Building an Open-Source CRM in Five Months: Lessons from My Solo Development Journey with Laravel and Livewire
Embarking on a project to develop an open-source Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system in February taught me invaluable lessons about efficiency, technology choices, and real-world challenges. Over a span of five months, working solo as the sole developer, I crafted a functional MVP leveraging Laravel and Livewire. Here’s a comprehensive overview of my insights and takeaways from this experience.
Key Advantages of My Tech Stack
Filament Admin Panel:
The standout tool in my development process was Filament. Its capabilities accelerated what would typically take weeks into mere days, streamlining the creation of a robust admin interface without the need to build from scratch.
Laravel + Livewire Synergy:
This combination proved ideal for solo developers. By eliminating the need for a separate API and frontend, I could build a cohesive application with less complexity, making development more straightforward and faster.
Enjoyable Modern PHP Development:
Adopting a modern PHP approach—where about 99.6% of the code was explicitly typed and analyzed with PHPStan at level 7—made coding smoother and more reliable, enhancing code quality and developer confidence.
Challenges Faced Along the Way
Handling Custom Fields at Scale:
Initially, implementing custom fields for each record seemed simple. However, surpassing 50 custom fields per record caused significant performance issues, with page load times jumping from 250ms to over 2 seconds. Improving eager loading strategies and introducing caching mechanisms substantially mitigated these problems.
Target Audience Focus:
Trying to cater to “everyone” often dilutes the product’s effectiveness. I realized narrowing the scope to small teams allowed for more targeted features and better user experience.
Open Source Maintenance Demands:
Contributing to the open-source community doesn’t equate to free time. Maintaining and evolving the project requires ongoing commitment, patience, and discipline.
Strategic Technical Decisions
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Adhering to Laravel Conventions:
Sticking to familiar patterns simplified development and troubleshooting, making the process more predictable and efficient. -
Early Integration of PHPStan:
Starting static analysis early caught numerous bugs before they escalated, saving time and preventing regressions. -
Leveraging Filament for Admin UI:
Opting for an existing admin framework avoided redundant effort, allowing me to focus on core features rather than UI boilerplate.
