u/Banzambo

Hi guys,

I’m trying to level up my workflow and move away from a “messy local setup” toward something more professional, reproducible, and closer to what’s used in real-world teams.

I’ve mostly worked on “classic” web projects (custom sites, sometimes WordPress with custom themes, sometimes more generic stacks with a backend + database). Until now I’ve used a typical local setup (XAMPP / localhost), which worked but became painful over time:

• file permission issues (especially on Linux)
• mismatched runtime versions (PHP, MySQL, etc.)
• one global environment shared across projects
• hard to reproduce setups

So I’m trying now resetting everything and moving toward:

• Git for versioning (yes, so far the projects I built my few clients were simple and didn0t play the long ball on this side)
• Docker for isolated, per-project environments (standardization of my setup/tools for each project)
• rebuilding projects locally starting from the live/staging version (when I need to build/implement new features or pages for existing websites)

I'm currently experimenting with this setup rn:

• docker-compose (app + DB, sometimes extras like admin tools / CLI)
• bind-mounted project files
• versioning only what matters (app code, configs), ignoring generated data (uploads, DB dumps, etc.)
• workflow: spin up → develop → commit → deploy

This already feels much more solid than a classic localhost stack but since I don't have a ton of experience I would like to avoid overengineering and feel overwhelmed by managing unnecessary complexity a keep friction as low as possible.

My questions are (I'm asking a lot of things here so feel free to reply to the ones you prefer, of course):

A ) What does your actual day-to-day workflow look like for web projects? I mean not just one stack. I’m interested in how you handle things in general, across projects like:2). And more specifically:

• Do you use the same kind of setup for all projects (for example Docker or similar tools), or does it change depending on the project?
• How do you usually make sure your local development setup stays consistent and doesn’t become messy over time?
• Do you mostly work in fully separated environments per project, or do you still rely on some shared tools on your machine?

B ) How do you handle ongoing development of already live projects?

This is the part I’m struggling with the most tbh (also in some Wordpress projects I have using ACF, etc.).

When a project is already in production and has already real data, users, and a working database:

• Do you copy the current live version into your local environment when you need to make changes?
• Or do you usually have a separate “testing version” that stays close to the live one?
• How do you avoid ending up with a local version that is different from what is actually running online?

Not looking for “perfect setups”. I'm more interested in what people actually use in practice and why (with a focus on pragmatism, stability, efficiency and simplicity based on your personal experience).

Basically, I'm trying to understand what’s common in real-world workflows vs the solo dev habits "bubble". Especially when websites or web apps become a bit more complex than usual.

EDIT: Sorry guys, I accidentally cut out a couple of parts when copying from the .txt file I used to draft the post. I’ve fixed it now.

After weeks of (exhausting) reviews and online searching across websites, blogs, and Reddit, I finally decided to pull the trigger on this one.

I’m coming from an 11-year-old Ikea Lillhöjden, and the cushion was completely worn out—it felt terrible, especially since I spend around 8 hours a day at my desk.

At first, I didn’t consider it at all, but in the end, none of the other options I was looking at really convinced me.

The Atlas looks like a solid option in the €250–350 range. I got it for €319 (shipping included, after applying a couple of coupons). A bit more than I initially hoped to spend, but apparently prices have gone up compared to last year.

Second-hand premium chairs were still out of my budget for now, and availability here in Italy wasn’t great anyway.

I also posted [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/OfficeChairs/s/hVyJpF2FOJ) on Reddit the models I tried/considered in case you're interested in my 2cents about them.

I still think the Ikea Bastboll is a missed opportunity due to the lack of independent seat depth adjustment. I liked that model a lot, so that's a shame. The build quality is high and it's quite comfortable. The mechanism it uses - backrest adjustment also moves the seat - isn't even bad and quite pleasant. But I need this chair for work and I want to be able to adjust the seat depth as I need when I'm paying more than €300.

I'll see how it goes with the Colamy Atlas once it arrives-I'll keep you updated.

