Passive Income Ideas For Back End Developers [2024]
Interested in earning passive income as a back-end developer in 2024?
We put together a few of the best passive income ideas you can start as a back-end developer today. These will help you increase your quality of life by bringing in more income for yourself or your business.
For each income idea, we’ll show you real-world examples, revenue expectations for each idea, plus some things you might need to know before you start your passive income journey as a back-end developer.
Here's the full list:
1. Make passive income with an email marketing tool ($992K/month)
As a back-end developer, starting an email marketing tool could be a smart way to supplement your income. Given your technical skills, you could easily build a robust system for creating, managing, and automating email campaigns. You are already familiar with server-side programming, database management, and API integrations, putting you in a strong position to develop a reliable and scalable email tool.
The demand for effective email marketing solutions is growing rapidly, with the market expected to reach $2.53B by 2028. This means there will be plenty of potential customers, from entrepreneurs to real estate agents, who could benefit from what you build. Plus, email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach and engage an audience, so your tool could help businesses generate leads and increase sales without them needing to invest in more complex marketing strategies.
By creating an email marketing tool, you could start earning passive income through subscription models or one-time purchases. Once the initial setup is complete, the tool can operate with minimal maintenance, providing you with a steady stream of income while allowing you to focus on your full-time job or other projects.
How much you can make: $120 — $20,833,333/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
H-supertools founder Hasan developed a set of free SEO and digital marketing tools generating $2k per month in profit using Google Adsense, affiliate marketing, selling ad spaces, and email, plans to launch a membership option, and has attained over 80k registered users and 300k monthly visits in less than two years.
2. Make passive income with an AI writing tool ($255K/month)
If you're a back-end developer, creating an AI writing tool could be an exciting way to supplement your income. You have the technical know-how to build and maintain complex systems, making it easier for you to develop a digital tool powered by artificial intelligence. This tool could help businesses, bloggers, and students generate accurate and engaging content quickly and efficiently.
Given the increasing demand for high-quality content, an AI writing tool could meet a significant market need, providing a steady source of passive income. With your expertise, you could ensure that the tool is reliable, user-friendly, and effective, making it an attractive option for users. By investing time in this venture, you could ease the workload for writers globally while benefiting financially from your innovative solution.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $1,000,000/month
How long does it take to build: 52 days (?)
Rytr, a new AI writing assistant developed by a startup platform and business incubator, has become a market leader, serving over 300,000 customers across the world and doing seven figures in ARR.
3. Make passive income with a social media automation business ($139K/month)
As a back-end developer, you could leverage your coding skills to create tools that automate social media posts, interactions, and data analysis. The core idea is to build solutions that help small businesses and influencers save time while growing their social media presence. This means you develop software that handles repetitive tasks, freeing up your clients to focus on their core activities.
Given the growing importance of social media for businesses, there's a high demand for such automation. By diving into this field, you'll be utilizing your technical knowledge to craft systems that make social media management more efficient. It’s a great way to earn passive income by setting up subscription-based services or selling your tools to those who seek to optimize their online engagement.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $400,000/month
How long does it take to build: 50 days (?)
MeetEdgar, a bootstrapped social media automation tool founded in 2014 by Laura Roeder, has grown to $4 million in annual recurring revenue and more than 5,000 customers, with a team size of two dozen, achieved through content marketing, social media marketing, and organic search.
4. Make passive income with an ai based business solution ($55.8K/month)
As a back-end developer, you could leverage your skills to create an AI-based business solution that automates and optimizes various business processes. By focusing on areas like customer service, inventory management, and data analysis, you could build solutions that help companies improve efficiency and reduce operational costs. This could not only provide you with an additional stream of income but also allow you to tap into a rapidly growing market that values innovative technology.
Additionally, many AI tools offer user-friendly interfaces, so you don't need to be an AI expert to get started. This means you can combine your existing coding skills with these platforms to develop tailored solutions for clients. By capitalizing on the expanding demand for AI-driven efficiency, you could create a business that offers high-impact benefits to other companies and, in turn, secure a substantial stream of passive income for yourself.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $120,000/month
How long does it take to build: 125 days (?)
Mikkelsen Twins grew an online education company from scratch with over 800 students, making over 6-figures in profit every month thanks to their successful program, Audiobook Income Academy 2.0.
