ROFlow replaces 4–5 disconnected tools with a single, modern platform built for the way auto repair shops actually work — including when the WiFi goes down.
The auto repair shop management market is dominated by aging software with poor user experience, no mobile support, and expensive per-location pricing that punishes growth. Shop owners are forced to stitch together 4–5 separate subscriptions to run their business.
A typical independent shop pays $300–600/month across separate subscriptions for shop management, payment processing, customer communication, parts ordering, and accounting. ROFlow consolidates all of these into one platform at a fraction of the cost.
Technicians work in bays with unreliable WiFi. Existing solutions are desktop-first web apps that break without connectivity. ROFlow is built offline-first with a Progressive Web App that works on any device, even without internet.
Competitors treat AI as a marketing checkbox. ROFlow embeds AI into every workflow: automated estimates from VIN + mileage, predictive maintenance recommendations, smart scheduling, intelligent parts ordering, and AI-powered customer communication.
ROFlow's core value proposition is replacing Shop-Ware + Tekmetric + Shopmonkey + separate payment terminals + separate texting services + separate accounting sync tools with one unified platform. Shop owners save money, reduce complexity, and get a better experience. This is the switching trigger competitors can't match with incremental improvements to their existing products.
ROFlow runs on AWS infrastructure designed to scale from 50 shops to 50,000 without re-architecture. Every component is managed, auto-scaling, and fault-tolerant.
ECS Fargate eliminates all server management — no patching, no capacity planning, no SSH. Auto-scales from 1 to 100 containers based on traffic. Managed PostgreSQL (RDS) handles backups, failover, and replication automatically. Redis (ElastiCache) provides sub-millisecond caching and real-time event distribution. Total infrastructure cost for 200 shops: approximately $250–400/month on AWS.
Every technology was chosen based on three criteria: production readiness at scale, developer productivity, and long-term maintainability. No experimental frameworks, no hype-driven decisions.
| Layer | Technology | Business Justification |
|---|---|---|
| Frontend | Next.js 15 (App Router) | Combines marketing website (SEO-optimized server rendering) and application in a single codebase. Used by Walmart, TikTok, and Netflix. Backed by Vercel but deploys anywhere. Eliminates the need for separate marketing site and app infrastructure. |
| Language | TypeScript (strict mode) | End-to-end type safety from database schema to UI components. Catches entire categories of bugs at compile time instead of in production. Reduces QA burden by 30–40% based on industry studies. Single language across entire stack accelerates development. |
| Internal API | tRPC v11 | Eliminates API contract drift between frontend and backend — when a backend function signature changes, the frontend gets compile-time errors immediately. Zero code generation, zero runtime overhead. Reduces API-related bugs to near zero. |
| External API | REST + OpenAPI 3.1 | Industry-standard API format for external integrations. AI agents consume OpenAPI specs natively for function calling. Enables future partner ecosystem, mobile apps, and third-party developers. Auto-generates documentation and client SDKs. |
| ORM | Prisma 6 | Schema-first design generates perfect TypeScript types from database schema. Best-in-class migration tooling with version control. Visual database inspection via Prisma Studio. Connection pooling via Prisma Accelerate for high-concurrency workloads. Used by Notion, Hashicorp, and Vercel. |
| Database | PostgreSQL 16 (RDS) | Row-Level Security (RLS) provides database-enforced tenant isolation — even if application code has a bug, data cannot leak between tenants. JSONB for flexible metadata. Built-in full-text search eliminates need for separate search infrastructure. The most reliable relational database engine, trusted by Apple, Instagram, and Spotify. |
| Authentication | Zitadel (self-hosted) | Open-source identity management with zero per-user cost at any scale. Native multi-tenancy with Organizations model. OIDC/SAML compliant for enterprise SSO. Self-hosted on AWS for data sovereignty. Eliminates vendor lock-in and unpredictable auth costs as user base grows. Supports MFA, passwordless, and social login. |
| UI Components | Tailwind CSS 4 + shadcn/ui | Utility-first CSS with owned component library (not a dependency — code is copied into the project). Full control over design system. Built-in accessibility, dark mode, and responsive design. Used by Shopify, GitHub, and OpenAI. |
