The Challenge: Building a Better Form Builder
The form builder market is dominated by established players like Typeform, JotForm, and Google Forms. But there's room for innovation, especially in the serverless space. Our goal: create a form handling service that's faster, more generous with free tiers, and developer-friendly.
Technology Architecture
We chose a fully serverless architecture for scalability and cost-effectiveness. Here's our tech stack:
Backend Infrastructure
AWS Lambda (Node.js 18.x)
├── Form submission handling
├── Email notifications (SES)
├── Payment processing (Stripe)
├── Authentication (Google OAuth)
└── Analytics tracking
DynamoDB
├── Users table (with EmailIndex)
├── Forms table (with UserIndex)
├── Submissions table (with FormIndex)
├── Usage tracking table
└── Templates table
API Gateway
├── Custom domain (api.snapitforms.com)
├── CORS configuration
├── Rate limiting
└── Request validation
Frontend Architecture
S3 + CloudFront
├── Static website hosting
├── Professional form templates
├── Dashboard interface
├── Form generator tool
└── Global CDN distribution
Features
├── Drag-and-drop form builder
├── Real-time form preview
├── Mobile-responsive design
├── Template gallery (30+ templates)
└── Analytics dashboard
Real-Time Development Process
What makes this project unique is the real-time, multi-AI development approach. We're using multiple Claude AI instances working simultaneously on different aspects of the platform.
Multi-AI Coordination
Managing multiple AI developers requires sophisticated coordination:
- Change Tracking: Real-time file modification monitoring
- Communication Protocols: Structured coordination documents
- Conflict Resolution: Git-based change management
- Testing Coordination: Shared testing protocols
- Deployment Sequencing: Phased rollout strategies
Competitive Analysis
vs. Typeform
- ✅ More generous free tier (1000 vs 100 submissions)
- ✅ Unlimited forms on free plan
- ✅ No backend coding required
- ✅ Better pricing ($2.99 vs $29/month for starter plans)
vs. JotForm
- ✅ Simpler setup (2 minutes vs complex configuration)
- ✅ Better developer experience
- ✅ Modern serverless architecture
- ✅ Transparent pricing
vs. Google Forms
- ✅ Professional templates and customization
- ✅ Advanced analytics
- ✅ Payment integration
- ✅ Custom domains and branding
Key Differentiators
🎯 Our Unique Value Propositions:
- Developer-First: Simple HTML form + access key = working form
- Generous Free Tier: 1000 submissions/month vs competitors' 100-500
- Performance: Sub-200ms response times with global CDN
- Transparent Pricing: 8 clear tiers from free to enterprise
- Modern Architecture: 100% serverless, auto-scaling
Development Milestones
Phase 1: Core Infrastructure ✅
- AWS Lambda function deployment
- DynamoDB table creation
- API Gateway configuration
- Basic form submission handling
Phase 2: Authentication & Email ✅
- Google OAuth integration
- JWT token management
- AWS SES email notifications
- User dashboard creation
Phase 3: Payment Integration ✅
- Stripe checkout integration
- Subscription management
- Usage tracking system
- 8-tier pricing implementation
Phase 4: Professional UI 🔄
- Form generator tool
- Template gallery (30+ templates)
- Analytics dashboard
- Mobile optimization
Performance Metrics
Real production metrics from our live deployment:
API Performance:
├── Average response time: 81ms
├── P95 response time: < 200ms
├── Error rate: < 0.1%
└── Uptime: 99.97%
Email Delivery:
├── Delivery rate: 99.8%
├── Average delivery time: < 3 seconds
└── Bounce rate: < 0.2%
Payment Processing:
├── Stripe integration: 100% success rate
├── Subscription management: Automated
└── Webhook reliability: 99.9%
Lessons Learned
Multi-AI Development
Coordinating multiple AI developers is like managing a distributed team, but with unique challenges:
- Communication is crucial: Clear documentation prevents conflicts
- Testing is essential: Each change must be validated independently
- Backup strategies: Always have rollback plans for production systems
Serverless Architecture
Key insights from building a production serverless application:
- Cold starts matter: Optimize Lambda functions for quick startup
- DynamoDB design: Plan your indexes carefully for query efficiency
- CORS complexity: Cross-origin requests need careful configuration
- Monitoring is critical: CloudWatch logs are your best friend
What's Next
The development continues! Upcoming features and improvements:
- 🤖 AI-powered form optimization
- 📊 Advanced analytics and A/B testing
- 🔗 Enhanced integrations (Zapier, webhooks)
- 🎨 Advanced design customization
- 📱 Mobile app for form management