27 Nov 2025

TruTrade Technology Master Document

A comprehensive overview of our technology infrastructure, tools, and systems

🛠️ Developer Tools & AI Integration

Development Environment

• GitHub Team Plan - Professional version control and collaboration (paid by TruTrade) • VS Code & Cursor - Industry-standard code editors with AI assistance • Everything is logged - All code changes tracked with timestamps and authorship • Professional workflows - Pull requests, code reviews, and branch protection

AI-Powered Development

• Claude Sonnet 4.5 - Latest AI coding assistant • OpenAI GPT-4 - Advanced problem-solving capabilities • Google Gemini Pro - Additional AI perspective • Claude Code CLI - Command-line AI assistant (Max 20x plan) • Real-time assistance - AI helps write, review, and optimize code • Paid subscriptions - Professional tools, not free tiers

💻 Core Technology Stack

Backend Architecture

• PHP Laravel - Enterprise-grade framework used by millions of businesses • PostgreSQL - Professional database system (not MySQL) • Redis - High-performance caching and session storage • RESTful APIs - Industry-standard communication between systems

Frontend Technologies

• React & Next.js - Modern, fast user interfaces • Vue & Nuxt.js - Alternative framework for specific portals • Tailwind CSS - Professional styling system • TypeScript - Enhanced JavaScript with error prevention

Infrastructure Platform

• Fly.io - Enterprise cloud hosting with global presence • Docker containers - Isolated, secure application environments • Three environments - Development, staging, and production • Flycast networking - Private, secure communication between services

🚀 Infrastructure & Deployment

Professional CI/CD Pipeline

• GitHub Actions - Automated testing and deployment • Branch-based deployments - Push to branch, auto-deploy to environment • Zero-downtime updates - Users never experience interruptions • Automatic rollbacks - Instant recovery if issues detected

Environment Separation

• Development - For building and testing new features • Staging - For client demos and final testing • Production - Live system for actual users • Isolated databases - Each environment has its own data

Advanced Features

• Auto-scaling - System grows automatically with demand • Load balancing - Traffic distributed for reliability • 3GB file uploads - Support for large documents and media • Automatic backups - Restic backup system protects all data

📊 Project Management & Monitoring

Sprint-Based Development

• ClickUp integration - Professional project management • Kanban boards - Visual progress tracking • Sprint planning - Organized two-week development cycles • Status tracking - To-do → In Progress → Testing → Deployed → Done • Epics and roadmaps - Long-term planning and organization

Real-Time Monitoring

• Slack integration - Instant notifications to developers • Server alerts - Immediate notification of any issues • Deployment tracking - Know when updates go live • Backup summaries - Daily confirmation of data safety • Mobile alerts - Notifications to phone and smartwatch • AI summaries - Automated progress reports via ClickUp

System Health

• 24/7 monitoring - Continuous system observation • Error tracking - Immediate alert on any problems • Performance metrics - Speed and response time tracking • Uptime monitoring - System availability tracking

🔐 Security & Authentication

• Google Sign-In - One-click secure login • Magic Links - Passwordless email authentication • Traditional passwords - Standard login option • Two-factor ready - Additional security layer available

Advanced Security Features

• JWT tokens - Industry-standard secure authentication • 15-minute access tokens - Short-lived for security • 30-day refresh tokens - Stay logged in convenience • OAuth 2.0 standards - Same as Google, Facebook, Microsoft • reCAPTCHA protection - Bot prevention on all forms • Rate limiting - Prevents abuse and attacks • HMAC signatures - Cryptographic security verification

Data Protection

• Encrypted connections - All data transmitted securely • Hashed passwords - Even we can't see user passwords • Audit logging - Complete record of all actions • Event tracking - Who did what and when • GDPR compliant - Privacy-first architecture

🏗️ System Architecture Highlights

Multi-Tenant Platform

• Multiple organizations - One system, many businesses • Multiple locations - Support for multi-branch operations • Team invitations - Easy onboarding for staff • Role-based permissions - Control who can do what • Location-specific access - Branch managers see only their data

Three Portal System

• Admin Portal - For TruTrade staff management • Merchant Portal - For business partners (gyms, clinics) • App Portal - For end users and customers • Context switching - Same user, different roles in different portals

Flexible User System

• Students & apprentices - Simple, basic accounts • Individual professionals - Solo builders and trades people • Small businesses - Single location operations • Enterprise chains - Multi-branch organizations • System administrators - Full platform management

Smart Features

• Auto-organization selection - System knows your context • Impersonation support - Admins can help users directly • Profile completion - Guided setup for new users • Membership architecture - Users can belong to multiple organizations • Stateless design - Fast, scalable, reliable