| State Management | TanStack Query v5 + Zustand | React Query manages all server state (caching, deduplication, background refetching, optimistic updates). Zustand handles lightweight client state. Combined, they eliminate 90% of state management complexity compared to Redux. |
| Real-Time | Socket.io + Redis Adapter | WebSocket events trigger React Query cache invalidation for instant UI updates. When a tech completes a job, the dashboard updates in milliseconds. Redis adapter enables horizontal scaling across multiple server instances. Automatic reconnection and fallback to polling. |
| Containers | AWS ECS Fargate | Serverless container orchestration. No server management, patching, or capacity planning. Auto-scales from 1 to 100+ containers based on traffic. Blue/green deployments for zero-downtime releases. Pay only for compute time used. |
| CI/CD | GitHub Actions | Automated testing, type checking, linting, building, and deployment on every code push. Preview deployments for pull requests. Integrated with GitHub for code review workflows. Industry-standard CI/CD platform. |
| Monitoring | CloudWatch + Sentry | CloudWatch for infrastructure metrics and alerting (CPU, memory, database connections). Sentry for application-level error tracking with full stack traces and source maps. Together they provide complete observability from infrastructure to individual user sessions. |
| Amazon SES + React Email | Transactional and marketing email at $0.10 per 1,000 emails — 10x cheaper than Resend or SendGrid at scale. Already on AWS, no new vendor relationship. React Email provides type-safe, component-based templates that render beautifully across all email clients. Per-tenant domain verification for branded sending. Bounce and complaint handling via SES notifications + SNS. |
ROFlow uses a shared-database, shared-schema multi-tenancy model with support for multi-location businesses. A single shop or a 20-location chain runs on the same infrastructure with complete data isolation.
Prisma middleware automatically injects organizationId into every database query. It is physically impossible for application code to accidentally query another tenant's data. Every API request is scoped to the authenticated user's organization.
Database-level policies enforce tenant isolation as a second defense layer. Even if a middleware bug bypasses application filtering, the database itself will reject cross-tenant queries. This is the same pattern used by enterprise SaaS platforms like Salesforce.
Every data mutation is logged with before/after snapshots, user identity, and timestamp. Provides complete forensic capability for compliance, dispute resolution, and security investigations. Immutable append-only log cannot be tampered with.
Cost: One database instance serves all tenants, reducing infrastructure cost by 10–50x compared to dedicated databases. Operations: Schema migrations apply once, not per-tenant. Scale: PostgreSQL with RLS handles thousands of tenants efficiently. Trade-off: Less isolation than database-per-tenant, mitigated by RLS + middleware. This is the architecture pattern used by Shopify, Notion, and most modern SaaS platforms targeting SMBs.
Every integration is built behind an adapter interface, meaning providers can be swapped without touching business logic. This protects against vendor lock-in and enables per-tenant provider configuration.
Full payment processing with dual pricing (cash vs. card) built into the core platform. PCI compliance via hosted payment fields (tokenization).
Bi-directional accounting sync. Shop owners and their bookkeepers work in QBO — ROFlow keeps it in sync automatically so financials are always current.
Unified communications platform replacing separate texting services. AI-powered voice for appointment scheduling and customer follow-up.
Direct integration with major parts distributors. Shops order parts without leaving ROFlow — a feature competitors charge $100+/month extra for.
Transactional and marketing email at 10x lower cost than alternatives. Already on AWS — no new vendor. React Email for type-safe, beautiful templates.
Auto repair shops have notoriously unreliable WiFi. Technicians work in metal bays that block signals. ROFlow is built offline-first as a Progressive Web App — critical workflows work even without internet, and data syncs automatically when connectivity returns.
Installable on any device — iPhone, Android, tablet, desktop — directly from the browser. No app store required. Automatic updates. Full-screen native-like experience with push notifications.
Service workers (Workbox) cache the application shell and critical data. IndexedDB stores pending operations locally. Technicians can complete inspections, clock in/out, and view ROs without any network connection.
When connectivity returns, queued mutations replay automatically using the Background Sync API. Conflict resolution uses server timestamps with last-write-wins for most data and manual merge UI for concurrent RO edits.
