Re:Ask HN: If you were to build a CRM today what would your ...
by terminalcommand on Tuesday November 15, 2016 @02:26AM
(#12956272)
I recently (for the last 3-4 months) attempted to code a CMS as a side project. I've chosen Python+Flask+SQL and vanilla JS, but have considered using Node and Go at various times of my coding.
The biggest disappointment I had by not using Node is that I couldn't easily integrate all the beautiful javascript libraries by just loading a module from npm.
For example, I'm using Quilljs for text entry, and I have to write something that parses Quill's JSON output and turns it into a renderable html/markdown. If I had used Node, there is already a module for it :).
If I started from scratch, I would have designed the back-end first without using any library. (I would define my objects User, Post etc. and hid the SQL as methods (e.g create, update, delete) under the hood) That way, I could debug the app, add new features without having the need to setup a web server. I could also write sound unit tests. I seriously regret not having done that.
The problem with my CMS was, that it was easy at the beginning. My customers asked new features and I just hacked them in. Now, my code is still legible, but since I've used wrong abstractions, it's a pain to add new features.
Your mileage may vary, I was inexperienced with FLASK and SQL at the time I started the CMS. I've learned a lot during the making and wanted to share my two cents.
The biggest disappointment I had by not using Node is that I couldn't easily integrate all the beautiful javascript libraries by just loading a module from npm.
For example, I'm using Quilljs for text entry, and I have to write something that parses Quill's JSON output and turns it into a renderable html/markdown. If I had used Node, there is already a module for it :).
If I started from scratch, I would have designed the back-end first without using any library. (I would define my objects User, Post etc. and hid the SQL as methods (e.g create, update, delete) under the hood) That way, I could debug the app, add new features without having the need to setup a web server. I could also write sound unit tests. I seriously regret not having done that.
The problem with my CMS was, that it was easy at the beginning. My customers asked new features and I just hacked them in. Now, my code is still legible, but since I've used wrong abstractions, it's a pain to add new features.
Your mileage may vary, I was inexperienced with FLASK and SQL at the time I started the CMS. I've learned a lot during the making and wanted to share my two cents.