Freelancer Nodes Overview

Freelancer Nodes are dedicated portals for independent crew members working in the AV, event, and production industries. Each freelancer gets their own workspace at nodes.nexusrms.io/fl/{identifier}, complete with an isolated database, a unified schedule across all connected companies, and tools for invoicing, compliance, and availability management.

Three-tier architecture

Freelancer Nodes operate across three database layers to ensure complete data privacy and separation:

• Central database — The node_registry table stores each Node’s identity, subscription status (subscription_tier), and Stripe billing references. This is the single source of truth for Node existence.
• Isolated Node database — Every freelancer receives their own PostgreSQL database (node_freelancer_{id}). This contains personal profile data, connections, activities, time entries, invoices, and equipment (PRO only). No other freelancer or company can access this database.
• Core Tenant databases — Company databases where booking records, crew assignments, and payment histories are stored. When a freelancer works with a company, relevant data is synchronised to both databases (dual-database storage).

Subscription tiers

Freelancer Nodes offer three tiers to suit different working patterns:

• FREE (£0/month) — Up to 5 company connections per month. Includes profile, schedule, PDF invoicing, calendar sync, and compliance tracking. The node_type is set to freelancer_free.
• LITE (£9.99/month) — Up to 20 company connections per month. Adds GPS time-clock tracking and unlimited invoicing. The node_type is set to freelancer_lite.
• PRO (£19.99/month) — Unlimited company connections. Adds personal equipment inventory, own projects, tax tools (vat_registered, vat_number, default_tax_rate), and team formation. The node_type is set to freelancer_pro.

Key concepts

• NodeUser — The authenticated freelancer within their Node database. Stored in the node_users table with fields for personal details, PLI, skills, rates, banking, and notification preferences.
• NodeConnection — A record linking a freelancer to a Core Tenant company. Stored in the node_connections table with connection_type (standard, primary, blocked) and status (active, inactive, pending, blocked).
• node_identifier — A unique alphanumeric identifier assigned at registration. This forms the URL path: nodes.nexusrms.io/fl/{node_identifier}.
• profile_completion_percentage — A calculated score (0–100) based on weighted sections: personal details (20%), compliance (25%), banking (15%), day rates (15%), skills (15%), and terms (10%).

Employment model

Freelancers are not employees. They maintain independent profiles, connect to multiple companies simultaneously, set their own rates, and submit their own invoices. Each company sees only what the freelancer’s privacy settings allow — controlled by the profile_visibility, share_availability, share_skills, and share_rates toggles.

Dual-database storage

When a freelancer clocks time or signs a document for a company, the record is stored in both the Core Tenant database (for the company’s records) and the Freelancer Node database (for the freelancer’s records). This ensures both parties have an independent, tamper-proof copy.

How companies interact

Companies invite freelancers via their public join-crew page at {subdomain}.nexusrms.io/join-crew. The auto-connect workflow requires no approval — freelancers connect instantly, provided they have not reached their tier’s connection limit. Companies can also send direct invitations with optional lifetime subscription discounts (discount_percentage).

From the company side, connected freelancers appear in the Crew module. Companies can view profiles, check availability, assign crew to projects, and track compliance status. The FreelancerConnection model in the Core Tenant database stores performance metrics including jobs_completed, total_hours_worked, total_amount_invoiced, and average_rating.

Core features across all tiers

Every Freelancer Node, regardless of subscription tier, includes the following capabilities:

• Professional profile — 60+ fields covering personal details, skills, certifications, rates, banking, and document settings
• Company connections — Auto-connect to rental companies with no approval delays
• Unified schedule — Aggregated calendar showing bookings from all connected companies
• PDF invoicing — Generate and send branded invoices without Stripe Connect
• Calendar sync — Bidirectional sync with Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, and Apple iCloud
• Compliance tracking — Automated PLI and certification expiry monitoring with email reminders at 90, 30, 7, and 0 days
• Activity feed — Real-time updates from all connected companies, filterable by company and activity type
• Messages — Direct communication channel with connected companies

Sidebar navigation

The Freelancer Node sidebar provides access to the following sections:

1. Dashboard — Stats, activity feed, upcoming jobs, quick actions
2. Profile — Personal details, PLI, skills, rates, banking, documents
3. Companies — Connected companies, pending invitations, connection management
4. Schedule — Calendar view of bookings across all connected companies
5. Invoices — Create, send, and track PDF invoices
6. Time Clock — Clock in/out with optional GPS verification (LITE+)
7. Equipment — Personal equipment inventory (PRO only)
8. Compliance — Certifications, PLI status, expiry tracking
9. Messages — Communication with connected companies
10. Settings — Account, notifications, privacy, two-factor authentication
11. Subscription — Current plan, usage, upgrade options

Next steps

Continue to the next article to learn how to create a Freelancer Node account, whether you are registering directly or arriving via a company’s join-crew page.