Facebook-group-like standalone app for community management and e-commerce
A community-first platform built to help a luxury watch community move beyond Facebook while keeping a familiar user experience. Users post listings, chat in real time, and coordinate peer-to-peer deals off-platform, allowing the product to avoid custody of payments while focusing on community and trust.
Technologies
Ruby on Rails, React, Swift, Kotlin, PostgreSQL, AWS
Industry
Marketplace / Ecommerce
Engagement model
Managed delivery
Platform
Web, iOS, Android
Team
9 members
Timeline
5 months
Client & project overview — Luxury watch trading platform
Client engaged JetRuby to build the platform from scratch. The goal was to replace a Facebook group with an independent community platform while keeping peer-to-peer transactions outside the product. The MVP covers user registration and profiles, post creation and feed, real-time chat (DMs and groups ~300), notifications, and moderation/admin tools. The project followed an overall ~5-month timeline, including a one‑month Inception phase and ~3.5–4.5 months of build work, culminating in an initial rollout to the original Facebook community.
The stack follows the brief:
Ruby for backend, React for the interactive chat, and Kotlin Multiplatform for mobile. Mobile UIs use SwiftUI (iOS) and Kotlin (Android) on top of the shared KMP layer. This mix speeds delivery while keeping real-time messaging responsive.
Inception (1 month) produced a Functional Requirements document, full-app wireframes, several design concepts, and a CI/CD pipeline with smoke tests. The team also established a biweekly demo cadence and workshops to refine the scope, capture feedback quickly, and lock a buildable MVP.
Team:
PM, BA, UI/UX designer, Backend developer, Frontend developer, Kotlin developer, Android developer, iOS developer, and 2 QA.
This cross-functional setup keeps decisions quick and quality high. It also supports parallel work on web and mobile platforms.
Status & artifacts:
The initial rollout to the original Facebook community has already been completed successfully. The platform has over 2,000 registered users and around 200–300 daily active users, while premium subscriptions are planned following the iOS launch.
Materials include ~20 weekly demo recordings, the requirements document, the architecture description, and Figma designs. These assets keep the scope clear and de-risk upcoming sprints.
Project objectives & challenges — Community platform, real-time chat, moderation
Objectives:
- Create a standalone Facebook-style community while keeping payment custody and P2P transactions outside the platform.
- Keep the user experience familiar to ensure a seamless migration from Facebook.
- Ship an MVP with registration/profiles, post + feed, real-time chat, notifications, and moderation/admin.
- Deliver web and native mobile on a stack that favors speed, stability, and a streamlined path to scale.
The mission was to give members a home that feels familiar while allowing multiple watch communities to grow together on a platform they own.
Key challenges:
- Real-time UX without a heavy SPA. A server-driven web app with React isolated to chat; React and CometChat power the messaging experience.
- Trust & safety. Role-based controls, pre-moderation, strike system, and verified reseller/dealer statuses.
- Frictionless migration. Familiar Facebook-like patterns, listing presets, and DM from a post to cut the learning curve.
- Payments separation. No custody of funds; subscriptions only, which reduces compliance and operational risk.
- Cross-platform consistency. KMP shared logic with SwiftUI and Kotlin UIs to keep behavior aligned on iOS and Android.
- Moderator throughput. Operational analytics so moderators see trends, throughput, and repeat offenders.
Our work
Inception (1 month)
Produced the Functional Requirements document, full-app wireframes, several design concepts, and a CI/CD pipeline with smoke tests. Established a biweekly demo cadence and workshops to refine the scope, capture feedback quickly, and lock a buildable MVP.
Architecture & stack
Confirmed Ruby for backend, React for interactive chat, and Kotlin Multiplatform for mobile with SwiftUI (iOS) and Kotlin (Android) UIs.
MVP build (in progress)
Implementing the core community experience, including Accounts & Profiles, Posts & Feed with a familiar Facebook-style layout, real-time chat (DMs and group chats for up to ~300 members), notifications, and moderation/admin tools with role-based permissions, pre-moderation, a strike system, and verified dealer badges.
Validation & artifacts
Logged ~20 demo recordings to date, plus the requirements document, an architecture description, and Figma designs—keeping scope clear and delivery on track.
Results & business impact
- Predictable deliveryThe MVP scope is locked. Biweekly demos and clear artifacts (FRD, wireframes, design concepts, architecture, ~20 demo recordings) keep rework low and the ~5-month plan on track.
- Faster product, lower upkeepA server-driven web app delivers a familiar, snappy UX without a heavy SPA. React powers chat only, which trims maintenance. KMP aligns iOS and Android behavior.
- Risk under controlPeer-to-peer deals remain off-platform, so the product never takes custody of funds. Instead, premium subscriptions unlock additional features without adding payment-handling complexity. Role-based moderation, pre-moderation, and reseller verification strengthen trust and safety.
- Ready-made migration baseThe client’s original 4K+-member Facebook group served as the natural seed cohort for migration to the new platform. The Facebook-style UX lowers the learning curve and speeds first-week engagement.
- Successful rolloutThe initial rollout to the original Facebook community has already been completed successfully. The platform now has 2,000+ registered users and around 200–300 daily active users, exceeding the client's initial expectations. Premium subscriptions are planned following the iOS launch.
The rollout strategy focused on migrating the original Facebook community first before expanding further. Premium subscriptions are planned as the next stage following the iOS release.
Instead of relying on Facebook, the client now owns its audience, moderation rules, and product roadmap while providing members with a familiar, trust-first community experience.
