## An Open Work and Project Management Platform

Ever Teams is an exciting new open source work and project management platform currently in development. In this post, we'll take a look at some of the key features planned for Ever Teams.

![Ever Teams Dashboard](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/png-me.appspot.com/o/portfolio-projects%2F68747470733a2f2f646f63732e6761757a792e636f2f646f63732f6173736574732f6761757a792d7465616d732f7765622f6f766572766965772e706e67_bhStPFtUc2SBzCMYejaOg.png?alt=media&token=c2c58c87-cc58-45d9-bc07-dc1291adeed9)

## Work and Workforce Management

At the core of Ever Teams is robust support for managing work and tracking employee productivity. Key features include:

- Employee profiles and organization charts
- Capacity planning and workload management
- Time tracking with calendar views and overtime alerts
- Configurable dashboards for monitoring team workloads and capacity

## Time Management and Productivity Tracking 

Ever Teams makes it easy to track how time is being spent across an organization. Time management features include:

- Automatic time tracking integrated with project work
- Productivity metrics for projects and individuals 
- Dashboards, calendars and reports for understanding where time is going
- Idle time alerts and productivity tuning

## Project and Task Management

Manage projects and break down work into specific tasks with Ever Teams. Features include:

- Kanban boards
- Custom workflows
- Task assignments, checklists and deadlines
- Gantt charts and calendar views
- Progress tracking with status updates
- Notifications and reminders

## Teams and Organizations

Collaborate across global organizations and teams with:
  
- User and permission management 
- Organization charts
- Team spaces for collaboration  
- Custom fields and metadata for teams
- Organisation-wide search and reporting

And much more! Ever Teams is built to scale from small teams up to large, complex organizations.

## Putting It All Together

With its work management, productivity tracking and team collaboration capabilities, Ever Teams aims to provide an open alternative to tools like Jira and Trello. Whether you're running a small team or a large enterprise, Ever Teams gives you flexible building blocks to manage work your way.

The project is still in early development, but the team is making rapid progress towards an initial beta release. Watch this space for future announcements and demos!

Ever® Teams™ - Open Work and Project Management Platform.

Ever Teams

Siku is an innovative ad distribution platform that I recently developed to automate the delivery of online ads. The goal of this project was to streamline an otherwise manual and tedious process while still maintaining high performance and accountability.  

Some of the key capabilities delivered through Siku include:

* Automated ad distribution that allows advertisers to reach wider audiences faster
* Performance monitoring to validate each ad impression  
* Ad tracing through assigned codes for every ad delivered
* Scalability to send millions of ads per day without slow down or loss

![](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/png-me.appspot.com/o/flamelink%2Fmedia%2FScreenshot%202022-02-08%20165543.png?alt=media&token=0a89cae3-03bc-47ec-9a79-d3db1f6b625e)


## The Challenges
Building an automated platform like Siku introduced some unique challenges that I had to solve. 

### Preventing Ad Loss at Scale
The first major hurdle was figuring out how to distribute a high volume of ads without risking the loss of any ad deliveries. With parallel processing across multiple servers, keeping track of each ad impression becomes highly complex.

I overcame this by building a robust queue architecture with Redis that ensures every ad gets processed across any number of nodes without possibility of duplicates or losses. Careful code optimisation and load testing was also needed to sustain high throughput.

### Efficient Deployment Architecture  
The second challenge was around deployment and making sure the platform could efficiently scale out. This involved some key technologies:

* Laravel queues and workers to parallelise ad delivery jobs  
* Websockets with Laravel Echo and NodeJS for real-time monitoring
* Automated provisioning of new servers with Ansible as traffic grows

Together this creates a modular architecture that can handle millions of ad deliveries per day across any number of servers.

