[mjw1007]

Nowadays an approach that I find often worth trying is:

- download a project in a suitable language that claims to do what you need

- read its list of direct dependencies

- implement your own thing using those same libraries

- write your own replacement for any of those libraries that seem more trouble than they're worth.

Indications for when this is likely to go well:

- the top-level piece of software has grown its own configuration language

- the the top-level piece of software has dozens of options for tuning its behaviour

- the maintainers of the top-level piece of software have spun parts of it out as libraries, and they're being used by other people.