Building an Open-Source CRM in Five Months: Lessons Learned as a Solo Developer Using Laravel and Livewire
Embarking on the development of an open-source Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system over the past five months has been an insightful journey. Designed and built solely by me, this project has offered valuable lessons about technology choices, development processes, and project management. Here’s a comprehensive reflection on what I’ve discovered along the way.
Highlights and Successes
One of the standout tools that accelerated my development was Filament. Tasks that might typically span weeks were completed in mere days thanks to its robust components and streamlined workflow.
Choosing Laravel together with Livewire proved to be an ideal pairing for solo development. By using Livewire, I was able to avoid the complexity of managing separate APIs and front-end frameworks, leading to a cohesive and efficient build process.
Modern PHP practices made programming genuinely enjoyable. With 99.6% typed code and adherence to PHPStan level 7, I enjoyed a reliable development experience that minimized bugs and improved code quality.
Challenges Encountered
As the project expanded, certain hurdles emerged. For example, creating custom fields appeared straightforward initially but proved challenging when records exceeded 50 fields. This caused page load times to jump from 250ms to 2 seconds. I tackled this issue through improved eager loading strategies and caching solutions.
Designing the CRM for “everyone” manifested as a lesson in focus. It became clear that building for a broad audience often results in a product that serves no one well. Narrowing the scope to small team use cases allowed for a more tailored and effective solution.
Open-source projects demand ongoing maintenance. The effort extends beyond initial development—dedication is essential to keep the project alive, secure, and evolving.
Strategic Technology Decisions
Choosing to adhere to Laravel conventions kept development straightforward and predictable, despite seeming “boring” at times. It facilitated faster progress and easier onboarding for any future collaborators.
Integrating PHPStan from day one proved transformative—it flagged issues early, saving time and reducing bugs down the line.
Opting for Filament over building an admin interface from scratch paid off by providing a modern, customizable, and pre-tested admin panel with minimal effort.
Reality Check
Completing an MVP in five months strikes a balance between impressiveness and realism. It’s fast enough to be production-ready but also highlights that delivering quality features requires patience—often taking three times longer