## Key Technology Choices
I carefully selected frameworks and libraries best suited for Siku's needs:  

**Back-end**
* Laravel - High performance PHP framework optimised for web scaling 
* NodeJS - Enables real-time websocket communication   

**Front-end**  
* ReactJS - Fast rendering of monitoring dashboards
* Webpack - Module bundling optimises frontend build process

**Data & Delivery**  
* MariaDB - Robust, scalable SQL database
* Redis - In-memory data store powers the ad queue  

**Infrastructure**
* Ansible - Automates the provisioning and deployment of new servers

This combination of technologies was selected specifically to meet the performance, accountability and scalability demands of an automated ad delivery pipeline.

## Mobile App Development
I explored two options when it came to developing the mobile app for Siku:

**Ionic** - A mobile SDK I have often used in the past and am most familiar with. However, it was lacking some components needed for Siku.

**Flutter** - Google's modern mobile SDK that proved to have all the required features. And although new to me, I saw it as a good chance uptskill.

After carefully prototyping with both, I settled on Flutter as the best mobile platform for Siku. And have been happy with the native-like performance so far.

## Conclusion
Siku came with some interesting technical problems around scale, performance and accountability that I thoroughly enjoyed solving. 

![](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/png-me.appspot.com/o/flamelink%2Fmedia%2FScreenshot%202022-02-08%20165508.png?alt=media&token=343fe805-eb6c-4041-b2bc-274331ae718a)


An innovative ad platform that automates distribution at scale. Its intuitive structure delivers responsiveness and ease of management.

Siku

## Building a Chess Web Application from Scratch

![Chess TS Homepage](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/png-me.appspot.com/o/portfolio-medias%2Fm0c6x_Screenshot%202024-01-15%20at%2010.09.07.PNG?alt=media&token=c0b04d8e-b276-4b01-9322-73ee11b1ae37)

I recently took on the challenge of building a chess web application called Chess TS completely from scratch using TypeScript and Next.js. In this post, I'll walk you through the goals, technologies, features, challenges, and lessons learned from developing this unique project.

## Project Goals

I set out to build Chess TS for a few key reasons:

1. Gain experience developing an entire modern web application solo from the ground up
2. Learn new technologies like Next.js, TypeScript, and WebRTC
3. Create a fully-functional online chess game playable in browsers

## Key Technologies

I intentionally avoided using any chess libraries and engines to make Chess TS completely original. Here are the main technologies powering the app:

- **Next.js** - React framework that handles routing, server-side rendering, and static optimization 
- **TypeScript** - Strict syntactical superset of JavaScript that adds types
- **WebRTC** - Enables direct peer-to-peer communication between browsers
- **Open AI** - Provides chess move analysis and suggestions via API

## Features

The app includes all core functionality you'd expect from an online chess game: 

**Multiplayer Game Modes**

- Play against another player in real-time over the internet
- Challenge clever AI opponents ranging from beginner to expert strength



**Smart Analysis**

- Get move suggestions rated by strength 
- View blunder warnings when making a mistake

**Time Controls**

- Use timers to replicate serious tournament conditions
- Configure desired start time and increment per move

**Additional Features** 

- Resign or offer/accept draws
- Track captures taken and pieces lost
- Save and load games in progress

and more...

## Challenges and Lessons Learned

Despite having developed web apps with React and TypeScript before, building Chess TS led to some unique obstacles:

- **Complex Game Logic** - I learned tons about properly modeling gameplay states, moves, turns, scores etc. in TypeScript
- **Multiplayer Integration** - Getting the WebRTC connection, streaming, events etc. right took time 
- **AI Opponent** - Creating capable chess AI with unique adjustable difficulty was very challenging

Through the experience, I gained deeper knowledge of TypeScript, React architecture, real-time web technologies, and the incredible complexity underlying a game as classic as chess.

While there is still more work ahead to add features, optimize performance, and improve gameplay - launching the first playable version of a passion project using all new technologies was tremendously rewarding. I'm excited to keep improving Chess TS in the months ahead!

