Carview — Car Services Platform
Lead developer on a full-stack car services platform — backend integration, API development, and frontend delivery end to end.
Overview
Carview is a platform for car services where I took the lead on both backend and frontend. Took it from a rough brief to a production app with real users.
Problem
The team needed someone who could own both the server side and the client side without hand-offs — one person accountable for APIs, data models, and the interface that consumes them.
Constraints
- Tight delivery timeline against a planned launch
- Product requirements changed mid-build — had to stay flexible
- Backend and frontend had to ship together, not in sequence
Approach
Designed the API surface first, built the core services alongside the UI so both sides stayed in sync, and iterated on data models as the product requirements sharpened.
Key Decisions
Own the full stack instead of splitting roles
Product scope was still fluid — a single owner meant we could change an API contract and the UI that consumed it in the same pull request, without blocking on another developer.
Shipped the MVP scope first, expanded after
Get real users touching the platform as fast as possible, then extend. Every feature added before launch is a feature delaying launch.
Tech Stack
- Node.js
- React
- REST APIs
- PostgreSQL
- TypeScript
Result & Impact
Shipped to production at app.carview.live. Platform is live and handling real users, with a clean API surface that the team can extend without me in the room.
Learnings
- On small teams, full-stack ownership removes more friction than it adds — the context-switch cost is lower than the hand-off cost
- Get to production fast, then iterate — staging-only features never get real feedback