Lessons Learned After 5 Months Developing an Open-Source CRM with a Solo Developer Using Laravel and Livewire
Embarking on the journey to create a comprehensive open-source Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system was both challenging and rewarding. Over the past five months, I dedicated myself to building this project entirely alone, leveraging Laravel and Livewire. Here’s a reflection on what I encountered along the way, highlighting successes, hurdles, and insights gained.
Highlights of the Development Process
Exceptional Tools Enhance Productivity
One of the standout aspects was the incredible potential of Filament. What might typically take weeks to develop using traditional methods was accomplished in just a few days, significantly accelerating the development timeline.
Designed for Solo Developers
Opting for Laravel combined with Livewire proved to be a game-changer. These technologies eliminated the need to manage separate API and frontend layers, simplifying the architecture and making it more manageable for a single developer.
Enjoyable Modern PHP Experience
Modern PHP, especially when utilizing strong typing (around 99.6%) and static analysis tools like PHPStan at level 7, proved enjoyable to write and maintain. This approach helped catch bugs early and ensured code quality.
Challenges Encountered
Handling Custom Fields at Scale
Initially, implementing custom fields seemed straightforward. However, as the number of fields per record exceeded 50, page load times increased from a swift 250 milliseconds to approximately two seconds. The solution involved optimizing data retrieval with improved eager loading strategies and implementing caching mechanisms.
Narrowing the Target Audience
Designing a product intended for “everyone” often results in a diluted focus. I found that narrowing the scope to small teams yielded a more effective and tailored user experience, rather than trying to cater to all possible use cases.
Open Source Demands Commitment
Maintaining an open-source project is far from a hobby; it’s a genuine commitment of time and effort. Keeping the project updated, fixing bugs, and responding to community feedback requires consistent dedication.
Strategic Tech Decisions That Accelerated Progress
- Adhering to Laravel Conventions: While seemingly monotonous, following established conventions expedited development and ensured reliability.
- Early Integration of PHPStan: Starting with static analysis from day one caught numerous bugs early, saving debugging time later.
- Leveraging Filament: Instead of building an admin interface from scratch, utilizing Filament provided a robust foundation, allowing me to focus on core features.