You can view the source code or try playing Chess TS online at the links below:

[Github Repo](https://github.com/paradoxe35/chess-ts)

[Play Chess TS](https://chess-ts-xi.vercel.app/)

Web-based chess application for playing chess online against another player or computer AI.

Chess TS

<div class="centered">

![Screen Shoot](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/png-me.appspot.com/o/portfolio-medias%2Fejtbt_icloudeng-portal-demo.gif?alt=media&token=3ed782a2-f68f-45d8-87a7-c27ecb7c0bd8)

</div>

## No-Code Website & Docs Builder
Icloudeng Websites is a new platform that makes it easy for anyone to build professional websites and documentation without coding. It is built using NextJS and Directus to provide a streamlined web development and content management solution.

## Template Component Selection for Easy Building

At the core of Icloudeng Websites is an intuitive website builder based on selecting and combining template components. It provides pre-made section and layout templates that can be put together in different ways to create custom page designs. This modular approach allows you to build fully custom websites just by choosing components like headers, content sections, footers, etc from the template library.

The pre-built templates have responsive designs so the websites look great on all devices. You can customize colors, fonts, and other styles directly within Icloudeng. Changing content is also simple - just edit text, swap images, and add new pages as needed. No coding required!

![Screen Shoot](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/png-me.appspot.com/o/images%2FScreenshot%202023-11-06%20at%2012.43.35.png?alt=media&token=79c58e33-759e-477b-b97b-35bdad0f0a51&_gl=1*1nc3h3q*_ga*OTEwMjE2NjAyLjE2OTg0ODA3NzU.*_ga_CW55HF8NVT*MTY5OTI2NjAzMC4zLjEuMTY5OTI2NzQ1MC4zMS4wLjA.)

## Directus Powers the Backend

While the frontend uses NextJS for optimal performance, Icloudeng Websites leverages Directus for the headless CMS backend. This provides an admin interface to manage all website content including pages, navigation, media, global settings, and more.
[Check out](https://directus.io/platform) for more information.

Directus offers an open API to retrieve content for display on the frontend. Developers can also utilize the API for deeper integrations.

For those without coding experience, the Directus admin allows you to handle all key content management tasks visually - no technical expertise required.



## Built-In Documentation Generator

In addition to websites, Icloudeng provides tools specifically for creating documentation sites. You can write docs content right within Directus and have it automatically compiled into Markdown files for a Docusaurus site.

This means you can have a central hub for both your website and documentation content.

![ScreenShot](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/png-me.appspot.com/o/images%2FScreenshot%202023-11-06%20at%2013.02.54.png?alt=media&token=8b3936c4-237f-464e-87f4-ddac9bc23675&_gl=1*xh08hu*_ga*OTEwMjE2NjAyLjE2OTg0ODA3NzU.*_ga_CW55HF8NVT*MTY5OTI2NjAzMC4zLjEuMTY5OTI2ODczNi4zMC4wLjA.)

## Streamlined Deployment & Management

Deployments can be automated using Ansible playbooks. Docker containers provide standardized and portable environments for both development and production. 

For managing infrastructure and application changes, administrators can implement Kubernetes clusters with Flux. This enables continuous delivery workflows to update websites with zero downtime.

So from initial website creation to deployment, hosting, and updates, Icloudeng provides integrated tools for the full lifecycle. The goal is to simplify all aspects of managing dynamic web projects and content.

<div class="content-columns">
<div>

### Back-end technologies

- Directus
- NodeJS

</div>

<div>

### Front-end technologies

- NextJS
- Docusaurus
- TurboPack
- PNPM

</div>

<div>

### Persistence tools

- PostgresSQL
- Redis
- Typesense

</div>

<div>

### Deployment tools


- Ansible
- Docker
- Kubernetes and Flux

</div>

</div>



A website builder and CMS that lets you create sites by combining pre-designed section templates. Built on Directus, it allows custom websites without coding.

