When I say I built my website without typing a single line of code, it sounds dramatic.
But here's the truth: I didn't write the code. I understood the system.
I built iamarul and self-hosted n8n.iamarul entirely with the help of AI. Not by copying random scripts — but by directing, testing, breaking, fixing, and refining step by step.
The only thing I paid for was the domain name. The infrastructure itself runs free — powered by my Ubuntu server and routed through Cloudflare.
The Architecture (Simple in Goal, Not in Execution)
The plan was straightforward:
- Buy a domain
- Point DNS through Cloudflare
- Host my website
- Run n8n on my Ubuntu server
- Expose it securely via a subdomain
On paper, this looks simple.
In reality, it involves:
- DNS configuration
- Reverse proxy setup
- SSL certificates
- Port mapping
- Firewall rules
- Service management
- Security considerations
None of these are hard individually. Together, they create friction.
How I Actually Used AI
I never said, "Build everything for me."
Instead, I worked like this:
- Here's my server environment
- Here's the error I'm seeing
- Here's what I've already tried
- What am I missing?
AI gave structured responses. I evaluated them. I executed them. If something failed, I fed the exact logs back.
This loop continued until it worked.
That's not automation. That's iterative engineering with an AI assistant.
Self-Hosting n8n on a Subdomain
n8n runs on my Ubuntu server.
What I did was:
- Install and configure n8n
- Ensure it runs as a service
- Configure reverse proxy
- Map n8n to n8n.iamarul
- Secure it with SSL
- Route traffic via Cloudflare
Cloudflare handles DNS and acts as a protective layer. My server does the actual computing.
That distinction matters.
The Cost: Almost Zero
The only money spent was on the domain name.
No paid hosting. No paid automation platform. No paid infrastructure.
The website runs through Cloudflare's free tier. n8n runs on my own machine.
This wasn't about saving money. It was about understanding control.
What "No Code" Actually Means
"No code" does not mean "no effort."
It means:
- I didn't manually write syntax
- I focused on system design
- I verified before executing commands
- I remained responsible for every configuration
AI generated instructions. I made the decisions.
If something broke, I debugged it.
The Real Shift
Earlier, building something like this would mean:
Search → Read forums → Try → Fail → Repeat
Now it became:
Describe → Analyze → Execute → Refine
Friction reduced. Learning increased. Completion became realistic.
Closing
iamarul isn't impressive because it was built with AI.
It matters because I didn't let lack of coding fluency block execution.
AI didn't remove complexity. It made complexity conversational.
And that changes who gets to build.