---
title: A Story of Fidder: The RSS Reader Without the Noise
url: https://varstatt.com/jurij/p/a-story-of-fidder-the-rss-reader
author: Jurij Tokarski
date: 2024-11-12
description: The story behind Fidder, an RSS reader built to follow your favorite sites without the social media noise, algorithms, or distraction.
section: Blog (https://varstatt.com/jurij/archive)
tags: project-stories (https://varstatt.com/jurij/c/project-stories)
---

In early 2022, I was drowning in information. My daily routine involved checking tens of Telegram channels, scrolling through Twitter, and managing countless newsletter subscriptions. The anxiety of missing out was real, and I needed a solution.

I started searching for alternatives. Social media feeds were the first to go — too many ads, too many algorithms. RSS readers seemed promising, but something was missing from every option I tried.

🎯 After trying various readers, I had a clear vision of what I wanted:

-   A simple list of RSS feeds I subscribe to

-   Quick updates when new content appears

-   Rich previews like social media links

-   No complexity, no clutter

🤷‍♂️ While the market offered extremes that didn't fit me:

-   All-in-one apps with features I'd never use

-   Browser extensions too basic to be useful

-   Apps locked to a single device with no sync

-   Privacy concerns, forced sign-ups

## **First iteration: launching a Telegram bot**

[In May 2022](https://x.com/jurijtokarski/status/1525371108966416384), I launched Fidder as a Telegram bot. The idea was simple — just two commands:

-   `/addfeed` to subscribe to feeds

-   `/myfeeds` to manage subscriptions

The launch resonated with others. Fidder got [featured on Product Hunt](https://www.producthunt.com/posts/fidder), gained hundreds of users, and made it into RSS directories. A stable community of about 150 users formed — not millions, but enough to validate the idea.

[t.me/FidderBot](https://t.me/FidderBot)

The bot runs on Node.js and Telegraf, using Airtable as a database. Initially hosted on Heroku with 2 dynos — one for the bot, another for background jobs. In early 2024, I migrated everything to self-hosted Coolify to reduce costs.

Now, Fidder for Telegram is in maintenance mode. It continues to run as long as the last user needs it, following [Until the End of the Internet](https://37signals.com/policies/until-the-end-of-the-internet/).

As time passed, being tied to Telegram became limiting. I used Telegram less, notifications were muted, and I started missing updates. The tool needed to evolve. That pattern of outgrowing your own tools is something I've seen [across newsletters and services too](/jurij/p/newsletter-framework-service-evolution).

<PostImage
  src="/jurij/a-story-of-fidder-the-rss-reader-001.webp"
  caption="Screenshots of Fidder for Telegram from 2022, prepared for Product Hunt launch."
/>

## **Second iteration: launching a [Progressive Web Application](/jurij/p/what-a-pwa-build-looks-like)**

In September 2024, Fidder transformed into a web application with everything I originally wanted:

-   No sign-in required

-   [Works across all devices with simple sync](https://x.com/jurijtokarski/status/1836781808127541456)

-   [Push notifications that make sense](https://x.com/jurijtokarski/status/1839595261703684542)

-   [Installs like a native app](https://x.com/jurijtokarski/status/1839594569295368662)

-   [Adapts to your device's dark mode](https://x.com/jurijtokarski/status/1839595740672172129)

[fidder.app](https://fidder.app)

The web version runs on React with [Firebase](/jurij/p/what-a-firebase-audit-looks-like) (Hosting, Firestore, Messaging). 3 background workers (feed validator, checker, and DB cleaner) are self-hosted via Coolify.

The project reached its goal — becoming "finished software" in its truest sense. It does one thing well: delivering content without the noise. The technical stack evolved from a simple bot to a modern web app, but the mission stayed the same.

<PostImage
  src="/jurij/a-story-of-fidder-the-rss-reader-002.webp"
  caption="Screenshots of Fidder web application showing a feed."
/>

<PostImage
  src="/jurij/a-story-of-fidder-the-rss-reader-003.webp"
  caption="Screenshots of Fidder web application showing: only fresh post view state, how it works form browsers and settings page with one-time code to link devices."
/>

<PostImage
  src="/jurij/a-story-of-fidder-the-rss-reader-004.webp"
  caption="Screenshots of Fidder web application showing feed and settings pages on desktop, in-browser view."
/>