For Camilo Martinez, founder of Somnio Technology Solutions, managing servers used to be a full-time job. From load balancers to Nginx security configurations, he handled every detail manually while also developing software for his clients. Finding Laravel Forge has transformed the way he works.

By consolidating server management under Forge, Camilo has:

• Streamlined deployments for over 20 servers
• Simplified SSL, cron jobs, and Nginx configurations
• Reduced manual maintenance and overhead

Forge allows him to focus on building software instead of wrestling with infrastructure.

“Before Forge, I was doing everything myself: managing clusters, load balancers, databases. Now, it’s all handled seamlessly, and I can trust it works,” Camilo said.

From Colombia to PHP and Laravel

Camilo’s journey in software began in Colombia, where he studied computer and electronics engineering before moving to the United States. After learning English in Miami, he finished his degree in South Louisiana, gaining experience in Java and PHP along the way.

His first major PHP project came while working for a meal delivery company. A friend introduced him to Laravel, and he quickly recognized its power. When his employer’s IT department was acquired by another company, Camilo rebuilt their customer relationship management system in Laravel, gaining extensive hands-on experience with servers, deployment workflows, and clusters.

Eventually, Camilo started Somnio Technology Solutions in 2018, running software projects for multiple clients while managing the entire server infrastructure himself.

Why Forge

Managing clusters manually was time-consuming and complex. Camilo had previously used Rancher and other Dockerized setups, but moving to Forge simplified everything. Setting up load balancers, web servers, SSL certificates, and Nginx security headers became a matter of clicks instead of commands.

“Forge makes deployment so easy. I don’t have to touch Kubernetes or Docker manually. I just configure the servers, and everything else is handled,” Camilo explained.

Today, he manages over 20 servers for projects ranging from meal delivery CRMs to property management platforms and government applications in Colombia. Even with just a small team and remote collaborators, Forge lets him scale safely and efficiently.

Empowering Developers and Clients

One of the unexpected benefits of Forge for Camilo is the ability to train junior developers and provide controlled access. He can grant permissions to teams without worrying about them breaking other servers, making it easier to collaborate and delegate while maintaining high security standards.

“Before Forge, sharing access or running updates safely was a headache. Now, it’s seamless, and developers can work independently without risk,” he said.

Favorite Forge Features

While he appreciates almost everything Forge offers, Camilo highlighted a few that make his workflow smoother:

• Automated deployments directly from Git branches, allowing clients to see progress immediately
• Network and server management tools that handle SQL and Redis connections effortlessly
• Easy SSL and domain provisioning, reducing manual configuration time

Camilo also relies on Forge’s flexibility with hosting providers, including DigitalOcean, Google Cloud, Vultr, and more. This allows him to adapt to client preferences without changing his workflow.

The Somnio Tech Stack

Camilo’s preferred development stack focuses on Laravel and Vue:

• Laravel Forge for backend systems
• Vue.js for frontend and hybrid mobile apps
• Serverless and cloud solutions for select projects

He emphasizes simplicity, maintainability, and staying within the Laravel ecosystem whenever possible.

Advice for New Forge Users

For developers just getting started, Camilo recommends experimentation: “Get a small VPS, install multiple applications, and play with every setting. Forge is forgiving, and the more you explore, the easier production deployments will be. Don’t be afraid to experiment.”

Focus on What Matters: Deploy in <10 Seconds

Thanks to Forge, Camilo no longer spends his days troubleshooting server issues. Instead, he can focus on delivering high-quality software while confidently managing multiple clients’ infrastructure.

“Forge lets me do both: manage servers and build software. That’s why it’s indispensable to how I run my business.”

If you want to build even faster, try Laravel VPS. You can now deploy a fully configured, production-ready VPS in under 10 seconds with a single click. This means you can go from idea to live server faster than ever before.

Deploy your server in less than 10 seconds and start focusing on what truly matters.