Services / Web applications
Custom web applications for work that has outgrown spreadsheets
Custom web application development for companies that run their work in spreadsheets, notebooks and chat threads, where nobody can tell who changed what and when. The portal I built for BKC Soft receives daily cash register reports from more than 20 users and issues licenses that their software picks up on its own.
- users send daily reports, BKC Soft
- 20+
- licenses issued, BKC Soft
- 500+
- application with a database
- from 300 EUR
What custom web application development includes
A specification before any code
A list of screens, data and who may see and change what. You approve it, and only then does the build start, so there are no surprises at the end.
Roles and access levels
At BKC Soft one address hosts three parts: a public site for buyers, a portal for venue owners and an admin area for the company, each with its own permissions.
A history of every change
In the FTPC ledger every payment and every charge is a record with a date and a note, and the balance is calculated from them. When numbers disagree, you go through the partner's ledger card.
Reports and exports
A monthly report per venue in PDF and XML for the accountant (BKC Soft), a CSV list of debtors (FTPC), revenue by month for the last 12 months.
Documents that build themselves
From the entered dimensions, Royal Plast gets a price, a window sketch with measurements and a PDF quote ready for the customer, with no manual per square meter math.
Connections to other software
The application can act as an API (an address other software reads data from). The BKC Soft program fetches its license from the portal on its own; more than 500 licenses have been issued.
Windows tools when you need them
[TimeSync](/en/projects/timesync/) is a small C# tool that keeps the clock accurate on point of sale computers and checks regional settings every 30 minutes, restoring them if something changes them.
Who this is for, and who it is not for
A good fit if
- your data is split between a notebook and a spreadsheet, and balances get written over. FTPC kept partner debts that way until it got a ledger with full history.
- you have software that needs to talk to a website, a portal or a government system, like the BKC Soft point of sale software.
- you do the same calculation by hand for every enquiry, like per square meter window quotes at Royal Plast.
Not a fit if
- you want a quick throwaway prototype first. I do not work that way: the specification comes first, then the code.
- you have no time to review the work while it is being built. Each step goes through your review before the next one starts.
- an off the shelf product already does exactly what you need. Then simply use it.
How I work
- 01
Your process
Tell me how the work runs today: who enters what, where mistakes happen and what you need at the end. Messages sent before 5 pm CET get a same day reply.
- 02
Specification
I write down the screens, data and roles. We go through the list together until it matches how you actually work.
- 03
Build plan
I split the specification into steps, with an order and a deadline. The price comes with the plan.
- 04
Step by step build
After each step you check that it works the way you had in mind. Only then do I move on to the next one.
- 05
Launch
I put the application on the hosting. You pay the rest after that, as agreed, in installments if that suits you.
- 06
Extensions
Applications grow with the business: BKC Soft went from a public site in 2022 to a partner portal in 2024.
MVP or specification: how I estimate scope
An MVP (minimum viable product) is the first, smallest version of an application, released to find out whether an idea works at all. It makes sense for a new product aimed at customers you do not know yet. A company that is already running knows its process.
So I estimate scope through a specification. Every screen, every piece of data and every role is written down before the build, and the price and timeline come from that list rather than from a gut feeling. Three things move the price the most:
- the number of screens and reports: a ledger with partner cards and a debtor list is a smaller job than a portal with three kinds of users;
- connections to other software: fetching a license or a daily report from point of sale software means agreeing on a format on both ends;
- documents and calculations: a PDF quote with a window sketch (Royal Plast) takes more than a table with a total.
A real example: the BKC Soft portal
BKC Soft makes point of sale software that is accredited with the Serbian Tax Administration under registration number 88. Before the portal, two jobs were done by hand: licenses were issued and renewed outside any system, and owners with several venues added up their daily revenue over the phone.
Today the software fetches its license from the portal by itself. When a customer is added in the admin area, they get a unique registration number, and the software uses it to pull the license; the portal works as an API, with only occasional manual checks. More than 500 licenses have been issued.
Daily reports travel the other way. The software sends them from the register and the portal sorts them by venue and day. More than 20 users send reports, with large daily takings and many e-invoices. In the partner area, owners see revenue per venue next to their e-invoices from SEF, the Serbian e-invoicing system, and export a monthly PDF or XML report. When a café loses its internet connection, the daily report can be entered by hand so the records have no gaps.
500+
licenses fetched automatically
20+
users sending daily reports
since 2022
running and maintained
Technology and why
I pick the tool for what the application does and where it runs, not the other way around.
| Technology | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Laravel and Filament | applications with many tables and an admin panel; Laravel is a PHP framework, Filament a ready set of screens for managing data | Sigma Premium Realty: an admin with 14 sections and map based location picking |
| PHP and MySQL | portals, records and configurators on standard hosting | BKC Soft, FTPC, Royal Plast |
| Go | a service other software calls on the same computer, shipped as one executable with no installation | efakture.exe for BKC Soft |
| C# | Windows programs with a local database | TimeSync, Adriatex |
| Next.js, React, Node.js | fast interfaces and websites next to the application | this site, Relax Home |
Windows applications usually run on a local database, so there is no hosting and no monthly maintenance. If a change is needed later, I charge a token fee.
Web application pricing and timelines
An application with a database starts at 300 EUR. The final price depends on the number of screens and the technical specification, and you get it with the build plan, before any work starts.
An application that is not very complex is ready in 7 to 20 days. You pay for the domain and hosting up front and the rest after launch, as agreed, in installments if you like. If you need a formal invoice, I issue it through a registered company and VAT is added.
Custom web application questions
How much does a web application cost?
An application with a database starts at 300 EUR. You get the exact price with the specification and build plan, because it depends on the number of screens, reports and connections to other software.
Why not start with a small prototype?
A running company already knows its process, so I write it into a specification instead. You still review the work after every step.
Can the application work with software we already use?
If your software can send or receive data over the internet or through a file, yes. The BKC Soft software fetches licenses from its portal and sends daily reports to it. Send me the name of your software and what it needs to exchange, and I check before I quote.
Who owns the code when the job is done?
You do: the application, the data and, on request, the source code.
Do you build Windows software too?
Yes, in C#. TimeSync is a small tool for point of sale computers, and Adriatex has a Windows program for workwear orders that prints production orders on A4.
Describe the process you want to fix
Tell me how the work runs today, who enters what and where mistakes happen. Messages sent before 5 pm CET get a same day reply with questions for the specification and a rough estimate.