I use SQL/SSH as the admin interface at first. Then I gradually migrate things to a web-based version for tasks that are common or need to be accessible by othe

I use SQL/SSH as the admin interface at first. Then I gradually migrate things to a web-based version for tasks that are common or need to be accessible by others. For me the slowest part about implementing most of an app's functionality is making it simple and hand-holding. For admin functionality I only do that when it's really helpful, the rest of the time it's barebones, which means it's fast to do. Security wise I highly recommend putting all the admin functionality on a VPN/tunneled-only accessible URL/IP/Server with appropriate IP ACLs. This prevents a lot of the most common types of security mistakes from becoming big problems.