Navigating the Challenges of Freelance Web Development: A Veteran’s Perspective

As a seasoned freelance web developer with over five years of experience, I often find myself reflecting on the processes and tools I use to craft websites. Despite having completed numerous client projects—primarily marketing and informational sites—I can’t shake the feeling that I haven’t quite found the ideal approach. There are days when the complexity of modern web development feels overwhelming, and I wonder if I should just throw in the towel.

The Ever-Evolving Web Development Landscape

The rapid evolution of web development tools and architectures can be both exciting and daunting. As an independent developer, managing the increasing costs and technical hurdles adds another layer of stress. From hosting expenses and unexpected tier-based charges to the challenges of managing DevOps and maintaining best practices, the journey is full of pitfalls.

Personal Experiences with Modern CMS and Deployment Strategies

Over the years, I’ve experimented with various content management and deployment solutions:

• Sanity.io: It offered a smooth experience initially, but as client needs grew—more users, higher traffic—sudden charges became a concern. I initially tried a straightforward annual fee model, but rising bandwidth costs required client re-education about additional expenses.

• Payload CMS: I switched to self-hosted Payload, paired with static site generators like Astro, aiming to escape the SaaS pricing model. Despite spending weeks troubleshooting deployment pipelines to DigitalOcean and setting up dual domains (example.com and admin.example.com), I faced challenges with image delivery (lacking a CDN) and data handling—rendering content, type safety, and API access—making the process frustrating.

The Rapidly Changing Toolchain

The toolkit landscape keeps shifting. I’ve seen popularity peaks—Gatsby was great, then it felt limited. Next.js took center stage, yet I now find it increasingly complex with features like caching and server-side rendering. Currently exploring Astro, I like its simplicity but worry about constantly switching stacks and losing momentum.

Hosting headaches persist, too. While platforms like Vercel and Netlify are convenient, explaining their nuanced pricing models to clients can be tricky. Attempting self-hosting on DigitalOcean adds sysadmin burdens, which aren’t feasible when time is scarce, despite knowing I could learn more about server management.

Seeking Community and Insights

In summary, I haven’t yet discovered a sustainable and satisfying workflow. I believe in my front-end