideout isn’t always easy:

Balancing Features vs. Simplicity: Every addition had to earn its spot; if it caused friction, it got cut.

Real-Time Syncing: The Mafia game taught me a lot about keeping multiple clients in sync without lag.

Feedback Implementation: Handling user feedback while keeping the app lightweight was tricky, but really rewarding.

What I Learned

Real-time multiplayer interactions are much harder than they look, but incredibly fun to implement.

Listening to feedback early helps you avoid building things no one uses.

Cleaning up old features can be just as important as adding new ones — less is more.

What’s Next

Mobile App Launch: Profiles, friend system, and room customization.

More Games & Activities: I’m planning additional games for rooms beyond Mafia.

Better Analytics: Tracking usage to see what features people enjoy most.

Target launch date for the mobile app: August 27, 2025. Deadlines keep me motivated 😅

Final Thoughts

Working on The Hideout continues to be an amazing experience. I’m learning every day about real-time apps, game mechanics, and user experience, all while building something people actually enjoy.

If you’re curious, try it here: joinhideout.vercel.app

I’d love feedback, bug reports, or even just to know if you tried it with your friends!

Thanks for reading 🙏
— Hito

I made a real-time Mafia game you can play with strangers – no signups(pt3)

HITO — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 18:09:19 +0000

Hi everyone 👋 I’m a 15-year-old developer, and I want to share the story of how I built The Hideout — a virtual hangout app where you can create rooms, chat, and chill with friends online.

You can try it here: joinhideout.vercel.app

Why I Built It

Like most people, I spend a lot of time online with friends. But every platform felt like it came with friction: logins, downloads, complicated setups, or just being too “corporate” and not fun.

I wanted something simple: a space where you could open a link, join a room instantly, and just talk, play, or relax together. No sign-ups. No headaches. Just vibes.

That’s how The Hideout started.

The Tech Stack

For the web version, I used:

React + Next.js for the frontend
Vercel for hosting (super smooth deploys)
Firebase (Firestore + Auth) for real-time chat and temporary guest login (my first time using Firebase!)
TailwindCSS for styling (fast + flexible)

I went with Firebase because I wanted something that just worked out of the box. It was my first time using it, so I had to learn a lot about collections, documents, and real-time listeners — but it turned out to be a great fit.

The Build Process

The first version was extremely simple: just room creation and a basic chat box connected to Firestore. I launched it as soon as it worked because I wanted feedback early.

After that, I kept adding features:

Room invites via links
A better UI with Tailwind
Presence indicators (online/offline)
Notifications

Each update was basically me solving a problem I hit while using the app with my own friends.

Challenges I Faced

Firebase Learning Curve
Since it was my first time using Firebase, I had to figure out how to structure collections and listen to updates in real time. At first, my messages weren’t syncing correctly across devices — but after experimenting with snapshot listeners, I got it working.

Keeping It Simple
I often wanted to add “cool” features, but I had to remind myself that the whole point of The Hideout was simplicity. If a feature added friction, I cut it.

Being 15
Honestly, being young has its challenges. I don’t have a team or senior devs to ask questions, so I had to dig through docs, GitHub issues, and YouTube tutorials. But I think that made me a better problem solver.

What I Learned
Firebase makes real-time apps way easier once you understand its data model.
Ship early, even if it’s small. Getting people to try your project teaches you more than waiting for “perfect.”
Keeping things simple is harder than it sounds.
What’s Next

I’m working on the mobile app version now. It will include:

Profiles + friend system
Room customization
Notifications
A pay-per-use model (you only pay $1 when you create a room, everything else is free).

Launch date is August 27, 2025 (I set deadlines so I stay motivated 😅).

Final Thoughts

Building The Hideout has been one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on. As a 15-year-old, I sometimes feel like I have to “prove” that I can build something real, but this project showed me that anyone no matter their age, can create tools people enjoy.

If you’re curious, you can try it here: joinhideout.vercel.app
I’d love feedback, bug reports, or just to know if you tried it with your friends.

Thanks for reading 🙏
— Hito

I made a real-time Mafia game you can play with strangers – no signups(pt2)

HITO — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 18:19:56 +0000

Hey everyone 👋

About two months ago I posted about a real-time game I built called WWC Mafia — a quick, anonymous social deduction game inspired by Mafia/Werewolf that required no signup, just click and play.

Since then, I’ve kept building — and things got weird (in a good way 😄).

🧪 The Experiment Evolves
What started as a single game mode inside WWC is now a side project of its own: The Hideout.

It’s not a product, not monetized — just an experimental multiplayer platform for fast, anonymous party games.

🕵️ What It Does

Lets you join party games (Mafia, Spyfall, Undercover) through secret links
No signups, no search — just a URL or QR code
Real-time chat and role-based turns using WebSockets
Ghost chat system (eliminated players talk privately)
Waiting room for pre-game chat and late joins
It's intentionally a little mysterious — more like a digital speakeasy than a public game site.

🧰 Tech Stack

Frontend: Next.js + React
Backend: Node.js + Express
Real-time: Socket.IO
State: In-memory for now (looking into Redis later)
Hosting: Vercel (frontend), Render (backend — might upgrade)
💡 Why I’m Making This

I like building things that feel alive — multiplayer, real-time, weird little online worlds.

Some of the goals for this were:

Push my understanding of WebSocket-based game loops
Figure out how to handle state transitions (join → lobby → game → postgame)
Keep it simple but expressive
Experiment with hidden-access mechanics
It’s also fun to design something that doesn’t want to be found unless you’re invited.