Single codebase serves web, mobile, and tablet. No App Store review process or 30% revenue cut. Instant updates deployed to all users simultaneously. PWAs are now supported by iOS Safari, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox with full offline capability, push notifications, and home screen installation. If native apps become necessary for specific device features (NFC, Bluetooth OBD readers), Capacitor can wrap the existing PWA with minimal additional code.
Auto repair shops handle customer PII, payment data, and vehicle information. ROFlow implements security at every layer — not bolted on after launch, but architecturally enforced from the foundation.
AES-256 encryption on all data in RDS, S3, and Redis. AWS KMS for key management with automatic rotation.
TLS 1.3 on all connections. CloudFront enforces HTTPS. Internal service communication uses mutual TLS.
Payment data never touches our servers. FluidPay hosted fields handle card tokenization in an iframe. PCI scope is minimal.
Role-based access (owner, manager, advisor, tech) plus attribute-based policies. Permissions scoped per location within a tenant.
Every mutation logged with user, timestamp, before/after state. Immutable append-only audit trail for compliance and forensics.
AWS WAF blocks OWASP Top 10 attacks. Application-level rate limiting per tenant. DDoS protection via CloudFront Shield.
RDS automated daily backups with 30-day retention. Point-in-time recovery to any second. Cross-region backup replication.
GitHub Dependabot + Snyk for vulnerability scanning on every pull request. No known-vulnerable packages in production.
The auto repair shop management market is fragmented across legacy desktop software and modern cloud solutions that still leave gaps. ROFlow is the only platform that consolidates every tool a shop needs into a single, offline-capable application.
| Feature | ROFlow | Shop-Ware | Tekmetric | Shopmonkey | Mitchell 1 | AutoLeap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud-Native | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Offline Capability (PWA) | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ○ | ✗ |
| Multi-Location Management | ✓ | ✓ | ○ | ✓ | ○ | ✓ |
| Built-in Payment Processing | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dual Pricing (Cash/Card) | ✓ | ○ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Built-in SMS/Voice | ✓ | ○ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| AI-Native Workflows | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ○ | ✗ | ○ |
| Parts Ordering Integration | ✓ | ✓ | ○ | ○ | ✓ | ○ |
| QBO Accounting Sync | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ○ | ✓ |
| Inventory Management | ✓ | ○ | ○ | ✓ | ✓ | ○ |
| Digital Vehicle Inspection | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ○ | ✓ |
| Technician Portal | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Customer Self-Service Portal | ✓ | ✓ | ○ | ✓ | ✗ | ○ |
| Open API for Integrations | ✓ | ○ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| EPA/OSHA Compliance Tracking | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| State Auto Repair Law Compliance | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Built-in Sales Tax Engine | ✓ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
✓ Full support ○ Partial / add-on ✗ Not available
Every competitor on this list started 5–10 years ago with legacy architecture decisions they cannot undo. They cannot add offline capability without a ground-up rewrite. They cannot consolidate payments, SMS, and parts ordering without multi-year integration projects. ROFlow is purpose-built from day one with modern architecture, which means we ship in months what would take them years to retrofit. Being new is our competitive advantage.
ROFlow doesn't bolt AI onto existing features — it reimagines auto repair workflows with AI at the core. Every feature is designed to get smarter over time as data accumulates across the platform.
Given a vehicle (VIN + mileage) and customer complaint, AI generates a complete estimate with recommended services, labor times, and parts. Service advisors review and approve rather than build from scratch. Reduces estimate time from 15 minutes to 2 minutes.
AI analyzes vehicle service history, mileage, and manufacturer data to predict upcoming maintenance needs. Automatically generates recommendations that service advisors can present to customers, increasing average repair order value by 20–30%.
Telnyx-powered AI answers inbound calls, schedules appointments, provides status updates on in-progress repairs, and routes complex calls to the right person. Eliminates missed calls and after-hours scheduling gaps.
AI optimizes bay assignments and appointment scheduling based on job complexity, technician specialization, parts availability, and historical completion times. Maximizes shop throughput without overbooking.
