Posted on Jul 25

Phase-2 Experience of Building my Freelance Platform

Progressing challenge

In the last blog, I shared the vision behind FreeLanceBase, the motivation to build it, and how I tackled some of the early technical challenges, including Socket.IO integration and structural issues in the backend.

At the time, I genuinely believed that those initial problems were the hardest I’d face.

But I was wrong.

As development progressed, I quickly realized that building a platform isn’t just about solving one layer of problems—it’s about uncovering new ones with each layer you complete. Every feature introduced new dependencies, edge cases, and implementation challenges. And naturally, that’s been extending the timeline far beyond what I originally planned.

🔍 The Overlooked Layers of a Real Platform

I initially believed the major features—job posting, proposals, chat, and profiles—were enough to go live. But I overlooked something essential: sub-features that make the platform safe, reliable, and usable at scale.

Things like:

User reporting and moderation tools
Role-specific permissions
Protection mechanisms for both freelancers and clients

These weren’t “extra features”—they were foundational elements. Without them, the platform would risk becoming just another vulnerable service.

🧠 Security, Trust & the Reality of Freelancing

As a freelancer myself, I know what it feels like to go through dozens of scam offers just to find one legitimate client. But what I hadn’t considered deeply until now is that clients experience this too.

While I can’t manually detect and block every scammer, I realized I could:

Provide ways to report suspicious behavior
Build a system that prioritizes verified users
Increase accountability on both sides

This shift in focus—from just features to user trust and ecosystem health—redefined my roadmap.

💬 Feedback That Opened My Eyes

To get a clearer picture, I reached out to 14 volunteer reviewers from my freelance Discord community. Although they haven’t tested the app directly yet, their early feedback and expectations gave me insights I would’ve never discovered alone.

Their questions and observations helped me:

Reimagine parts of the UI
Prioritize upcoming features
Think more deeply about how real users will behave

This feedback loop reminded me that product-building isn’t just about execution—it’s about listening.

🧾 The File-Sharing Problem on a Bootstrap Budget

Another challenge surfaced unexpectedly: file sharing.

Most modern freelance platforms allow users to share files. But behind the scenes, that requires reliable cloud storage, something platforms like:

AWS S3,
Azure Blob, or
Google Cloud provide—at a price.

Though these services offer limited free tiers, they aren’t sustainable long-term without investment. I also considered platforms like Cloudinary, but with just 1 GB of storage on the free tier, it’s only viable for basic assets—not for freelance projects involving graphic design, video editing, or file-heavy collaborations.

That’s why, for now, FreeLanceBase only supports text-based communication, allowing users to share messages, links, and references, but not files. While not ideal, this compromise keeps the platform functional within budget while I explore more affordable solutions.

🌍 Real-World Exposure, Real Engineering Growth

Despite the roadblocks, this project has been my deepest learning experience so far.

Every decision—technical or product-based—has forced me to think like an engineer, not just a coder. I've started evaluating platforms not just by what’s trendy, but by what makes sense:

When should I choose SSR over static rendering?
When is Next.js the right fit vs. Express or Flask?
How can I optimize performance without overspending?

This is the kind of knowledge that only comes from building real products—not from tutorials or bootcamps, but from pushing through complexity and seeing things break, then fixing them.

🏁 What’s Next

Right now, the platform is around 60% complete, with core communication features in place. I’m working on:

User review systems
Profile management
Moderation tools
Security protocols

After that, I’ll roll out a tester version to selected members of the Discord community. Their feedback will shape the next round of fixes, upgrades, and releases.

Conclusion

FreeLanceBase isn’t just another freelance site—it’s a platform built from within the community, by someone who’s faced the exact same issues it's trying to solve.

The journey so far has been long, challenging, and incredibly rewarding. I’m building slowly, but I’m building it right—with care, intent, and input from real freelancers like you.