About
Louis Cai is an independent software architect and indie maker. 17 years across Java, mobile, full-stack; now architect by day, indie builder by night. I ship tools, run trading bots, and autopsy everything that dies — with real numbers, no survivor-bias. Some of it works (most days).
- Stack:
Java · 
TypeScript · 
Docker · 
Cloudflare Pages · 
Playwright · 
Astro - Currently building: The Sift Guide, the Postmortems series, and a Turtle trading engine that’s been running since 2015
What I Build
🪦 The Postmortems Series (Primary Work)
In-depth, unsparing autopsies of real-world indie products that failed. Every case study includes exact Git commit counts, traffic metrics, operational costs, financial loss, and root-cause postmortems.
- Goal: Help developers avoid multi-month engineering rabbit holes before product-market fit.
- Latest cases: MailIELTS (#001) (714 commits, 21 months, $0 revenue), NanoPhotoStudio (#002) (1,648 commits, 282 PRs, 27 weekly visitors, $0 revenue).
⛏️ Utility & Niche Search Tools
Lightweight, rapid-deployment single-page utilities capturing underserved search demand and practical workflows:
- The Sift Guide: Interactive dimension map, portal calculator, and mob index for Minecraft ‘The Sift’.
- IARC Pre-Check: Pre-submission compliance checker for mobile game developers navigating global age ratings.
📈 Systematic Quantitative Trading
Long-term algorithmic trend-following strategies (Turtle-based rules) running continuously on crypto spot and cross-margin markets since 2015.
Who This Is For
- Indie Hackers & Engineers: Looking for battle-tested engineering postmortems with real financial data rather than survivor-bias success stories.
- Technical Founders: Building lightweight tools with tight loops, automated E2E quality gates, and transparent architecture.
- Not for: Those looking for get-rich-quick side hustle advice, courses, or outsourced agency services.
Key Facts (At a Glance)
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Louis Cai |
| Current Role | Software Architect & Independent Indie Developer |
| Engineering Background | 17+ years (Java, Distributed Systems, Cloud-Native, TypeScript) |
| Flagship Publication | Project Postmortems (Open-source failure retrospectives) |
| Active Projects | thesiftguide.com, Postmortems Series, Algorithmic Trading |
| Location | Chengdu, China (GMT+8) |
| Social / Profiles | X (@louis__cai) · GitHub (@louis-cai) |
| Monetization & Pricing | Completely free and open-access; ad/affiliate supported for utilities |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who is Louis Cai?
Louis Cai is a 17-year software architect turned indie builder based in China. He openly publishes engineering retrospectives, live code experiments, and postmortem audits of abandoned side projects.
What is the “Postmortems” series about?
It is a public postmortem archive documenting failed indie software projects with raw, verified numbers—exact commit logs, hosting costs, months spent, and why the product missed the market.
Are the tools and guides free to use?
Yes. Guides like The Sift Guide and the postmortem articles are 100% free and open to the public without paywalls or subscriptions.
Can I share or reference the postmortem data?
Yes, all postmortem data and articles can be quoted with attribution back to louis-cai.github.io.
Elsewhere
- X (Twitter): @louis__cai (Daily notes on indie hacking, pitfall logs, and architecture)
- GitHub: louis-cai (Postmortems source, open tools)
- Archive: Historical notes (2018–2021) (Trading systems, reading notes migrated from Hexo)