In the world of software development, finding tools that simplify the process without sacrificing functionality is a game-changer. Ondrej, a seasoned Java developer with over 20 years of experience, shares his journey of discovering Jmix and how it transformed his approach to building full-stack applications. His story highlights the challenges of traditional development and the advantages of adopting Jmix for solo developers and teams alike.
The Challenges of Traditional Full-Stack Development
Ondrej’s career has been deeply rooted in Java, with extensive experience in both back-end and front-end technologies like React and Angular. However, he often faced significant hurdles when working on full-stack projects, especially as a solo developer or in small teams.
- Complexity: Managing separate front-end and back-end stacks required extensive effort, from business analysis to deployment.
- Resource Constraints: As a freelancer for the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ondrej often worked alone on administrative applications, where hiring additional help was impractical due to bureaucratic limitations.
- Time-Consuming Processes: Older frameworks like GWT, which initially simplified his workflow, became obsolete and introduced slow build times (up to 5 hours for transpilation).
These challenges led Ondrej to seek a more efficient solution — one that would allow him to focus on business logic rather than juggling multiple technologies.
Discovering Jmix: A Turning Point
Ondrej was actively looking for a framework that would let him build full-stack applications using only Java. When he discovered Jmix, its modern approach and developer-centric features immediately caught his attention — it looked like the tool he’d been searching for.
Key Benefits He Experienced:
- Unified Development: Jmix’s back-end-driven approach eliminated the need to worry about front-end security and state management, as the client side is inherently trusted.
- Rapid Prototyping: Using Jmix’s Figma component library, Ondrej could quickly create mock-ups and iterate with stakeholders before diving into development.
- Speed of Development: Building CRUD views and configurable applications became significantly faster, allowing him to deliver projects in weeks rather than months.
Real-World Applications: Success Stories
Ondrej has implemented several critical projects with Jmix, including:
1. Czech Academy of Sciences – Economic Department
b. Supports 300 – 400 users with no performance issues, leveraging add-ons like Reporting and OpenID.
2. Scientific Evaluation System
b. Designed for 3,000 – 5,000 users, currently stress-tested with 1,000 active users ahead of its April launch.
For smaller projects, Ondrej notes that a 15 – 20 screen application can be built in just two weeks — a testament to Jmix’s efficiency.
Recommendations for Using Jmix
Based on his experience, Ondrej recommends Jmix for:
- Freelancers and solo developers looking for an efficient and powerful development framework.
- Large organizations needing rapid prototyping to validate business concepts quickly.
- Internal business applications across industries, including banking, research, and corporate sectors.
Jmix’s flexibility and ease of development make it a strong choice for a wide range of projects with a predictable number of users.
The Future with Jmix
Ondrej plans to continue using Jmix for upcoming projects, particularly for internal company systems. His goal is to avoid the “front-end fatigue” of frameworks like React and Angular, focusing instead on solving business problems efficiently.
His Advice to Other Developers:
If you want to concentrate on business logic and avoid hunting pixels or debugging race conditions, Jmix is the way to go. It’s a powerful tool for freelancers, prototyping, and large enterprises looking for manageable solutions.
Ondrej Gálik, Java developer