UNDER THE HOOD
More than a bike site.
Gravel Bike Germany runs on a complete application framework - designed, built and operated by one person, from the database to the phone app.
info@gravelbike-germany.de
132
packages
214k
lines of TypeScript & Svelte
580+
test suites
65
design documents
1,510+
commits since 2024
The foundation
Every feature you see here - blog, calendar, chat, marketplace, GPX tracks - is a module on a general-purpose framework. The bike site is its first application, not its limit.
Dependency injection
Its own DI container with compile-time descriptors. One service interface: a remote proxy in the browser, the implementation on the server.
Object-relational layer
Dynamic entities without schema migrations, a generated GraphQL API, full-text search and fine-grained authorization.
Visual designer
Pages like this one are widget trees, edited in a WYSIWYG designer and published without a release - with data sources, expressions and actions.
Modular portal
Lazily loaded features, per-installation entitlements, server-side rendering for search engines, and a phone variant of every screen.
Real-time
One WebSocket event bus across the cluster via NATS, Web Push notifications, an installable PWA and a native iOS shell.
Security
Single sign-on with Keycloak over OpenID Connect, permissions resolved on the server, moderation built in.
Operations
Docker, Ansible and Caddy; traces, logs and metrics in Grafana; feature flags; nightly encrypted backups.
Languages
Locales are data, not code: every screen, page and message can be translated at runtime.
The stack
Svelte 5
SvelteKit SSR
NestJS
TypeScript
PostgreSQL / PostGIS
GraphQL
Keycloak
NATS
WebSocket
Meilisearch
MinIO
Grafana · Loki · Tempo
Unleash
Docker
Ansible
Caddy
Capacitor iOS
Nx
Claude Code
Built with AI, engineered by design
The platform is developed spec-first: every subsystem starts as a design document, AI agents implement against it, and a failing test comes before every fix. The result is the pace of a team with the coherence of a single architecture.
THE AUTHOR
Andreas Ernst
Diplom-Informatiker · Head of Architecture
As chief architect and technical lead, Andreas has shaped large-scale programmes for Schenker AG and Deutsche Post AG with up to 150 people, rebuilt the platform of HRS as Chief Technical Architect, and led technology for a 300-person business unit as VP Software Development at CompuGroup Medical.
Frameworks are a recurring theme of his career: dependency-injection and microservice frameworks, micro-frontend portals, form designers and ORM layers, in Java, Kotlin, Python and TypeScript. This platform brings that experience together in one codebase - and is hands-on proof that leading architecture and writing code belong together.
Built platforms for
Schenker AG
Deutsche Post AG
HRS
CompuGroup Medical
Senec
And yes: he rides - gravel, road, and the occasional Mallorca pass.
Looking for a Chief Architect or Head of Engineering?
Architecture, technology leadership and AI-assisted engineering - from strategy to the first commit.
info@gravelbike-germany.de