Background
com1coding is a software development agency based in Kuala Lumpur that builds web applications, APIs, and cloud infrastructure for clients across Southeast Asia. The team of eight handles everything from greenfield builds to long-term retainers, often juggling 10–12 active projects at any given time.
com1coding is also the company behind com1 — the product was built out of their own need for a tool that combined project management, invoicing, time tracking, and hosting in one place.
The problem
Before com1, the team used a patchwork of tools: Trello for tickets, Toggl for time tracking, a custom spreadsheet for invoicing, and SSH for server management. Context was scattered across four different interfaces. Generating a monthly invoice meant cross-referencing Toggl exports with Trello boards to figure out which hours belonged to which client.
Server deployments were manual — SSH in, pull the latest image, restart the container, configure Nginx, set up SSL. Every deployment was slightly different, and there was no central record of what was running where.
How they use com1
Project management
Each client engagement has its own project with custom statuses tailored to the workflow. Web development projects use Backlog → In Progress → Code Review → QA → Done. Consulting engagements use a simpler Backlog → Active → Complete flow. The Gantt chart is used during weekly planning to check for scheduling conflicts across projects.
Time tracking and invoicing
Every team member logs time against tickets as they work. At month-end, the project lead reviews time logs per project, generates an invoice with the logged hours, and exports it as a PDF. The entire process — from reviewing hours to sending the invoice — takes about 15 minutes per client, down from over an hour with the old spreadsheet system.
Hourly rates are configured per project with effective date ranges, so when a client's rate changes at contract renewal, both the old and new rates coexist correctly.
Hosting and deployment
com1coding manages over 30 containers across multiple RHEL servers for both their own infrastructure and client applications. Each deployment is configured through com1 — container image, environment variables, ports, volumes, healthchecks, and resource limits. SSL certificates and Nginx reverse proxy configuration are handled automatically.
E-invoicing compliance
As a Malaysian company, com1coding submits all invoices electronically through LHDN's MyInvois system. TIN validation, MSIC classification, and digital certificate management are handled within com1 — no separate compliance tool needed.
Results
The biggest win was eliminating tool-switching. With everything in one place, the team spends less time on admin and more time on billable work. Billable hour capture improved because logging time against tickets is frictionless — it's part of the same interface where the work happens.
Server deployments went from a 20-minute manual process to a few clicks. The team can see what's deployed where, roll back if needed, and manage SSL and domains without SSH.