Icloudeng Website Builder

Managing sermons, notes, and other documents is key for many pastors and religious leaders. As the son of a pastor, I saw firsthand the challenges my dad faced organizing all his materials over the years in various Word docs and notecards. I set out to build an app to help streamline organizing these important files across multiple platforms. In this post, I’ll walk through why I chose ElectronJS and the process of building this cross-platform sermon manager desktop application.

## Why Choose ElectronJS?

When embarking on this project, I explored various options for building a desktop app that would work on Windows, MacOS, and Linux. After research, I landed on [ElectronJS](https://www.electronjs.org/) for a few key reasons:

**Cross-Platform Support**: ElectronJS allows wrapping HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code into a cross-platform desktop app that works across Windows, MacOS, and Linux without needing to rewrite it for each operating system. This was critical for wide usage.

**Node.js Integration**: Having access to Node.js in the renderer process along with being able to leverage Chrome for UI allows for a very flexible framework.

**Large Community**: As an open source project originally developed by GitHub, Electron has a strong following and set of support resources available.

## Key Features

The sermon manager app provides the following key features:

- Organized storage of sermons, speeches, talks, essays, or other documents
- Tagging documents with keywords for easier search 
- Basic text editing capabilities
- Search documents by title, date, tags, or content 
- Supports rich text documents and embedded media 
- Drag and drop import for documents
- Backup and restore sermons library

## App Architecture Overview 

Since Electron is essentially Node.js + Chromium, it allows splitting the UI code from the backend logic. Here is a high-level overview of the architecture:

- **Main Process**: This uses Node.js and handles the lifecycle events, window creation, interacts with the file system, and controls the UI thread.

- **Renderer Process**: This displays the actual UI using Chromium and handles presentation logic. Documents are loaded/saved and displayed here. 

- **IPC**: The main and renderer processes communicate via Inter-Process Communication (IPC) to pass data, events, and messages back and forth.

- **Local Storage**: Documents are stored locally using IndexedDB for persistence, while also having backup/restore capabilities.


## Key Development Decisions

During development, I made some key decisions around tech stack and approach:

**TypeScript**: For type safety during development  

**React**: To compose the UI with reusable components  

**Ant Design**: As a UI component library that looks great out of the box

**NeDB**: An embedded lightweight document store for local JSON document persistence

This combination of technologies provided the tools needed to build an extensible, reactive user interface backed by a local storage solution for saving sermons, speeches, and other documents.

## Conclusion

I originally came up with the idea for this sermon manager app because my father is a pastor. Seeing his challenges organizing materials over the years led me to start this project. My dad was one of the first users, helping provide feedback during development.

Building with ElectronJS allowed me to leverage web technologies to craft a cross-platform desktop app that early testing pastors have responded very positively too. The tech stack using TypeScript, React, Ant Design, and NeDB came together nicely to build a performant sermon management solution.  



### ScreenShots

![](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/png-me.appspot.com/o/flamelink%2Fmedia%2FwqO9nDPAacnootc2bBjV_Screenshot%202022-02-07%20152207.png?alt=media&token=186b3917-1e15-45dd-85af-bea0fd6a70e7)

![](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/png-me.appspot.com/o/flamelink%2Fmedia%2FXUzvK2eDyhjvW1PI1NEd_Screenshot%202022-02-08%20155938.png?alt=media&token=fd8d8481-ced6-4336-a570-16f86eafde0c)

![](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/png-me.appspot.com/o/flamelink%2Fmedia%2FwupAVWmBTWtL6qECI0bJ_Screenshot%202022-02-08%20160209.png?alt=media&token=20c76fb6-4e9d-44e1-bab9-e284196fa2fb)

![](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/png-me.appspot.com/o/flamelink%2Fmedia%2F8qNK22RPzQ7BuZknIbJr_Screenshot%202022-02-08%20160235.png?alt=media&token=ac9d32be-487a-4d89-9a7c-c254782110d3)

