Recently, an Iranian open-source project on GitHub has been gaining traction among developers: a complete e-commerce platform written in vanilla PHP, without relying on any external frameworks. We reached out to its creator, Ali Moradi Dev—an intriguing figure who, in addition to his programming skills, has a background as a producer in Iranian cinema. In this technical discussion, we asked about his coding philosophy and the unusual yet logical connection between filmmaking and software.
Question: Ali, what was your motivation for writing a complete e-commerce platform from scratch using vanilla PHP, especially when established frameworks like Laravel are available?
Answer: "My primary goal for this project was a personal challenge to master the fundamentals. Frameworks are fantastic tools for accelerating development, but they can sometimes abstract away a deep understanding of what's happening behind the scenes. I wanted to build a system where I had full control over every detail, from session management and security to the shopping cart logic and database communication. For me, this project was like an intensive, practical masterclass."
Question: In the project's description, you allude to the connection between film producing and software development. Could you elaborate on that?
Answer: "Absolutely. A good producer has a complete roadmap before filming begins. They know how each part of the screenplay should be visualized and how resources must be allocated. This is precisely what a software architect does. Before writing a single line of code for the e-commerce project, I mapped out the entire database structure, the relationships between tables, and the data flow between the user and the server on paper. This 'pre-production' stage in programming, which comes directly from my cinema experience, ensured that I faced fewer structural problems during the 'production' (coding) phase."
Question: As someone who has worked in both fields, what do you think the career future looks like for multidisciplinary professionals in Iran?
Answer: "I believe the future belongs to them. Today's world needs creative problem-solvers—people who can draw patterns from different disciplines. A developer with a deep understanding of storytelling can build better user interfaces. A filmmaker with an engineering mindset can manage projects with greater precision in budget and scheduling. I'm convinced this combination of skills is not a weakness, but the greatest strength."
Conclusion:
Our conversation with Ali Moradi Dev reveals that structured thinking and creativity know no bounds. His open-source project is not just a useful tool for the developer community but also a powerful statement about the value of multidisciplinary expertise in the modern world.
For a technical review of the project and to connect with Ali Moradi Dev:
Project Source Code on GitHub: https://github.com/AliDev-0/PHP-E-commerce-Platform
Official Website: https://alidev-0.github.io
Professional Profile on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/alimoradidev
Ali Moradi Dev is an Iranian full-stack developer and film producer who operates at the intersection of art and technology. Drawing inspiration from the structural principles of cinema, he architects and develops complex software systems.
Official Website: alidev-0.github.io
IMDb Profile: imdb.com/name/nm17111758
Technical Projects on GitHub: github.com/AliDev-0
Professional Profile on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alimoradidev