🔍 What I’m Still Exploring

Cleaner game logic across different party games
Moderation / kick-vote system
Host tools and player roles
Maybe storing rounds for playback/debugging
UI improvements (still very prototype-looking)
🧠 Lessons Learned So Far

Real-time multiplayer is chaotic and rewarding
Socket events need strict structure or things break fast
Keeping it anonymous keeps the vibe casual (but also needs safeguards)
Shipping early gets you unstuck
🤖 If You're Curious...

You can check out WWC Mafia here: (https://worldwidechat.vercel.app)
and if u have any improvements or suggestions feel free to leave a comment.🙂

Thanks for reading. If you’re into multiplayer games, WebSocket stuff, or just weird online social projects — I’d love to see what you’re building too.

– Hito (aka H1-T0)

🔧 From WWC Mafia to The Hideout — Building a Secret Multiplayer Game Hub

HITO — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 17:07:28 +0000

Hey everyone 👋

About two months ago I posted about a real-time game I built called WWC Mafia — a quick, anonymous social deduction game inspired by Mafia/Werewolf that required no signup, just click and play.

Since then, I’ve kept building — and things got weird (in a good way 😄).

🧪 The Experiment Evolves

What started as a single game mode inside WWC is now a side project of its own: The Hideout.

It’s not a product, not monetized — just an experimental multiplayer platform for fast, anonymous party games.

🕵️ What It Does

Lets you join party games (Mafia, Spyfall, Undercover) through secret links
No signups, no search — just a URL or QR code
Real-time chat and role-based turns using WebSockets
Ghost chat system (eliminated players talk privately)
Waiting room for pre-game chat and late joins

It's intentionally a little mysterious — more like a digital speakeasy than a public game site.

🧰 Tech Stack

Frontend: Next.js + React
Backend: Node.js + Express
Real-time: Socket.IO
State: In-memory for now (looking into Redis later)
Hosting: Vercel (frontend), Render (backend — might upgrade)

💡 Why I’m Making This

I like building things that feel alive — multiplayer, real-time, weird little online worlds.

Some of the goals for this were:

Push my understanding of WebSocket-based game loops
Figure out how to handle state transitions (join → lobby → game → postgame)
Keep it simple but expressive
Experiment with hidden-access mechanics

It’s also fun to design something that doesn’t want to be found unless you’re invited.

🔍 What I’m Still Exploring

Cleaner game logic across different party games
Moderation / kick-vote system
Host tools and player roles
Maybe storing rounds for playback/debugging
UI improvements (still very prototype-looking)

🧠 Lessons Learned So Far

Real-time multiplayer is chaotic and rewarding
Socket events need strict structure or things break fast
Keeping it anonymous keeps the vibe casual (but also needs safeguards)
Shipping early gets you unstuck

🤖 If You're Curious...

You can check out WWC Mafia here: (https://worldwidechat.vercel.app)
and if u have any improvements or suggestions feel free to leave a comment.🙂

Thanks for reading. If you’re into multiplayer games, WebSocket stuff, or just weird online social projects — I’d love to see what you’re building too.

– Hito (aka H1-T0)

I made a real-time Mafia game you can play with strangers – no signups

HITO — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 18:46:09 +0000

Hi Dev fam!

I’m Maya, a 15-year-old dev building a global anonymous chat app called Worldwide Chat. Recently, I launched a new game mode inside it called Mafia — and I wanted to share the journey and how I built it.

👾 What Is WWC Mafia?
It's a fast-paced, real-time social deduction game inspired by classics like Mafia and Werewolf — but with a twist:

🔁 No logins or signups

👥 Instant matchmaking

💀 Eliminated players can only talk to other ghosts

⏳ Waiting room chat for players between games

You just jump in and play.

🔧 How I Built It
Here’s a quick look at the tech stack and logic:

Frontend: [React/Next.etc]

Backend: [Node/WebSockets/Express/etc]

Real-time logic: Used [custom matchmaking logic] for assigning roles and managing turns

State management: In-memory store for now, might move to Redis later

Moderation: Lightweight message filtering + vote-based kick system planned

It was a fun challenge to handle real-time updates, waiting lists, and smooth transitions between game states.

💬 Lessons I Learned
Don’t overcomplicate — build the basic game loop first

Real-time multiplayer games are way more chaotic than they seem

An idea can become real if you just ship

💡 Would Love Feedback!
I’m still improving WWC Mafia and would love any ideas — design, moderation, game flow, scalability, anything.

Thanks for reading! 👋

WorldWide-chat

HITO — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 21:43:55 +0000

Hi,
Recently I made a message web app that was to be for personal use only, I shared with my sister and mom, they seemed to love it.....so I decided to make it a global chat where users can chat on a global scale, I know it sounds unsafe but I am working on a family friendly you can check it out here:

🚀 Welcome to Zork 0.1 – Your Ultimate Study Companion 🚀

HITO — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 13:18:23 +0000

I am excited to introduce Zork, the all-in-one study platform designed to help you boost your productivity, unlock new academic possibilities, and achieve your goals with ease.

✨ Key Features:

Intuitive Dashboard: Access all your study essentials in one seamless interface.

Daily To-Dos: Stay organized with a dynamic and effective task list.

Productivity Timers: Use customizable timers to transform your study sessions.

Study Tools: Utilize powerful tools to enhance your learning experience.

Seamless Integrations: Works perfectly with the tools you already use for an effortless experience.

💡 Join Our Beta Testing! Be one of the first to experience the Zork Calendar App. Sign up for our beta testing and help us refine and perfect our product. Your feedback is invaluable to us!

📧 Contact for Beta Testing: mayaimaniwahito@gmail.com

Unlock Next-Level Productivity with Zork!

Stay tuned for more updates and exciting features as we continue to innovate and improve.