This is how I redeveloped a ticket platform reducing server costs by 40% – and the lessons I learned.

Developing GoPanda from the ground up was a truly rewarding experience. I'm particularly proud of this project because it allowed me to not only utilize a diverse tech stack and overcome unique challenges, but also to collaborate closely with the company's owners.

This close relationship allowed me to contribute directly to their success. As a full-stack developer, I reported to both the Tech Lead and the business owners.

While the project's code is private and many features are restricted to organizers, I felt it was important to showcase my contributions and favorite features.

What is GoPanda

GoPanda is a tickets selling platform that focuses on sport competitions in LATAM, such as crossfit events, mud races, and street marathons. The platform had over 50,000 registered participants and has processed more than 1 million USD in transactions.

Launched in 2015, the platform quickly gained traction, becoming the platform of choice for prestigious CrossFit competitions in Brazil and road races organized by the city of São Paulo.

The legacy PHP-based platform not only lacked a modern UI and new payment methods as it also struggled to handle massive spikes in user activity during popular events.

My role and the challenges involved

• Redevelop. I was tasked with redeveloping the entire platform using modern web dev technologies, including serverless functions, responsive design, and cost-effective solutions.
• Handle massive spikes. One of the key challenges was handling massive spikes during popular events. Multiple times, we saw over 10,000 users trying to access the platform within a 15-minute interval to purchase a limited number of tickets (around 1,200). It needed a serverless architecture with auto-scaling capabilities.
• Wear multiple hats. GoPanda has a small team and ****I acted as the sole developer on the project, wearing multiple hats (Frontend, Backend, and even UI/UX), reporting weekly to a Tech Lead and the business owners.
• Architecture decisions. Due to the small team, the architectural design of the platform was also under my responsibility, choosing a serverless architecture to ensure scalability and cost-effectiveness.
• Maintain the php version. To minimize disruption, I managed both the development of the new platform and the maintenance of the existing PHP version until the new system was ready to launch.
• Reduce costs. By migrating to a serverless architecture, we achieved a 40% reduction in server costs within the first month after launch.