// How to build
Your first client portal: what actually needs to be in it?
A place for clients to see their work, files and next steps. Start with those three things before adding a dozen more.
A client portal gives a client one place to find the information they usually ask you for. It doesn’t need to run your entire business.
Start by writing down the three questions you answer most often. “What happens next?”, “Where’s the file?” and “When is this due?” are good examples.
The first version
Give the client a clear project page with:
- A project name and status.
- The next step, who needs to do it and a due date.
- A list of the files or links you have deliberately shared.
- A way to find your contact details.
Keep your private notes separate from information the client is allowed to see.
Plan the information
A starting data plan might include clients, projects, tasks and shared resources. Each project belongs to a client. Each task and resource belongs to a project.
Don’t assume that adding a client’s email to a record makes it private. Access rules need to enforce which signed-in account owns or can access the record.
Give Base44 a focused brief
Help me plan a client portal for my [business type]. A client should sign in, see only their own projects, see the next action and open resources shared with them. An admin should manage projects. Propose the entities, relationships and record access rules before implementing one complete project journey. Keep private notes out of client-readable records.
Ask for a simple empty state for a client who hasn’t been assigned a project yet.
Test the bit that matters most
Create two fictional clients and one project for each. Sign in as each client. Check the list, individual project pages and links to resources.
Try opening the other client’s project URL. The app must refuse access, rather than relying on that project being absent from the navigation.
Files need their own access checks. A private-looking page does not make a publicly shared file URL private.
Add more only when you need it
Approvals, messaging and payments can come later. Use the first version with a small test project. If it helps clients know what happens next, you have a useful starting point.