Building an Open-Source CRM in Just 5 Months: Insights from a Solo Developer Using Laravel and Livewire
In February, I embarked on an ambitious journey to develop an open-source Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system as a solo developer. Over the course of five months, I navigated various challenges and discovered key lessons that might help others undertaking similar projects.
What Worked Well
One of the standout tools in my tech stack was Filament, a modern admin panel framework. Its capabilities accelerated development significantly—what might have taken weeks with traditional methods was accomplished in just days. Additionally, leveraging Laravel with Livewire proved to be an ideal combination for solo development. It eliminated the need for a separate API or frontend framework, simplifying the architecture. I also found modern PHP development to be surprisingly enjoyable; with 99.6% typed code and static analysis set to PHPStan level 7, I experienced fewer bugs and smoother development cycles.
Challenges Encountered
Despite the smooth sailing in many aspects, certain hurdles emerged. Implementing custom fields appeared straightforward initially, but became problematic once records exceeded 50 fields. Page load times increased from approximately 250 milliseconds to over two seconds. The solution involved optimizing database queries through eager loading and caching strategies. Another insight was that designing software with “everyone” in mind often results in a product that satisfies no one. I refined my focus to small teams, which made development more targeted and manageable. It’s important to note that maintaining an open-source project is a substantial commitment—it’s not just free time but ongoing responsibility.
Effective Technical Strategies
Sticking to Laravel’s conventions greatly streamlined the development process, even if it felt somewhat monotonous. Incorporating PHPStan from the outset proved invaluable—early bug detection saved me from future headaches. Opting for Filament instead of building an admin interface from scratch allowed me to accelerate deployment and focus on core features.
Reflection on the Development Timeline
Reaching an MVP in five months was a balanced milestone. It’s both fast—delivering a production-ready version—and slow, considering that comprehensive feature development tends to take three times longer when done properly. Patience and careful engineering paid off in the end.
For those interested, I’ve documented the project’s implementation details at relaticle.com.
Your Experience
If you’ve undertaken solo SaaS development, I’d love to hear about your journey. How long did it take for