AI predicts parts needs based on scheduled appointments, automatically compares pricing across suppliers, and pre-orders frequently used parts to eliminate technician downtime waiting for delivery.
AI drafts personalized follow-up messages, service reminders, and declined service re-engagement campaigns. Learns which communication patterns drive the highest conversion rates per customer segment.
Auto repair shops operate under a patchwork of federal, state, and industry regulations. ROFlow builds compliance into the platform so shops stay compliant automatically — turning a stressful audit-time scramble into a continuously managed process.
Card data never touches ROFlow servers. FluidPay hosted fields handle tokenization in an iframe. Payment page script integrity controls via CSP headers and SRI hashes. Annual SAQ A tracking with compliance dashboard badge. Minimal PCI scope = minimal risk.
Full consent management system for Telnyx SMS: opt-in capture with timestamp and exact language shown, separate transactional vs. marketing consent, STOP/HELP keyword auto-handling, 8AM-9PM sending window enforcement, consent audit trail. 10DLC campaign registration guidance. Penalties are $500–$1,500 per violation — compliance is non-negotiable.
Configurable per-state requirements: written estimate thresholds (CA: always; NY: always; TX: >$25), customer authorization with ESIGN/UETA-compliant e-signatures, state-required invoice disclosures (warranty terms, consumer rights, complaint filing). Record retention defaults per state (3–7 years).
Unsubscribe links auto-injected into every marketing email. Physical address from shop settings in footer. Global suppression list management. Email preference center per customer. Bounce and complaint handling via SES SNS notifications. Penalties up to $53,088 per violation.
State/county/local tax rate tables with Avalara/TaxJar API option. Per-state config for parts vs. labor taxability (e.g., NY taxes both, TX only parts, CA depends on billing method). Tire disposal fees as separate line items (37+ states). Fleet customer tax exemption certificate management with 3-year retention.
Consumer rights request workflow: intake, identity verification, fulfill within 45 days. Data export (JSON/CSV). Data deletion with cascade and legal hold. "Do Not Sell/Share" toggle per customer. Consent tracking database. Subprocessor disclosure. 20+ state privacy laws active in 2026 — the platform handles them all.
Hazardous waste disposal records with manifest tracking. Refrigerant handling logs (Section 608/609) with technician cert verification. AIM Act compliance: cylinder tracking, HFC leak repair records. Used oil and coolant disposal logs. 3-year retention enforcement. Audit-ready EPA reports.
Safety Data Sheet library with searchable index. Equipment inspection schedules (lifts, fire extinguishers, eye wash). Training records with certification expiration alerts. Incident reporting with OSHA 300 log support. 6-year retention enforcement.
Legally valid digital signatures on estimates, authorizations, and payments. Each signature stores: signer identity, IP, timestamp, device, document hash. Immutable signed documents stored as legal records. Consent to electronic transactions disclosure.
Warranty terms templates with all FTC-required fields. Parts provenance tracking (OEM vs. aftermarket). Warranty claim workflow. Auto-generated warranty disclosure language on invoices. Anti-tying provision compliance: aftermarket parts documented without warranty prejudice.
None of ROFlow's competitors offer built-in EPA tracking, OSHA management, or state-specific auto repair law compliance. Shop owners currently track these in spreadsheets, filing cabinets, or not at all. By embedding compliance into the daily workflow, ROFlow saves shops from fines, protects them during audits, and creates a switching cost that competitors cannot match.
Beyond the core application, ROFlow includes the infrastructure, tooling, and processes required to operate a reliable multi-tenant SaaS platform.
Self-hosted on ECS with tenant-scoped indexes. Typo-tolerant, instant results (<50ms). Faceted search across customers, vehicles, ROs, and inventory. Async index sync via SQS on every data mutation. Rebuild on-demand per tenant.
Type-safe PDF templates using React components. Server-side rendering in async workers. Multi-tenant branding (logo, colors, terms). Estimates, invoices, receipts, DVI reports, warranty docs, compliance reports. Stored in S3 with tenant-scoped paths.
DVI photo processing: HEIC→JPEG conversion, thumbnail generation (150/400/800px), EXIF stripping for privacy, compression to ~200KB. Virus scanning via ClamAV. Originals preserved in cold storage. Processed versions served via CloudFront CDN.
