Show HN: Craftplan – I Built My Wife a Production Management Tool for Her Bakery

Why It Matters

The solution gives niche producers a cost‑effective, vendor‑neutral alternative to fragmented SaaS stacks, accelerating digital adoption in the craft sector. Its self‑hosting model protects sensitive recipe data while enabling scalable automation.

Key Takeaways

• Open‑source ERP for artisanal manufacturers
• Self‑hosted, avoiding vendor lock‑in
• Versioned BOMs with automatic cost rollups
• Allergen and nutrition tracking built‑in
• API supports JSON:API and GraphQL

Pulse Analysis

The rise of micro‑manufacturing and specialty food producers has exposed a gap in enterprise resource planning solutions that cater to low‑volume, high‑customization operations. Traditional SaaS ERP systems often impose hefty subscription fees and lack the flexibility required for recipe‑centric workflows. Craftplan addresses this niche by offering a free, open‑source platform that can be installed on a company’s own servers, eliminating recurring costs and ensuring data sovereignty for businesses that guard proprietary formulas.

Beyond basic inventory and order management, Craftplan’s standout capabilities lie in its versioned bills of materials and automatic cost rollups, which let producers iterate recipes while preserving historical cost data. Integrated allergen and nutritional tracking meets regulatory demands for food safety, and the production batching engine streamlines material consumption and labor accounting. The inclusion of both JSON:API and GraphQL endpoints enables seamless integration with existing e‑commerce sites, point‑of‑sale systems, and analytics tools, fostering a modular tech ecosystem without vendor lock‑in.

Technically, Craftplan leverages the Elixir language and Phoenix LiveView framework, delivering real‑time, fault‑tolerant performance suited for concurrent order processing. PostgreSQL provides robust relational data handling, while Tailwind CSS ensures a responsive UI. Licensed under AGPL‑v3, the project encourages community contributions and transparent development. For artisanal businesses seeking to modernize operations without sacrificing control, Craftplan represents a compelling, future‑proof ERP alternative.