5. Make passive income with a lead generation tool ($108K/month)
As a back-end developer, you could leverage your technical skills to create a lead generation tool that automates the process of finding potential customers for businesses. This tool could integrate with various platforms like websites and social media channels to collect valuable data such as email addresses, phone numbers, and user interests, allowing businesses to streamline their marketing efforts.
Given the high demand for efficient lead generation solutions, your tool could serve a wide range of businesses eager to grow their customer base. By focusing on building a robust, user-friendly system, you have the opportunity to not only earn passive income but also help businesses attract the right customers more effectively. This venture could be especially profitable if you have an interest in marketing and data analytics, as it blends technical development with practical business needs.
How much you can make: $1,000 — $400,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $600 (?)
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Dux-Soup is a LinkedIn automation tool that helps business owners and sales & marketing professionals generate more leads, increase efficiency, and save time; with over 70,000 users and revenue of nearly $5 million, it offers automated top-of-the-funnel LinkedIn outreach activities, targeted LinkedIn campaigns and multi-touch & personalized LinkedIn drip campaigns for lead generation.
6. Make passive income with a mobile app ($70.3K/month)
As a back-end developer, you could leverage your coding expertise to create a mobile app that generates passive income. Developing a mobile app allows you to turn that brilliant idea into a tangible product, whether it's a productivity tool, a game, or something entirely new. Your skills in server management and database handling can provide a strong foundation for building a robust app backend.
You could start by planning the user experience and designing intuitive interfaces, either by yourself or by collaborating with a front-end developer. Testing for functionality and fixing bugs will be crucial steps in delivering a seamless user experience. Once your app is ready, marketing it effectively will help attract users and generate downloads, paving the way for potential revenue. With dedication and the right strategy, your app could become a popular tool people rely on daily.
How much you can make: $1 — $500,000/month
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
BACH, an app that plans and books bachelorette parties, has grown from $0 to >$1M net revenue run rate in less than 6 months, gained over 100,000 users in their first 60 days, and has over 40,000 parties using the app this month.
7. Make passive income with a wordpress plugin business ($33.4K/month)
As a back-end developer, starting a WordPress plugin business could be a practical way to supplement your income. Given that WordPress websites rely heavily on various plugins to function effectively, you could leverage your skills to develop plugins that address specific needs or solve common problems. By identifying a particular issue and creating a plugin to solve it, you have the potential to generate steady sales.
You could sell your WordPress plugins on platforms like CodeCanyon, directly from your blog, or even through a dedicated website for the plugin. This not only diversifies your income sources but also allows you to reach a broad audience. Over time, as more users adopt your plugins, you could begin to earn passive income while continuing to focus on your primary development work.
How much you can make: $120 — $120,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
Wheely Sales CEO Josh created a lucky wheel popup that has grown revenue from $0 to $600/month in just 4 months since getting started and has attracted over 1.1 million users to his customers’ websites, all while proving that when it comes to creating a product, competition is validation.
8. Make passive income with an online survey tool ($304K/month)
As a back-end developer, you could leverage your coding skills to create an online survey tool for businesses to gather customer feedback. This kind of application typically involves a survey builder, a data collection tool, and a reporting system—all of which will make use of your expertise in server-side development.
By developing an online survey tool, you could offer a service that helps companies improve their products based on customer insights. With the increasing demand for customer data, businesses are eager to pay for effective survey solutions, making this a potentially lucrative side venture. Given that established platforms like Typeform have achieved annual recurring revenues surpassing $70 million, there’s clearly a solid market for innovative and well-built survey tools.
In pursuing this idea, you could create a valuable passive income stream by offering subscription-based access to your tool. As businesses continue to seek efficient ways to collect data from their customers, an effective and reliable survey platform could attract consistent, recurring revenue.
How much you can make: $40 — $1,600,000/month
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
GreenRope, a self-funded CRM and marketing automation platform with over 1,000 customers in 20 countries, was built organically and focused on creating a positive, customer-centric culture without outside investment, with an all-in-one interface solving challenges in managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations.
9. Make passive income with a podcast ($97.9K/month)
Starting a podcast could be a great way for you as a back-end developer to supplement your income or make extra money on the side. You could create a podcast focused on coding tips, back-end technologies, or interviews with industry experts. This niche is particularly appealing because there is always a community of developers eager to learn and share their knowledge.
To get started, you would need some basic equipment like a microphone and headphones, and choose a topic you're passionate about that has a potential audience. Hosting platforms are often inexpensive or even free, which means your initial costs can be quite minimal. By sharing valuable insights and promoting your podcast through social media and online communities, you could build a loyal audience over time.
