Open Source Studio
We Build Tools
in the Open
Studio Cavan is an independent open source studio based in San Diego. We ship open source software and write about what we learn.
Open Source
What We're Building
Blissful Infra
Production-like local dev environments in one command.
A local infrastructure orchestration tool that spins up a complete full-stack development environment on your laptop. Docker is the only dependency. No cloud accounts, no Kubernetes.
FodScan
Scan groceries for FODMAP compatibility - no account, no data leaving your device.
An iOS app that checks whether grocery products are safe for a low-FODMAP diet. Scan a barcode or point the camera at an ingredient panel and FodScan checks against a bundled ruleset of 160+ ingredients in under a second. Fully offline.
Research
From the Lab
Apache Flink in Depth: Stream API, Table API, CDC, Connectors and Checkpointing
A hands-on guide to Apache Flink covering the DataStream and Table APIs, Flink CDC for database replication, popular connectors, checkpointing from scratch, and what managed services like AWS Managed Flink actually handle for you.
The Software Engineer Career Map: Every Level and the Real Trade-offs
From junior IC to CTO - what each level of the engineering career actually looks like, where the paths fork and how to decide which direction is right for you.
Your AI Coding Tool Will Go Down. Build the Fallback Before You Need It.
Claude Code, Cursor and every other AI coding tool will have outages. Here is how to keep shipping when your favorite model is offline - including multi-provider setups, local model fallbacks and the tools that already support model swapping.
What The Claude Code Leak Teaches Founders About Open Source
Anthropic accidentally shipped the entire 512,000 line Claude Code source to npm. The community reaction tells you everything you need to know about where the real moat lives - and what every founder should open source on purpose.
Services
We Take on Select Projects
Full-service digital work across engineering, AI, content and strategy.
Software Engineering
Custom web and mobile apps, cloud infrastructure, DevOps and performance optimization.
AI & Automation
LLM integrations, local AI setup, agentic workflows and vector pipelines.
Content Creation
Developer docs, SEO blog content, video scripts and technical writing.
Consulting
Product road-mapping, MVP planning, codebase audits and architecture reviews.