📈 Platform Evolution: From Version 1 to Present

Building on Foundations

The original TruTrade system was: • One PHP file - Everything crammed into a single WordPress plugin file • No version control - No Git, no history, no rollback capability • FTP deployment - Manually uploading files, praying nothing broke • Shared hosting - shared server with other sites • Live editing only - Changes made directly on production • No backups - If something broke, it stayed broken • No documentation - Knowledge existed only in one person's head • No testing - Users were the testers • Single point of failure - One server down = entire business down

Key Modernizations Achieved

Development Process

• Previous approach: Direct file editing with manual deployment processes • Modern approach: Professional CI/CD pipeline with automated testing and deployment

Infrastructure

• Previous approach: Traditional shared hosting environment • Modern approach: Global cloud infrastructure with automatic scaling

Security

• Previous approach: Standard WordPress authentication • Modern approach: Multi-layered security with OAuth 2.0, JWT tokens, and encryption

Architecture

• Previous approach: WordPress plugin architecture • Modern approach: Microservices with separated concerns and API-first design

Quality Assurance

• Previous approach: Manual testing procedures • Modern approach: Automated testing suite with pre-deployment validation

Operational Visibility

• Previous approach: Basic server logs • Modern approach: Complete audit trails with real-time monitoring

Version Control

• Previous approach: File-based backups • Modern approach: Git-based version control with full history

Measurable Improvements

Performance

• Page load time: 8-12 seconds → Under 1 second (92% improvement) • Database queries: 100+ per page → 5-10 per page (90% reduction) • Uptime: 85-90% → 99.9% capable (Near-zero downtime)

Development Speed

• New feature deployment: 2-3 weeks → Same day • Bug fix time: Days → Hours or minutes • Rollback capability: Impossible → Instant

Scalability

• Max concurrent users: 10-20 → Thousands • Database size limit: 100MB → Unlimited • File upload limit: 2MB → 3GB

Team Capability

• Developers who could work on it: 1 → Any skilled developer • Onboarding time: Months → Days • Knowledge sharing: Impossible → Fully documented

Business Impact

Risk Reduction

• Before: One mistake could destroy everything • Now: Multiple safety nets and instant recovery

Cost Efficiency

• Before: Slow development meant high cost per feature • Now: Rapid development with AI assistance reduces costs

Customer Experience

• Before: Frequent downtime and slow performance • Now: Fast, reliable, always available

Growth Capability

• Before: System would collapse with growth • Now: Automatically scales with demand

The Achievement in Context

This transformation represents around 1 year of intensive work that would typically require a team of 5-10 developers. The fact that this was achieved with minimal resources while maintaining business operations is exceptional.

🎯 Key Advantages

For the Business

• Reliability - 99.9% uptime capability • Scalability - Grows with the business • Security - Enterprise-grade protection • Speed - Fast response times globally • Cost-effective - Efficient resource usage

For Users

• Modern experience - Fast, responsive interface • Multiple login options - Choose preferred method • Stay logged in - Continuously logged in unless the user doesn't return for more than 30 days • Mobile-friendly - Works on any device • Real-time updates - Instant data synchronization

For Developers

• AI assistance - Faster development • Professional tools - Industry-standard stack • Clear architecture - Easy to understand and maintain • Automated testing - Catch issues before users • Continuous deployment - Ship features quickly

💰 Investment & Value

Current Investment

• GitHub Team Plan - Professional collaboration • AI subscriptions - Multiple AI assistants • Fly.io hosting - Enterprise cloud infrastructure • Monitoring tools - Real-time system observation • Development tools - Professional IDEs and extensions

Business Value

• Reduced downtime - Automatic recovery systems • Faster development - AI-assisted coding • Better quality - Automated testing and reviews • Lower risk - Multiple environments and backups • Future-proof - Modern, scalable architecture

🔍 Future Considerations

What's Missing

The only significant tool not yet implemented is developer productivity tracking (like WayDev): • Code velocity metrics - Lines of code, commits, pull requests • Developer performance analytics - Individual and team productivity • Time tracking integration - Hours spent on specific features • Sprint velocity tracking - Automated performance metrics

This type of tracking would provide: • Objective performance data for reviews • Better sprint planning accuracy • Resource allocation insights • Team productivity trends

Note: Most modern development teams are moving away from these metrics as they can encourage poor coding practices (more lines doesn't mean better code).

