Service marketplace development

It was necessary to create our own platform for searching for performers and placing orders, which could work as a full-fledged independent service.

Main tasks:

• implement two types of users — the Customer and the Contractor;
• create a catalog and search for applications;
• implement order placement and editing;
• to give performers the opportunity to respond to requests;
• implement a mechanism for selecting a performer;
• create personal accounts for both parties;
• ensure that ratings and reviews work;
• implement regionality;
• create an administrative dashboard;
• prepare a mobile version based on PWA;
• ensure that the app is published on Google Play and the App Store;
• automate part of the moderation using AI.

As a result, it was necessary to get not just an adaptive website, but a single platform for interaction between customers and performers on all major devices.

The main task was not so much to create separate pages, but rather to implement related business processes between two types of users.

One application goes through a whole lifecycle:

creation → publication → artist search → feedback → artist selection → execution → confirmation → completion → evaluation.

At the same time, the system must take into account the various states of the application, notify users of events, and automatically transfer some processes between statuses.

For example, after selecting a performer, the system stops receiving new responses, and after completing the work, a separate logic for confirming and completing the application is started. According to the TOR, if the customer does not confirm the execution independently, the application must automatically go to the completed state according to the established scenario.

An additional complication is the need to maintain a single logic on the website and mobile devices, without creating a separate native code base.

We have developed a single system with two main roles:

Customer

The user can:

• create applications;
• specify the description and parameters of the work;
• view feedback;
• compare offers from performers;
• choose a performer;
• manage active and completed applications;
• work with favorites;
• receive notifications;
• evaluate the work done.

Executor

The performer gets the opportunity to:

• search for suitable applications;
• use filters;
• view detailed information about the order;
• send feedback;
• specify your own cost;
• add a comment to an offer;
• manage your responses;
• edit profile;
• work with your portfolio and information about your services.

Thus, the platform closes the full cycle of interaction between the two sides.

Each role has its own set of functions implemented.

The Customer’s applications, responses from performers, specialist selection, active and completed works, favorites, profile and ratings are available in the Customer’s personal account.

The contractor receives an interface for searching for applications, working with responses, and managing their own offers and profile.

This made it possible to separate the interface and available actions depending on the user’s role, while maintaining a single platform architecture.

The application lifecycle management system has become one of the key elements.

After the order is published, it becomes available to performers who can send their suggestions.

The response contains:

• the proposed price;
• comment;
• information about the performer.

The customer reviews the received offers and selects the appropriate contractor.

After the selection, the application goes to the next stage, and the possibility of further selection of the contractor is closed.

To work with a large number of applications, sorting, pagination and display of new applications in chronological order are provided.

The system has implemented automatic processing of individual stages of the application.

For example:

• after selecting the contractor, the system changes the status of the application.;
• execution control is started;
• after a set period, the customer is asked to confirm completion.;
• If there is no action, the system automatically transfers the application to the completed state.;
• after completion, the user is asked to rate.

This allowed minimizing the number of manual actions and making the operation of the platform predictable even in cases when one of the participants does not return to the system.

We have implemented AI content moderation based on the DeepSeek API separately.

The AI’s task is not just to check the text for prohibited words, but to analyze the content of user data and help the system identify problems.

In particular, AI is used to verify:

• applications;
• the correctness of the text;
• matches to the selected category;
• potentially incorrect or inappropriate content.

If a problem is detected, the system can correct the text or indicate that an adjustment is needed.

Thus, AI has become an additional level of automatic moderation between the user and the publication of content.

A separate admin panel has been developed to manage the platform.

The administrator gets the tools to work with:

• by users;
• locks and unblocks;
• performer profiles;
• applications;
• by ratings;
• reviews;
• moderation;
• user statistics;
• applications awaiting verification.

Separately, the ability to manage content and monitor user activity is implemented.

This made it possible not to tie the operational work of the platform to developers — the main processes can be performed directly by administrators.

A regional model has been implemented for the platform.

The user selects a region, after which the system shows the relevant applications and performers.

This takes into account the regions where a particular contractor is willing to do the work.

This logic is especially important for a service provider, since the presence of a specialist in the catalog does not in itself mean that he can fulfill an order in the right city.

The mobile part was implemented using the Progressive Web App model.

This made it possible to use a single web platform and adapt it to mobile devices without developing two completely independent applications.

Additionally, the PWA was packaged in a Flutter wrapper, after which the applications were published in:

• Google Play;
• App Store.

As a result, users were able to work with the service both through a browser and through a mobile application.

The project is developed on a lightweight stack:

• Vanilla PHP — server part;
• JavaScript — the client part;
• PWA — mobile version;
• Flutter — a mobile shell;
• DeepSeek API — AI moderation.

The architecture was built around a single platform, which allowed the use of common business logic for web and mobile access.

As a result, a full-fledged marketplace of services was created that unites customers and performers in one service.

Implemented:

• two types of users and different work scenarios;
• personal accounts;
• placement and search of applications;
• filtering and sorting;
• responses from performers;
• choosing a performer;
• the system of statuses and automatic completion of applications;
• ratings and reviews;
• favourites;
• notifications;
• regionality;
• administrative panel;
• AI moderation;
• PWA;
• mobile apps for iOS and Android.

The main result is that instead of a simple ad platform, a full—fledged digital infrastructure of the service marketplace has been created, in which almost the entire path from the publication of the application to the completion of work and the evaluation of the contractor is automated.