The latest articles on DEV Community by Front End Engineer (@front_endengineer_07d566). https://dev.to/front_endengineer_07d566 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3733885%2F176be72f-4bbe-4c41-bc82-7b2358d776a9.png https://dev.to/front_endengineer_07d566 en Front End Engineer Tue, 27 Jan 2026 01:48:22 +0000 https://dev.to/front_endengineer_07d566/why-i-built-a-shared-read-only-calendar-for-families-and-small-teams-47h6 https://dev.to/front_endengineer_07d566/why-i-built-a-shared-read-only-calendar-for-families-and-small-teams-47h6 <h1> Why I Built a Shared, Read-Only Calendar for Families and Small Teams </h1> <p>When you have multiple people, multiple calendars, and a busy schedule, coordination breaks down quickly.</p> <p>I built <strong>ComingUp.today</strong> after running into the same problem repeatedly: important events existed, but visibility didn’t. Someone always missed something, or found out too late that a conflict existed.</p> <p>This wasn’t a tooling problem — everyone already had a calendar. It was a <strong>shared awareness</strong> problem.</p> <h2> The problem with “just share your calendar” </h2> <p>Most calendar tools assume:</p> <ul> <li>Everyone is comfortable sharing full access</li> <li>Everyone wants to edit events</li> <li>Everyone checks the same app regularly</li> </ul> <p>In real life, that’s rarely true — especially for families or small teams.</p> <p>What people usually want is:</p> <ul> <li>A single place to see what’s coming up</li> <li>Without granting edit access</li> <li>Without replacing the calendar tools they already use</li> </ul> <h2> A read-only aggregation approach </h2> <p>The core idea behind ComingUp.today is simple:</p> <ul> <li>Connect calendars you already use</li> <li>Display them together in one shared view</li> <li>Keep everything <strong>read-only</strong> </li> </ul> <p>Multiple people can connect their own calendars, and each workspace controls which calendars are visible, making it possible to see an aggregate view across people without exposing everything.</p> <p>This avoids permission issues, accidental edits, and “who changed this?” moments.</p> <p>It also makes the system suitable for shared displays — for example, a tablet or monitor in a common space where anyone can glance at the day or week ahead.</p> <h2> Why read-only matters </h2> <p>Read-only access has a few important advantages:</p> <ul> <li>Lower trust barrier when connecting accounts</li> <li>Clear ownership of events</li> <li>Fewer sync conflicts</li> <li>Simpler mental model for non-technical users</li> </ul> <p>The goal isn’t to replace calendars — it’s to make schedules visible.</p> <h2> Built for real households (and small teams) </h2> <p>The design is shaped around real usage:</p> <ul> <li>Busy households with overlapping schedules</li> <li>Small teams that need visibility without shared editing</li> <li>Mixed personal and shared events</li> </ul> <p>The focus is clarity, not features for their own sake.</p> <h2> Privacy-first by default </h2> <p>The system only displays what users explicitly authorize.<br> Access can be revoked at any time, and visibility is configurable per workspace.</p> <p>It’s intentionally not designed to store or manage sensitive data, and it works best when event titles remain high-level and practical.</p> <h2> Current status </h2> <p>The product is live and under active development.</p> <p>If you’re curious about the approach or want to see how a shared, read-only schedule works</p> <p><a href="https://www.comingup.today" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.comingup.today</a></p> webdev saas productivity