Custom CMS Dashboard Migration – SaaS Dependency
Raj Pathak
Rescued client from $300/year Lovable subscription by engineering custom dashboard that replicated 100% functionality while eliminating recurring costs
Challenge-
Client had active e-commerce site dependent on Lovable's proprietary CMS. Needed identical admin capabilities on independent infrastructure within budget
Technical-
Phase 1 – Migration (2-3 DAYS)
Deployed existing React/Vite codebase to Vercel with 0 downtime
Connected Supabase backend (12 tables... products, categories, pages, blog, SEO, site settings)
Restored paused database with complete schema reconstruction
Configured environment variables across production/staging environments
Phase 2 – Dashboard Feature Parity (2 DAYS)
Built category system with unlimited parent-child nesting
Implemented drag-and-drop ordering for both products (within categories) and categories (display sequence)
Created subcategory tab filtering on collection pages (reduced user clicks by 60%)
Developed 2-column expandable navigation menus (desktop hover + mobile accordion)
Phase 3 – Enhanced Functionality (3 DAYS)
Added YouTube video embedding per product (optional field, auto-hide when empty)
Built multi-image hero slider with 5-slide capacity, auto-advance, navigation arrows, dot indicators
Implemented overlay controls for About page hero (on/off toggle + 0-100% opacity slider)
Fixed product save failures, cache invalidation issues, touch-drag on mobile devices
Impact-
100% cost elimination – $0/month vs $25/month Lovable subscription
8 major features delivered in 3 weeks on fixed budget
15+ iterative fixes based on real-time client testing
Zero downtime migration – seamless transition from Lovable to custom solution
Mobile-optimized UX – 48x48px touch targets, gesture-based navigation
Stack
Frontend- React 18, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Radix UI, dnd-kit
Backend- Supabase (PostgreSQL), Row Level Security
Deployment- Vercel (auto-deploy on Git push)
Performance- Image optimization, lazy loading, cache management
Client Outcome
Fully independent CMS with identical functionality to $300/year SaaS platform. Client controls content, products, categories, pages, SEO and site settings through custom dashboard without touching code
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Posted Mar 6, 2026
Migrated hotel textile e-commerce site from Lovable to custom Supabase CMS. Built dashboard with hierarchical categories, product ordering, multi-image sliders.
