I've been thinking about how we approach building admin interfaces. In my experience, every project I've tackled ended up with a custom solution that mixes tables, forms, dashboards, and access controls tailored to that specific product. However, the admin panel often feels like a secondary feature that consumes too much time and effort, especially since it's not what we sell to customers directly. I'm curious about how others streamline this process. Do you rely on frameworks or libraries like Django admin, Laravel Nova, or Retool? Or do you prefer to create your own UI using React, Vue, or similar tools? Has anyone tried something unconventional, like using a chatbot in Slack or Teams, or creating a minimal text-based interface? I can't be the only one questioning whether we're overcomplicating admin panels. What do you think?
4 Answers
I've been using FilamentPHP for my admin dashboards, and it works seamlessly with Laravel. It's super user-friendly too!
I've built up my own library of reusable components over time, which includes the standard admin panels. If an off-the-shelf solution works for you, go for it! I've just been doing this long enough to manage without them.
I totally get that—if it works, stick with it. But don't you ever wonder if there's an easier or better way to handle admin panels?
I'm currently building one using Nuxt for both the app and admin side. For the UI, we're designing our own component library to use across both, alongside any additional features we think might be necessary.
I recently tried out Retool for an internal project. It strikes a nice balance—faster than coding from scratch but more flexible than standard frameworks.
I'm not entirely sure what Retool is. Is it like a chatbot or something?
Same here! I use FilamentPHP as well and I create custom options for it. It's easy to use and totally free, plus there are tons of plugins to enhance its functionality.