ElevateYou
Open-source project management for teams and individuals.
2024
Overview
ElevateYou was built to give teams and individuals a single, unified workspace for managing projects without the cost or complexity of enterprise tools. The platform combines Kanban task boards, a rich document editor, and real-time team collaboration — all synced instantly through Firebase Firestore. It is fully open-source under the MIT license, meaning any team can self-host or contribute to it.
Our Role
Designed and built the full product from scratch — architecture, data modeling, Firestore security rules, real-time sync layer, PWA setup, and all frontend UI.
Tech Stack
Key Features
Kanban Boards
Drag-and-drop task boards with To Do, In Progress, and Done columns. Tasks carry priorities, due dates, assignees, and dependencies — giving teams a clear visual picture of work in flight.
Rich Document Editor
TipTap-powered editor supporting headings, bullet lists, code blocks, and nested document trees. Teams can write specs, meeting notes, and project briefs directly in the workspace — no separate wiki needed.
Team Workspaces & RBAC
Isolated workspaces per team with a four-tier role system: Owner, Admin, Member, and Viewer. Permissions are enforced both client-side and at the Firestore security rules level, so data never leaks between workspaces.
Real-time Collaboration
Firestore onSnapshot listeners push updates to every connected client instantly. Two team members editing the same board see each other's changes in real time without any page refreshes.
Multiple Views
Switch between Kanban, list, and calendar views for the same set of tasks. Different team members can work in the view that suits their workflow without changing the underlying data.
PWA — Install Anywhere
ElevateYou installs as a native-like app on Android, iOS, and desktop. Workbox service workers cache critical assets so the app remains usable even on unstable connections.
How It Was Built
The frontend is built with Nuxt 3 (Vue 3 + TypeScript), using Pinia for state management with composables that wrap Firestore listeners. Firebase handles authentication, database, and file storage — eliminating backend infrastructure entirely. The real-time layer uses a dual-listener pattern to merge workspaces the user owns with workspaces they've been invited to, all reconciled in a single reactive store. Firestore security rules enforce role-based access at the database level, ensuring that even direct API calls cannot bypass permissions. A lightweight Node.js server API handles email invitations via Nodemailer. The PWA layer uses Vite PWA with a NetworkFirst strategy for API calls and CacheFirst for static assets.
Highlights
- Zero backend infrastructure — Firebase powers auth, database, and storage
- Four-tier RBAC enforced at both app and Firestore security rules level
- Real-time sync across all clients via Firestore onSnapshot
- Installable PWA with offline support via Workbox service workers
- Open-source (MIT) — any team can self-host or extend it
- Rich text editing with TipTap including nested document hierarchies
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