![](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/png-me.appspot.com/o/flamelink%2Fmedia%2FLuvJimJYhMtqWeipjWrj_Screenshot%202022-02-08%20160314.png?alt=media&token=dc31fe1b-d3e2-40a2-899a-d5685f4b2713)

<div class="content-columns">

<div>

### Framework

*   ElectronJS

</div>

<div>

### Front-End

*   Ant Design
*   ReactJS

</div>

<div>

### Persistence tools

*   NeDB JS

</div>

</div>

A cross-platform desktop application to organize sermons, speeches, talks, and other documents for pastors and religious leaders

Wmb Table

DeploySphere is an exciting open-source project that aims to simplify and automate the deployment of various applications like WordPress, JitsiMeet, Zimbra, and more. As someone who manages a small infrastructure, I was intrigued by the promise of hassle-free app setup. 

## The Problem

Setting up apps can be tedious and time-consuming. You typically have to spin up the infrastructure, install dependencies, configure everything properly, and more. This complex process often deters individuals and small teams from deploying apps, even if they could benefit tremendously from them.

DeploySphere tries to eliminate these friction points with automation using Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) practices.

## How It Works

The core functionality relies on a Golang service that exposes a JSON API. Users can send HTTP requests describing the app they want to deploy and the necessary infrastructure specifications. 

DeploySphere then automatically:

1. Translates the request body into a Terraform configuration
2. Applies the config to spin up infrastructure on platforms like Proxmox or OVH
3. Leverages provisioning scripts to install apps on the new infrastructure

So in just one API call, your app gets fully deployed!

![DeploySphere Architecture](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/png-me.appspot.com/o/portfolio-projects%2Fcode_ElXV3Yc0EjhWrj84A-I63.png?alt=media&token=3678752b-e119-432b-b1dd-ab98bab78a7d)

The project focuses especially on support for Proxmox since that is a popular self-hosted virtualization solution. But the plan is to eventually support other platforms like AWS, GCP, and Azure.

## Current State

As of November 2023, DeploySphere is still in early development. So far, the framework to...

- Accept API calls 
- Generate Terraform configs
- Deploy to Proxmox and Create Domain on OVH
- Reverse Proxy using Nginx Proxy Manager

While functionally limited, this foundation has been incredibly valuable for testing the feasibility of the idea and platform.

Over the next few months, we plan to prioritize:

- *Support for auto-scaling and load balancing*
- *Support Trafik* 
- *Monitoring and metrics collection*
- *Additional apps integration*

We welcome anyone who is interested to contribute to these efforts!

## Platform Integration

In addition to app deployment, we also want DeploySphere to handle inter-platform configurations automatically.

For example:

- Setting up **LDAP federation** between identity management solutions like FreeIPA and Authentik is typically complex and manual. DeploySphere will be able to configure trust and sync settings across upgrades.
    
- **SSO configuration** is also challenging when connecting multiple apps. DeploySphere aims to provide automatic OpenID Connect integration for platforms like:
    
    - WikiJS
    - Moodle
    - Nextcloud
    - And more
    
    Using identity providers like Authentik or Keycloak.
    

This will further simplify management of infrastructure composed of diverse components.


<div class="content-columns">
<div>

### Web Server

- Golang
- Gin

</div>

<div>

### Infrastructure As Code

- Terraform
- Ansible
- Bash
- Packer

</div>

<div>

### Persistence tools

- Gorm

</div>

<div>

### Languages

- Golang
- Python
- Yaml
- Typescript

</div>


<div>

### Message broker

- Redis

</div>

</div>



Automate deployment of various apps including WordPress, JitsiMeet, Zimbra, and many more to Proxmox and OVH. This project is particularly useful for Homelab use case.

Backend Symfony, Laravel

Frontend VueJS, React, Svelte

NodeJs, Python

Flutter Mobile development