As your audience grows, you might attract sponsors or advertisers, turning your podcast into a source of passive income. Plus, your expertise in back-end development can offer you unique insights and an engaging angle that could set your podcast apart.
How much you can make: $400 — $1,020,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 2 hours/week
A successful podcast production company that grew from one client making $15/hour to a team of 10 contractors producing over 30 shows per week with revenue of over $10k/mo, primarily through referrals and with a focus on providing high personal touch and being picky about working only with clients who are a good fit.
10. Make passive income with a niche website ($107K/month)
As a back-end developer, starting a niche website could be a seamless way to supplement your income and venture into passive earning. With your technical expertise, you could efficiently handle server management, database integrations, and other behind-the-scenes tasks that are crucial for a stable and fast website. This frees you up to focus on producing valuable content or collaborating with front-end developers for a polished user experience.
Choosing a topic you're passionate about and knowledgeable in allows you to create engaging and useful content that can attract a dedicated audience. Once you've built up traffic, you could explore various monetization options like affiliate marketing, ad placements, or even selling digital products. With time and effort in SEO and content creation, your niche website could become a steady source of passive income, turning your passion into a profitable side project.
How much you can make: $400 — $250,000/month
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
DPW (Digital Procurement World) is a fast-growing conference and community in procurement that has more than tripled in revenue since launching in 2019, capping out the year at €1.8 million, with 95% of their growth coming from inbound traffic leveraging LinkedIn and applying social selling techniques.
11. Make passive income with a niche blog ($31.5K/month)
Starting a niche blog could be a practical side hustle for a back-end developer because it allows you to share your expertise and interests with a passionate online community. Whether it’s focused on a specific topic like video game development, film reviews, or cooking, blogging gives you the opportunity to create unique content such as how-to guides, top product lists, and in-depth articles.
To monetize your blog, you could provide affiliate links, grow a YouTube channel to attract more followers, and collaborate with brands relevant to your niche. With dedication to creating engaging content and regularly interacting with your audience, a niche blog could become a steady source of passive income.
How much you can make: $100 — $650,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $650 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Starter Story grew to 1.4 million monthly visitors and millions in annual revenue by sharing the stories of entrepreneurs. Pat breaks down the early days and how he grew the business into something that changed his life.
12. Make passive income with a YouTube channel ($72.1K/month)
Starting a YouTube channel could be a great way for you, as a back-end developer, to supplement your income. You could create videos that explain complex technical concepts, provide coding tutorials, or even share insights into your daily workflow. Many people are interested in learning about back-end development, and your expertise could attract a dedicated audience.
Additionally, you could earn money through ads, sponsorships, and merchandise as your channel grows. While it requires some effort in planning, creating, and editing videos, as well as engaging with your viewers, the potential payoff could be rewarding both financially and personally. If you're willing to put in the time, a YouTube channel could become a valuable passive income stream while allowing you to share your passion and knowledge.
How much you can make: $2,000 — $333,333/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,250 (?)
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
This case study follows the journey of a young entrepreneur from Nigeria who started a profitable blog generating a monthly revenue of $1,500+ through sales of advertising space, sponsored posts, and information products, and shares his strategies for success including a Twitter growth challenge and guest post pitches.
13. Make passive income with a stock investing business ($30.3K/month)
As a back-end developer, leveraging your analytical skills and logical mindset in the stock market could be an exciting way to supplement your income. A stock investing business involves buying and selling stocks to generate profits, and your ability to analyze data and trends could give you an edge in making informed decisions. This venture would allow you to flex your problem-solving muscles outside of coding, applying your knack for numbers and detail-oriented thinking to financial markets.
Starting a stock investing business would require some learning, but there are numerous educational resources and trading platforms designed to help beginners. By dedicating time to understand market trends and develop a solid strategy, you could see significant returns over time. Keep in mind that this is not an overnight success path—it involves continuous learning, strategic planning, and risk management. If you're ready to immerse yourself in the intricacies of the market, stock investing can be a fulfilling and potentially lucrative entrepreneurial endeavor.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $160,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $3,500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Ticker Nerd is a monthly subscription service for investors that surfaces and analyzes trending stocks before the hype train arrives, and now has $4.5k in monthly recurring revenue from its newsletter without spending a single dollar on advertising, having validated the business via subreddits and organic Product Hunt launch strategy.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
