Strategic clarification sprint

NubFlow should build editor + deploy first, not a hosting panel.

The winning customer experience is: Open the website. Edit the website. Publish the website. DirectAdmin/cPanel should be adapter targets, not products NubFlow tries to replace today.

Open live editing prototype

Architecture recommendation

Recommended: D) Hybrid static/PHP frontend + NubFlow editing API

NubFlow stores layout/content/data centrally. Public sites render as fast static or PHP output. Authenticated admins receive an overlay editor on the live page. Drafts save back to NubFlow API. Publishing generates output and pushes it to Nub Hosted or customer-hosted targets through adapters.

Evaluation

OptionStrengthsRisksFit
A. Fully hosted NubFlow runtimeBest editing control, auth, forms, rollbacks, observability.Less compatible with customer-hosted sites; larger infra responsibility.Strong for Nub Hosted
B. Static generated + embedded overlayFast, secure, cheap, excellent SEO and rollback.Dynamic forms/auth/personalization need APIs; embedded admin security must be rigorous.Strong for brochures/marketing
C. PHP-rendered + NubFlow APIWorks on common hosting, easier forms and per-request dynamic behavior.More surface area, variable host performance/security.Strong for customer-hosted compatibility
D. Hybrid frontend + editing APIBalances speed, editing, deployment flexibility, rollback, SEO, forms and scaling.Needs clean package/runtime boundaries and signed admin overlay loading.Recommended

Deployment model

Mode A — Nub Hosted

NubFlow provisions site runtime/storage/CDN/SSL/backups. Publish happens internally. Rollback swaps a release pointer. Best UX and support.

Mode B — Customer Hosted

NubFlow publishes generated output through SFTP, SSH, DirectAdmin API, cPanel API, Git deploy or static export. Hosting panel features stay outside scope.

Build now vs later

Build now

  • Live overlay editor
  • Content/layout schema
  • Draft/preview/publish/rollback
  • Deployment adapters
  • Forms API
  • Auth-gated admin overlay loader

Build later

  • NubHost hosting panel
  • DNS zone UI
  • Email hosting UI
  • Full server/account administration
  • cPanel/DirectAdmin replacement features

Target flow

Admin visits customer site → logs in → overlay loads → edits inline/right-clicks modules → saves draft → previews → publishes → deploy adapter pushes generated output → rollback keeps previous release snapshots.

Next sprint

  1. Turn prototype into structured editor package: overlay loader, selection model, context menu, command bus.
  2. Define layout/content JSON schema with migrations/versioning.
  3. Implement NubFlow API endpoints for draft, publish, rollback and assets.
  4. Create first deploy adapter: static export + SFTP.
  5. Secure admin overlay with signed session/JWT and role policies.