So, as may others here I'm looking for a decent ergonomic chair for my home office in the 200-350€ range since my 11yo chair is completely done. I sit at my desk 6-8h/day.

I'm 1.74m (5'8.5") tall and my weight is 65kg (143lbs).

I've already read and watched many reviews but it's impossible to pick one without trying it first: for each model it's plenty of people telling it's shit and plenty of people telling it's great.

Also, I don't expect chairs in this price range to last form more than 5 years, but I'm ok with that since I can't spend more money rn.

Long story short, I decided to go to Ikea today and tried the following models in person:

• IKEA BASTBOLL: great build quality, mesh was comfortable, good armrests regulations, but lumbar support is not very prominent (not sure it'll be useful) and the seat depth is directly dependent on the backrest inclination: if you incline the latter, the former will go upwards, and viceversa. No chance to adjust them separately. The headrest was good, not exceptional. Overall seemed a solid option despite the cons.
• IKEA MATCHSPEL: good headrest and overall good comfort, but no adjustable lumbar support, no seat depth regulation and armrests are stiff and have limited regulations. Also, the seat comes only in fake leather what would make me sweat in summer;
• IKEA STYRSPEL: not bad, good mesh, but even this has a lame lumbar support and the headrest is adjustable in height, which makes it almost useless;
• IKEA JÄRVFJÄLLET: very comfortable and probably the most useful lumbar support among Ikea chairs, but no mesh seat (only fake leather what would make me sweat in summer) and the headrest is not useful cause it's not deep enough. Also, armrests are quite stiff and with few adjustments allowed;
• IKEA GRÖNFJÄLL: I was counting on this one, but the moment I sat on it I understood it wasn't for me: too stiff, no mesh and lumbar support is basically a gimmick on this model cause you can barely feel it
• IKEA MARKUS: the worst one. The lumbar is fixed and I could feel the metal bar inside it. I doubt you can sit comfortable on this one for hours.

I'd say the most comfortable ones were the BASTBOLL, the MATCHSPEL and the JÄRVFJÄLLET. The STYRSPEL was nice but basically a cheaper version of the BASTBOLL.

I didn't buy any of them so far but this visit to Ikea made me understand my non-negotiable features:

• seat depth must be adjustable
• lumbar support can't be too shy/lame
• mesh for both the seat and the backrest
• headrest regulation must be 3D (height, depth ad rotation) or at least a 2D with prominent rotation to make up for the lack of depth regulation

I was also considering these models from other brands, which I haven't tried in person:

• Flexispot C7 --> looked great but unfortunately no seat depth regulation and not sure whether automatic/adaptive lumbar support is good and ;
• Flexispot BS14 --> seemed perfect but then I read a reddit post and watched a video where they explained and showed that the BS14 is actually a model made by a white label Chinese company and sold by several brands, so it's not a "Flexispot model" (which made me doubt about the Flexispot brand and its quality entirely);
• Sihoo M57 --> I like that it allows you to manually adjust both the depth and the height of the lumbar support, but no seat dept regulation and no 3D headrest regulation ;
• Sihoo Doro C300 --> still a big doubt about how good the automatic/adaptive lumbar support can be, but it seems to be the most decent one with this kind mechanism. As for the rest, it seems like one f the models in this price range with more regulations;

So right the main candidates left are the Ikea Bastboll and the Sihoo Doro C300 (I can't trust Flexispot anymore at this point).

Anyone can give me a long-term opinion about these models (or one of them)? And is the automatic/adaptive lumbar support something I'd should avoid it's actually a good solution?

Unfortunately I can try first-hand only the Ikea models. As for the other ones, I'll have to buy them first cause there's no way I can try them before buying them

Thank you

EDIT: please avoid recommending second-hand top brands chair. I know this option exists but here in the EU is not that easy and overall refurbished ones are not that cheaper nowadays. So that option is definitely out of budget and overall I prefer buying a new product.