Published Mar 28, 2026 • Updated Mar 28, 2026
Roast uses private RSS because podcast clients already solve downloading, caching, scrubbing, offline playback, and routine listening better than most custom players.
The engineering trick is not inventing a novel player. The trick is serving the boring HTTP contract correctly:
- valid RSS XML,
- stable item GUIDs,
- real enclosure lengths,
- and byte-range-capable audio responses.
When those details are right, the feed feels simple. When they are wrong, every client behaves differently.