JSON logs with tenant context on every entry (orgId, locationId, userId, requestId). CloudWatch Logs aggregation via Fluent Bit. 30-day hot retention, 1-year cold storage. Tenant-scoped filtering for support investigations. Alert rules for error spikes.
Vitest for unit/integration tests. Playwright for E2E (critical user flows). Dedicated tenant isolation test suite. k6 for load testing (200 concurrent shops). OWASP ZAP for security scanning. axe-core for accessibility. Each test gets isolated PostgreSQL schema.
CloudWatch for infrastructure metrics. Sentry for error tracking with source maps. AWS X-Ray for distributed tracing. PostHog for product analytics and feature adoption. Alert rules: error rate >5% → page; API p95 >2s → Slack; DB connections >80% → Slack.
Internal ops console: tenant management, user impersonation for support (audit-logged), job queue dashboard, integration health monitoring, feature flag management (Flagsmith), manual operations (re-sync QBO, rebuild search index, force password reset).
Import wizard for shops switching from Mitchell 1, ShopWare, Tekmetric, and others. CSV upload → field mapping → preview → validate → import. Supports customers, vehicles, service history, and inventory. Conflict resolution: skip, merge, or overwrite.
RPO: 5 minutes (RDS continuous backup). RTO: <30 minutes. 35-day automated retention + monthly snapshots for 1 year. Cross-region replication (us-east-1 primary, us-west-2 replica). Quarterly DR drills. S3 cross-region replication for files.
Flagsmith (self-hosted) gates features by subscription tier. Middleware enforces plan limits on API endpoints. UI hides/disables features above tenant's tier with upgrade prompts. Gradual rollouts and A/B testing for new features.
Self-service: signup → Zitadel org creation → DB seed → welcome email → setup wizard (branding, hours, bays, tax, payments). 14-day free trial with full Professional features. Guided tour with tooltips on first login.
P1 Critical (system down): 15-min response, status page + tenant email. P2 High (major feature broken): 1-hour response. P3 Medium (workaround exists): 4 hours. P4 Low (cosmetic): next business day. Post-mortem for every P1/P2.
ROFlow is built by AI-assisted development with codified standards that ensure every module — from customer management to compliance tracking — meets the same bar for quality, security, and user experience.
AI agents follow codified development standards across all 35 modules. Every agent reads the same implementation guide, design system, and security checklist — ensuring consistency regardless of development pace or which module is being built.
A full pattern library defines page layouts, form patterns, data tables, modals, empty states, loading skeletons, and status indicators. Every screen in the application looks like it was designed and built by one team, because it follows one system.
Every code change passes 8 automated checks before reaching production: linting, type safety, unit tests, integration tests, tenant isolation verification, security scanning, build validation, and accessibility auditing. No exceptions.
OWASP Top 10 compliance is codified into development standards, not left to individual judgment. Content Security Policy, dependency vulnerability scanning, secrets rotation, and infrastructure hardening are enforced from day one.
All schema migrations are backward-compatible. A dedicated tenant isolation test suite verifies that no data leaks between organizations. Every data mutation is audit-logged with before/after snapshots. Cursor-based pagination ensures predictable performance at scale.
GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline with preview deployments on every pull request, staging environment validation, and one-click production deploys with instant rollback capability. Code flows from commit to production with full traceability.
Five standards documents govern all development: AI agent instructions (CLAUDE.md), UI design system, security standards (OWASP + CSP + secrets + infrastructure), database standards (migrations + queries + indexing + tenant isolation), and API standards (versioning + pagination + error codes + rate limiting). These are living documents updated as the platform evolves.
