How I turned a boring government database into a developer API (and got my first paying customer)

I built a REST API for the Austrian company register - here's what happened Austria has a public company register called the Firmenbuch. It lists around 500,000 registered companies: addresses, managing directors, shareholders, legal form, and annual financial statements going back years. Useful stuff if you want to research a company before a job application, check a business partner, or just satisfy your curiosity. The problem: the official way to access this data is painful. You pay €3–7 per