Title: Developing a DIY LiveUA Map with PHP: Seeking Feedback and Future Directions

Are you interested in mapping projects or web development with limited resources? I’ve recently embarked on creating a simplified version of a live UA (Ukrainian conflict) map using PHP, motivated by curiosity and a desire for a manageable project. I’d like to share my experience so far and seek your insights.

Project Background

Due to temporary hardware limitations—specifically working on a Chromebook—I had to restrict my development environment. While there are numerous cloud IDE options such as GitHub Codespaces and similar platforms, I find them somewhat uncomfortable for prolonged use and prefer to reserve these resources for critical tasks.

Instead, I relied predominantly on a basic text editor and incorporated some AI tools to assist with coding. My goal was to build a “homemade” liveUA map to understand the process better and address the challenges I found in the existing, unmaintained liveUA map source code. The original project was complex and difficult to set up, prompting me to create a more straightforward, manageable alternative.

Technology Stack and Hosting Constraints

Currently, I am using free hosting services, which limit my choice of technologies. My current setup is PHP-based, but I am considering whether to upgrade to more modern, scalable stacks such as Node.js or similar frameworks. The question is: would adopting newer technologies significantly enhance functionality, performance, or maintainability for this project, given my current resource constraints?

Demo and Feedback

You can see a live demo of my project here: https://aregan.byethost33.com/aregan/

I am eager to hear your thoughts. Do you think moving to a more modern stack is worthwhile at this stage? Are there specific tech choices that could accelerate development or improve the project’s robustness? Any feedback or suggestions are highly appreciated.

Thanks for your time and support!