AWS infrastructure scales linearly with tenant count. At target pricing of $199–399/month per location, margins improve as the platform scales.
| AWS Service | 100 Shops | 500 Shops | 2,000 Shops | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECS Fargate | ~$80/mo | ~$200/mo | ~$600/mo | Application containers (auto-scaling) |
| RDS PostgreSQL | ~$120/mo | ~$250/mo | ~$700/mo | Primary database (Multi-AZ) |
| ElastiCache Redis | ~$50/mo | ~$100/mo | ~$300/mo | Cache, sessions, WebSocket adapter |
| S3 + CloudFront | ~$30/mo | ~$80/mo | ~$250/mo | File storage + CDN |
| Other (SQS, EventBridge, etc.) | ~$70/mo | ~$170/mo | ~$350/mo | Queues, scheduling, monitoring, DNS |
At 500 shops paying an average of $299/month, monthly recurring revenue is $149,500 against infrastructure costs of ~$800. That's a 99.5% gross margin on infrastructure alone. Even with Telnyx SMS/voice costs (~$3–5/shop/month), AI API costs (~$2–4/shop/month), and FluidPay processing fees (pass-through), the platform maintains 95%+ gross margins at scale. This is the SaaS model investors love.
The existing proof-of-concept validates the feature set and user experience with 35+ working modules. The rewrite builds on these validated designs with production-grade architecture.
Next.js project setup, Prisma schema design, Zitadel auth, AWS (ECS, RDS, S3, Redis), CI/CD pipeline, Docker Compose local dev, tenant middleware with RLS, structured logging (Pino), Vitest + Playwright test framework, Meilisearch, and tenant isolation test suite. The skeleton that everything builds on.
Customer & vehicle management, repair order lifecycle (create → approve → in-progress → complete → invoice → pay), line item editing, estimates with ESIGN-compliant e-signatures, service advisor dashboard, and Meilisearch integration. This is the minimum viable product.
FluidPay payment processing with dual pricing engine (surcharge law compliant), PDF invoice/receipt generation (React PDF), refunds, voids, and the complete payment lifecycle. Sales tax engine with state-specific parts vs. labor rules, tire disposal fees. PCI DSS 4.0 SAQ A compliance.
Multi-point inspection templates with photo capture, image processing pipeline (Lambda + Sharp for HEIC→JPEG, thumbnails, compression, EXIF stripping, virus scanning), customer-facing public reports, and conversion of findings to RO line items. The highest-ROI feature for shop revenue.
Appointment calendar with bay management, online booking widget, Telnyx SMS/voice integration with full TCPA consent management (opt-in capture, STOP/HELP handling, sending window enforcement, 10DLC registration), CAN-SPAM compliant email campaigns via Amazon SES, and automated follow-up campaigns.
QBO OAuth2 bi-directional sync (invoices, payments, customers, expenses) with sync state tracking and error recovery. Inventory catalog with multi-location stock, purchase orders, vendor management, barcode scanning, and parts ordering integration (Nexpart, Worldpac, PartsPlus).
Dedicated technician interface with job board, time tracking, assigned RO view. Full PWA implementation with service workers, offline DVI, offline time clock, and background sync. This is the "works in the bay" milestone.
AI estimate generation, predictive maintenance recommendations, smart scheduling, AI voice receptionist (Telnyx), and comprehensive analytics dashboards with KPIs, tech productivity, financial reports, and trend analysis.
Org-level dashboards aggregating across locations, inventory transfers, consolidated reporting, location-level permissions, enterprise SSO via Zitadel SAML. Feature flags (Flagsmith) for plan tier enforcement. Admin panel with tenant management, user impersonation, and ops tools.
Customer self-service portal (service history, appointments, approve estimates, pay invoices), reputation management, review solicitation, SaaS billing via FluidPay (subscription tiers, usage metering), tenant onboarding wizard, data migration tools for competitor imports, fleet management features.
EPA/OSHA compliance tracking module, state auto repair law compliance engine, warranty management (Magnuson-Moss), data retention engine, CCPA/CPRA privacy rights workflow, SOC 2 Type II audit preparation, WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility audit, penetration testing, DR drill, and production hardening.
ROFlow is a ground-up rewrite of a validated 35-module proof of concept, rebuilt with modern architecture designed for scale, offline reliability, AI-native workflows, and industry-specific compliance built in. 11 phases covering every aspect of production SaaS — from multi-tenant data isolation to EPA/OSHA tracking to TCPA-compliant SMS. The last shop management platform an auto repair business will ever need.