👨‍💻 Technical Leadership: Planning for Growth & Continuity

Current Role Responsibilities

The Lead Architect/Senior Developer role currently encompasses: • Full-stack development - Frontend and backend code • Infrastructure management - Servers, deployments, monitoring • Architecture decisions - Technical direction and standards • AI tool integration - Managing and utilizing AI assistants • Database design - Schema, optimization, migrations • Security implementation - Authentication, authorization, protection • DevOps pipeline - CI/CD, testing, deployment automation • Team mentorship - If/when junior developers join

Required Skills for Replacement

Essential Technical Skills

• PHP/Laravel expertise - 5+ years production experience • JavaScript mastery - React, Next.js, Vue, Nuxt.js • Database architecture - PostgreSQL, Redis, schema design • DevOps proficiency - Docker, CI/CD, GitHub Actions • Cloud platforms - AWS, Fly.io, or similar • Security knowledge - OAuth, JWT, encryption, best practices • API design - RESTful services, authentication, rate limiting

Essential Soft Skills

• Self-directed - Can work independently without supervision • Problem solver - Debug complex multi-system issues • Documentation - Write clear technical and user documentation • Business understanding - Translate business needs to technical solutions • Communication - Explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders • Project management - Handle multiple priorities simultaneously

Investment Planning for Technical Leadership (UK Market 2025)

Senior Technical Role Compensation

• London: £90,000 - £130,000 per year • Outside London: £75,000 - £110,000 per year • Contract rates: £600 - £900 per day

Factors affecting salary:

• AI tool proficiency adds 15-20% premium • Multi-cloud experience adds 10-15% • Laravel expertise highly valued • Full autonomy capability adds 20-25%

Alternative Approach: Team Structure

Instead of one person doing everything, consider:

Option 1: Two Mid-Level Developers

• Backend Developer (£50-70k): PHP/Laravel, databases, APIs • Frontend Developer (£45-65k): React/Next.js, UI/UX • Combined cost: £95-135k (similar to one senior) • Risk: Need additional oversight and architecture guidance

Option 2: Senior + Junior

• Senior Developer (£70-90k): Architecture and complex features • Junior Developer (£30-40k): Maintenance and simple features • Combined cost: £100-130k • Benefit: Knowledge transfer and growth path

Option 3: Fractional CTO + Developer

• Fractional CTO (2 days/week): £40-50k equivalent • Mid-level Developer (full-time): £55-70k • Combined cost: £95-120k • Benefit: Strategic oversight with hands-on development

Red Flags When Hiring

• Can't explain current architecture - Should understand multi-tenant systems • No DevOps experience - Modern development requires infrastructure knowledge • Resistant to AI tools - These multiply developer productivity • Poor communication - Must explain complex topics simply • No portfolio of scaled systems - Need proof of enterprise experience • Expects large team - Must be comfortable working independently

Green Flags to Look For

• Has built SaaS platforms - Understands multi-tenant architecture • Contributes to open source - Shows passion and skill • Uses AI tools already - More productive from day one • Has startup experience - Comfortable wearing many hats • Shows business acumen - Understands impact beyond code • Continuous learner - Tech changes fast, must keep up

🚀 Roadmap Enablement: What This Architecture Unlocks

Next 6-12 Months (Now Possible)

• Real-time dashboards - WebSocket support ready • Mobile app integration - API-first architecture enables native apps • Advanced reporting - Database structure supports complex analytics • AI-powered features - Infrastructure can handle ML workloads • Webhook integrations - Connect with external services • White-label options - Multi-tenant architecture supports branding

Next 1-2 Years (Platform Ready)

• Marketplace functionality - User-to-user transactions • Partner API program - External developers can build on platform • International expansion - Multi-region deployment capability • Enterprise features - SSO, SAML, advanced permissions • Automated workflows - Event-driven architecture in place • Data exports/imports - Large file handling already configured

Next 2-3 Years (Scaling Ready)

• Machine learning models - Infrastructure supports GPU instances • Blockchain integration - API architecture allows Web3 features • IoT device support - Real-time data ingestion capability • Video streaming - CDN integration possible • Multi-language support - i18n framework ready • Compliance certifications - Audit logging enables SOC2, ISO

Commercial Benefits

• Faster time-to-market - New features in days, not months • Lower development costs - Reusable components reduce effort • Partnership opportunities - API-ready for integrations • Investor confidence - Enterprise-grade architecture • Acquisition readiness - Clean, documented codebase • Competitive advantage - Can move faster than competitors

📋 Summary

TruTrade has successfully modernized from a WordPress-based system to a professional multi-tenant SaaS platform featuring:

Technical Excellence

• Enterprise security - OAuth 2.0, JWT, encryption • Modern development - AI-assisted with professional CI/CD • Global infrastructure - Cloud-based with auto-scaling • Real-time monitoring - Instant alerts and tracking • API-first architecture - Ready for mobile and integrations