The role of a hosting reseller has evolved. It is no longer just about buying server space and selling it at a markup; it is about curating a seamless experience for the client. But how do you scale that experience without drowning in maintenance tasks?
In my latest interview, Austin Ginder of Anchor Hosting shares how he is bridging the gap between hosting platforms and customer needs by leveraging the Kinsta API and cutting-edge AI workflows.
The Power of APIs: From Deployment to DNS
For Austin, the API isn’t just a feature, it’s the backbone of his business. He highlights a specific Kinsta feature, pushing any site environment to any other environment, that he has integrated directly into his custom hosting panel. This allows his clients to spin up development environments or one-off experiment sites without touching their live production data.
Beyond site cloning, Austin is currently exploring the Domain Mapping API. By automating the verification steps between Kinsta and his DNS provider, he is working toward a “one-click” solution that saves him from the deceptively complex world of manual DNS management.
The “CaptainCore” Philosophy
Austin admits that while tools like cPanel or Plesk exist, they often offer too much complexity for the average end-user. His solution? Build it yourself.
This led to the creation of CaptainCore, his open-source management toolkit. Austin’s philosophy is unique: he builds tools primarily to solve his own daily frictions. By open-sourcing them, he invites the community to learn and adapt his methods, prioritizing knowledge sharing over commercializing the software itself.
AI-Driven Development: The Gemini Workflow
Perhaps the most tactical insight from the discussion is how Austin generates the code to build these integrations. He relies heavily on Google Gemini, specifically for its massive context window (up to 1 million tokens).
The Workflow:
- Download the Specs: Most modern providers (like Kinsta) allow you to download their full API documentation or OpenAPI specification.
- Feed the LLM: Austin uploads the entire API spec file along with his existing codebase into Gemini.
- Generate Code: Because Gemini understands the full context of the official documentation and Austin’s current project structure, it generates highly accurate, ready-to-use integration code.
Austin notes that this workflow is difficult with other models that have smaller context limits, making Gemini his go-to tool for heavy lifting in development.
Key Takeaways
- APIs allow you to be “Hosting Agnostic”: Building your own panel allows you to switch backend providers while keeping the customer experience consistent. This means the hosts need to deliver an amazing product to retain the priority position.
- Don’t write boilerplate from scratch: Download API documentation files and feed them to an LLM to generate your integration code.
- Context is King: For complex coding tasks involving large files, a large context window (like Gemini’s) is essential.
- In-person still matters: Despite the power of AI, connecting at local WordPress meetups remains vital for business growth and mental health.
Conclusion
Whether you are manually updating DNS records or writing API calls from scratch, there is likely a better way to do it in 2025. By combining robust APIs with the “pair programmer” capabilities of modern AI, developers can free themselves up to do more interesting work.
Want to talk tech in person? Catch Roger or Austin at a local WordPress meetup near you.