Services

PHP & Laravel development for business applications

Experienced development support for maintaining, modernising and extending existing applications, as well as selected new projects.

I work with businesses that rely on PHP and Laravel applications to support their operations, customers and workflows. Whether you need someone to maintain an existing system, tackle technical debt, develop new functionality or take over an application from another developer, I can provide experienced development support without the need for a full-time hire.

Application Support & Maintenance

Keep your existing PHP or Laravel application reliable, secure and moving forward.

I provide ongoing development and maintenance for applications that need regular attention but don't justify employing a full-time developer. This can work particularly well as a monthly arrangement, giving you an experienced developer who becomes familiar with your application and can deal with issues and improvements as they arise.

  • Bug investigation and fixes
  • PHP, Laravel and package updates
  • Security and dependency maintenance
  • Performance investigation and optimisation
  • Database and application troubleshooting
  • Small improvements and ongoing development

Legacy Application Modernisation

Modernise an ageing PHP application without throwing away what already works.

Older applications often contain valuable business logic that has evolved over many years. Replacing everything at once is rarely practical. I can help modernise an application incrementally, reducing technical debt while keeping the existing system running.

  • PHP and Laravel version upgrades
  • Legacy code refactoring
  • Technical debt reduction
  • Improving application architecture
  • Introducing or improving automated tests
  • Replacing outdated components and dependencies

New Features & Development

Extend your application as your business and users evolve.

I can work within an existing codebase to develop new functionality and business workflows, from relatively small enhancements through to larger self-contained features.

  • New application features
  • Business workflows
  • Administration and customer portals
  • Reporting and dashboards
  • Background processing and queues
  • Data imports and exports

Ongoing support

A developer you can rely on month to month

If your application is important to the business but you don't need a full-time developer, an ongoing monthly arrangement can provide a practical alternative.

We agree a monthly allocation based on your application's needs. I can then work through a changing list of priorities rather than requiring every piece of work to be specified as a separate project.

Depending on your requirements, ongoing work might include:

  • Fixing bugs and investigating problems
  • Keeping PHP, Laravel and dependencies up to date
  • Developing smaller features and improvements
  • Maintaining and improving legacy code
  • Reviewing technical issues and suggesting practical solutions
  • Providing additional development capacity when required

The arrangement is intended to be flexible. Priorities can change from month to month as the needs of the business change, and the level of support can be discussed around the requirements of the application.

Additional services

I can also help when you need specialist development input or are taking over an existing application.

Application Takeover

Taking over a PHP or Laravel application from another developer or agency can be difficult, particularly when documentation and testing are limited.

I can assess the existing codebase, identify immediate risks and establish a practical plan for ongoing maintenance and development.

APIs & Integrations

Connect your application to third-party services and other business systems through APIs and integrations.

I have experience working with REST, SOAP and third-party services including DocuSign and AWS services.

Selected New Projects

Although my primary focus is existing business applications, I also take on selected small, well-defined projects where there's a good fit.

This can include bespoke business applications, internal tools, customer portals and other PHP/Laravel projects.

Technical Reviews

If you're unsure about the state of an application, I can review the codebase and provide an experienced assessment of its architecture, technical debt, dependencies, testing and development risks.

Technologies

My primary expertise is PHP and Laravel, supported by a broad full-stack and infrastructure background.

Backend: PHP, Laravel, Slim, MySQL, REST

Frontend: Vue, Livewire, Alpine, Tailwind CSS, JavaScript, Blade

Infrastructure: Linux, AWS, Docker, Git, CI/CD

Testing & architecture: PHPUnit, TDD, SOLID, OOP

Getting started

How we can work together

Every project is different, so I keep the process straightforward. You don't need to have everything worked out before getting in touch.

1. Tell me what you need

Get in touch with a brief description of your application, the problem you're experiencing, or what you'd like to build. There's no need to prepare a detailed specification before we talk.

2. We look at the application

For an existing application, we can arrange the most appropriate way for me to understand the codebase. Depending on the project, this might include:

  • GitHub or GitLab access
  • A private repository or temporary access
  • A development or staging environment
  • A screen-share or application walkthrough
  • Existing documentation and technical information

3. Agree the work

For smaller, well-defined tasks, we can simply agree what needs doing and get started. For larger pieces of work, I'll outline the proposed approach, scope and estimated time before proceeding. If you're looking for ongoing support, we can also discuss a suitable monthly arrangement.

4. Development and communication

I'll work on the agreed tasks and keep you updated as appropriate. Changes can be made through your existing Git workflow, with code reviewed and deployed through your normal process. If you don't have an established development workflow, we can agree a simple approach that works for you.

5. Ongoing support

If you need continuing help, we can move to an ongoing monthly arrangement covering maintenance, bug fixes and incremental improvements. This provides continuity without the commitment of employing a full-time developer.

Have an application that needs attention?

Whether you need help maintaining an existing application, developing a new feature or have a small new project in mind, I'd be happy to discuss it.

Get in touch