Modern PHP development for web applications and APIs
PHP is a server-side language that powers a large share of the web, including WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento and Laravel. Modern PHP is fast, typed and well supported, making it a practical choice for web applications and for extending existing PHP systems.
Recent versions of PHP bring strict types, enums, attributes and significant performance gains, and tools such as Composer, PHPStan and PHPUnit support professional engineering practice. Hosting is inexpensive and available almost everywhere. PHP is less suited to long-running processes, heavy concurrency or data science, where Go, Node.js or Python are stronger. We often work on older PHP systems, upgrading versions and adding tests so they can be improved safely.
What we build with PHP
- Laravel and Symfony applications
- WordPress, WooCommerce and Magento extensions
- Legacy PHP upgrades and refactoring
- APIs and third-party integrations
- Custom content and publishing systems
PHP questions
Is PHP still a good choice for new projects?
Yes, for web applications in particular. Modern PHP with a framework such as Laravel is productive, performant and easy to host.
Can you upgrade an old PHP application?
Yes. We assess compatibility, add tests around critical behaviour, upgrade in stages and fix deprecated code so the system runs on a supported PHP version.
Which PHP frameworks do you work with?
We mainly use Laravel for new applications, and also work with Symfony and with platforms built on PHP such as WordPress and WooCommerce. Framework choice depends on the project and any existing code.
How do you make legacy PHP code maintainable?
We add automated tests around existing behaviour, introduce Composer dependency management and modern coding standards, then refactor in small steps. The application keeps running throughout.
Is PHP secure?
Modern PHP is as secure as the code written in it. We use prepared statements, proper password hashing, output escaping, CSRF protection and up-to-date dependencies, and remove unsafe legacy patterns during upgrades.
How fast is modern PHP?
Current PHP versions are significantly faster than older ones and include an opcode cache and JIT compilation. For most web applications, database queries and caching matter far more than language speed.
Is PHP hosting expensive?
PHP is supported by almost every hosting provider, from shared hosting to managed cloud platforms, which keeps hosting options broad and flexible. Costs depend mainly on traffic and infrastructure choices, not the language.
Can PHP integrate with other systems?
Yes. PHP handles REST and SOAP APIs, webhooks, payment gateways, CRMs, accounting systems and file-based imports well. We build integrations with retries and logging so failures are visible.
Can you rescue a PHP project another developer left unfinished?
Yes. We start with a code and security review, document what exists and what is missing, then agree a plan to stabilise and complete it. You keep ownership of the code and repository.
Should we rewrite our PHP application in another language?
Usually not. A rewrite is costly and risky, and modern PHP can meet most needs. We normally recommend incremental modernisation unless there is a clear technical reason to change language.
More backend technologies
Have a project in mind? Let’s talk.
Tell us what you are building. We reply within one business day with next steps — and we are happy to sign an NDA first.