Ekonio.cloud - Self-Hosted Engineering Infrastructure | Elvir

Overview#

Ekonio.cloud is my self-hosted infrastructure environment used to deploy and operate internal engineering tools, most notably Parts-DB, a custom component management and procurement system.

The project represents full ownership of the software lifecycle:

Architecture design
Backend development
Data modeling
Deployment
Server configuration
Ongoing maintenance

It serves as a production-grade environment for structured data workflows, automation scripts, and system experiments.

Technical Highlights#

VPS provisioning and Linux server configuration
Docker-based service deployment
Symfony backend architecture (Parts-DB core)
Entity-based data modeling (Component, Supplier, PriceDetail, OrderDetail)
CSV import pipelines for structured bulk ingestion
Price tier tracking and historical cost analysis
Automated scraping integration for supplier comparison
Secure remote access and environment isolation

This environment supports real-world operational tooling rather than demonstration code.

Key Lessons#

Owning infrastructure changes how you design software
Data modeling matters more than UI complexity
Automation becomes powerful when paired with structured storage
Procurement intelligence requires normalization and historical tracking
Self-hosting forces explicit thinking about reliability, security, and maintainability

The project reinforced a systems-level mindset: Build tools that reduce decision friction through structure.

Technologies#

Linux (VPS environment)
Docker
Symfony (PHP backend framework)
MySQL and relational data modeling
Python (automation and scraping)
CSV processing pipelines
REST-style internal endpoints

Flowchart

flowchart TD
    A[Supplier sources] --> B[Automated data collection]
    B --> C[CSV import and scraping pipelines]
    C --> D[Normalization and deduplication]
    D --> E[Relational data storage]
    E --> F[Price and inventory analysis]
    F --> G[Decision support output]

Details

Ekonio.cloud hosts a custom-built engineering ecosystem centered around Parts-DB, a structured component and procurement management platform. The system models: - Components - Suppliers - Orders - Price tiers - Historical cost changes Rather than relying on spreadsheets or fragmented notes, the platform provides normalized storage and traceable relationships across purchasing workflows. CSV ingestion pipelines allow bulk updates, while scraping utilities assist in price comparison and anomaly detection. Running this system on a self-managed VPS ensures: - Full deployment control - Infrastructure-level debugging capability - Secure environment configuration - Scalable extension for future tools The project demonstrates practical backend engineering, infrastructure management, and applied data modeling in a real operational context.

Gallery

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