🎉 Orbe: Comprehensive Platform for SMB Digitalization
Orbe is more than a chatbot; it’s a comprehensive platform for SMBs that I developed as technical leader, implementing a three-layer distributed architecture to centralize customer management, inventory, sales and automated support. The main technical challenge was creating a cohesive ecosystem that synchronized data in real-time between multiple services while maintaining ease of use for small businesses. This architectural approach led us to win first place at the seventh edition of Developer Day at the University of Córdoba.
The solution addresses a critical problem: SMBs need accessible business tools to compete digitally. With over 85% of the population making online purchases and 175 million using WhatsApp Business, Orbe democratizes access to advanced business technology for small and medium businesses.
🏗️ Three-Layer Distributed Architecture
As technical leader, I designed a modular architecture distributed across three specialized repositories, each with specific responsibilities:
Frontend (web-cligro) - Dashboard for SMBs
Stack: Node.js, React 18, Redux Toolkit, Mantine UI
Responsibilities:
- Simple management of customers, products and inventory
- Intuitive dashboard with key metrics for small businesses
- Automated appointment and schedule system
- Landing page optimized for local conversion
Key Technical Decision: I implemented Redux Toolkit with data normalization to handle complex states while maintaining a simple interface for SMB owners without technical knowledge.
API (api-cligro) - Centralized Backend
Stack: Node.js, Express, MongoDB, JWT, Cloudinary
Responsibilities:
- REST API with robust JWT authentication
- Data synchronization between frontend and bot
- Image management with Cloudinary for products
- Rate limiting and caching for optimization
Architecture: Microservices pattern with domain-specialized controllers (users, products, conversations).
Bot (bot-cligro) - Virtual Assistant for SMBs
Stack: Node.js, AI Integration, WhatsApp Business API
Responsibilities:
- 24/7 customer service for small businesses
- Automatic registration of potential customers
- Appointment scheduling without manual intervention
- Real-time product and availability queries
💡 Technical Leadership and Coordination
As team leader, I coordinated:
- Service integration through consistent RESTful APIs
- Distributed deployment: API and Bot on DigitalOcean VPS, Frontend on Vercel
- Unified domain: All infrastructure under cligro.tech
- Centralized monitoring and logs for distributed debugging
- Mandatory code reviews and automated testing in each repository
🎯 Results and Business Recognition
The project achieved:
- First place at Developer Day 2025 among 20+ competing projects
- Complete functional platform with three deployed and operational services
- Scalable architecture ready to serve multiple SMBs simultaneously
- SMB sector recognition by local companies like DC Consultorías, HI BEAUTY, AMC Enseñanza
- Official invitation to the Potencia Digital Program of the Ministry of ICT
🚀 Competition and Technical Context
The competition included technically solid projects:
- Lambda (2nd place): Anti-school dropout platform with tutor matching algorithm - Marco Tulio Portacio, Harvey Prieto, Andrés Felipe Suárez
- Motocheck (3rd place): Security system for motorcyclists with IoT - Daniela García, Juan Camilo Durango
The high technical level of the competition validated the robustness of the distributed architecture implemented in Orbe.