OPENFORM AND THE PROCESS OF BUILDING IT

OpenForm is an open-source form builder platform that enables users to create, share, and manage forms through a modern, scalable, and integration-ready system. Built with a Nuxt 3 frontend and a Laravel backend, it supports multi-tenant workspaces, AI-assisted form generation, real-time analytics, and flexible deployment through a microservices architecture.

OPENFORM IS...

OpenForm is a modern form platform designed to simplify form creation, collaboration, submissions, and workflow automation at scale. It is engineered as a full-stack application with a microservices-ready architecture, allowing different parts of the platform to run independently while maintaining a seamless user experience.

TECHNOLOGY APPROACH

As the team behind OpenForm, we work across both the frontend and backend to deliver a cohesive, scalable platform that feels fast and reliable for end users while remaining flexible for developers.

On the frontend, we build core parts of the application using Nuxt 3, Vue 3, Nuxt UI, Pinia, TanStack Vue Query, Tailwind CSS, VueUse, and Vite. The form builder interface is designed to provide a smooth and responsive experience, with support for advanced validation, dynamic logic, custom styling, and rich content. Yup is used for validation, CodeMirror powers custom HTML/CSS editing, and Quill enables rich text content within forms.

On the backend, we use Laravel 11 and PostgreSQL to build secure and scalable APIs responsible for forms, submissions, workspace collaboration, analytics, and integrations. Authentication and access control are implemented with Laravel Sanctum and JWT, queue processing is managed through Laravel Horizon, and subscription billing is powered by Laravel Cashier.

To extend the product’s capabilities, we integrate external services such as AWS S3 for file storage, OpenAI for AI-assisted form generation, Stripe for payments and subscriptions, Zapier and webhooks for automation, Google Sheets for data sync, and Slack for notifications.

Architecturally, the platform is split into two main services: GlobalService, which manages the main applications hub on one subdomain, and FormService, which powers OpenForm on another subdomain. This separation makes it possible to run and scale each service independently using Docker and docker-compose, supporting both shared and standalone deployment models.

FEATURES

OpenForm brings together a rich set of capabilities that cover the entire lifecycle of a form: from design and collaboration to submissions, reporting, and integrations.

• Visual form builder: A flexible drag-and-drop form builder with multiple field types, conditional logic, custom HTML/CSS editing through CodeMirror, and rich text editing support for advanced experiences.
• Workspaces and teams: Multi-tenant workspaces with team invitations, collaborative access, and role-based permissions to support organizations managing forms across many users.
• Templates: Support for both built-in and custom form templates so teams can standardize common flows and speed up form creation.
• AI form generation: OpenAI-powered form generation that suggests fields, structures entire forms, and helps teams launch new forms faster.
• Submissions and storage: Collection and management of form responses, including file uploads stored in services like AWS S3, with export capabilities for reporting and data handling.
• Integrations: Seamless integrations with Stripe for payments and subscriptions, Zapier for automation, Google Sheets for synchronization, webhooks for custom workflows, and Slack for notifications.
• Analytics and reporting: Submission statistics, real-time charts using Chart.js, and dashboards that help users monitor form performance and response activity.
• Authentication and security: Secure authentication using Laravel Sanctum and JWT, with email verification and disposable email checks to protect accounts and improve data quality.
• Internationalization: Multi-language support implemented through Nuxt i18n and Laravel localization, making the platform adaptable for different markets and user bases.
• Monitoring and quality: Sentry for error tracking, Microsoft Clarity and Google Tag Manager for behavior and analytics monitoring, plus ESLint and Prettier to maintain code quality and consistency.

CHALLENGES AND HOW WE OVERCAME THEM

Multi-tenant workspaces and permissions

Challenge: Ensuring strong data isolation and permission control across multiple workspaces while maintaining a single API and a clear collaboration flow for teams, invitations, and roles.

Solution: We implemented dedicated workspace and invitation models supported by middleware and authorization policies to enforce access rules. Core resources such as forms, submissions, and related entities are consistently scoped by workspace identifiers, ensuring that all data remains isolated and securely tied to the active workspace.

Form builder state and performance

Challenge: Keeping the form builder responsive and intuitive while supporting complex forms with many fields, conditional rules, and custom content blocks, without introducing unnecessary re-renders or making the state model hard to reason about.

Solution: We use Pinia for client-side state management and TanStack Vue Query for server-state caching and synchronization. Reusable interaction logic is encapsulated in VueUse composables, and forms are structured around a consistent JSON schema describing fields and logic. This makes forms easier to render on the frontend, validate on the backend, and evolve over time without introducing regressions.

Integrations (Stripe, Zapier, webhooks, AI)

Challenge: Supporting payment processing, automation tools, external webhook communication, and AI-assisted form generation while keeping the platform secure, modular, and maintainable.

Solution: We implemented Stripe billing and payment flows with Laravel Cashier, created a Zapier integration driven by environment-based configuration, and built webhook handling with verification and signing strategies where needed. For AI features, we introduced a dedicated OpenAI service layer with structured prompts, clear boundaries, and strong error handling to provide reliable form generation and field suggestions.

Deployment and microservices

Challenge: Allowing the main platform hub and the OpenForm application to run either together or independently while preserving correct routing, communication, and a productive development workflow.

Solution: We configured separate Docker Compose setups for GlobalService and FormService, with nginx-based subdomain routing to direct traffic correctly. For deployment, we support platforms like Vercel and Laravel Vapor as well as traditional hosting, and we streamlined local development with scripts that allow developers to run only the OpenForm service or the entire ecosystem depending on their needs.

TECHNOLOGIES

Frontend: Nuxt 3, Vue 3, Nuxt UI, Pinia, TanStack Vue Query, Tailwind CSS, VueUse, Yup, CodeMirror, Quill, Chart.js, Vite

Backend: Laravel 11, PHP 8.2+, PostgreSQL, Laravel Sanctum, Laravel Horizon, Laravel Cashier

Integrations: Stripe, AWS S3, OpenAI, Zapier, Google Sheets API, Slack, Sentry

DevOps and tooling: Docker, docker-compose, Laravel Vapor, ESLint, Prettier, Google Tag Manager, Microsoft Clarity, Nuxt i18n, Laravel localization

CONCLUSION

OpenForm demonstrates how a carefully designed full-stack, microservices-ready architecture can power a flexible and feature-rich form platform without sacrificing usability or developer experience. By combining modern frontend tooling, a robust Laravel backend, and deep integrations with third-party services, we delivered a platform that helps teams move from idea to production forms quickly, confidently, and at scale.