A data-driven, multi-purpose web platform to build various webapps without coding

Question

I am looking for a Web "platform" (codebase) - preferably one written in PHP - that does as much of the following as possible:

1. Almost completely data driven. That is: The UI, data architecture, and overall behavior is all set within a SQL database: tables to describe the UI, the other tables in the system, their fields etc. (including labels, field types, validation, relationships etc.).

2. Should be a codebase - not a Saas - e.g. - a system to be installed on a server.

3. Generally the behavior (aside from profiles, setting etc.) - is where users can create a list of products (or other records - for instance "recipes", or "workout plan") - i.e. some kind of packaged 'product' posted by a user. - that other users can view and ‘transact’ with (buy, subscribe, etc.).

Not wanting an ecommerce system, nor do I want to use a generic CMS. I understand that, for specific applications, certain canned systems, or CMS’s might be the ideal solution. Right now I am looking to see if there is such a system (as I describe) out there that is completely data driven and flexible.

(With this level of flexibility of course means that there is a lot of work in configuring/setting up vs. coding.)

Any ideas or recommendations?

Strongly prefer open source, but wanting to cast a wide net.

CLARIFICATION: My question has little to do with coding. Completely data driven means that the behavior and appearance of the app can be dictated by changing data (in this case, in sql tables).

So while I understand I can code it from ground up, use a framework, hire people to code etc (there are many alternatives) right now I am seeking this data-driven solution and not those other alternatives - though I don't mind tweaks to an open-source codebase to get the system to do what I want (be completely data driven).

Answer 1

Have you worked with Laravel? It alone isn't a solution that would cover every item you've listed here, but it has a huge community and a wide array of tools that could be put together to accomplish what you're looking for.

Laravel's ORM works well as a platform to run your app based on the database (I've built APIs primarily with a database and eloquent models). There's CRUD GUIs, and more complex ones like Voyager (which I found when looking for a PHP version of Django's admin) that can make setup easy. You could use those to create the list based interface you mention.

Laravel also has a view system to make UI easier, but rather than reference all the options, this is a useful list that will give you a great overview of some of the libraries and tools: https://github.com/chiraggude/awesome-laravel#utilities