Development
App rescue & modernisation
Apps built fast with AI tools that aren't safe to launch yet, and older PHP, Laravel or Node.js apps stuck on versions that no longer get fixes.
In short
App rescue is taking software that works in a demo but isn't safe or stable, often built fast with AI tools or left on old versions, and making it fit for real customers. We review it, close security holes, add tests and upgrade PHP, Laravel or Node.js step by step. It starts with a paid review, then a fixed quote.
It works on your laptop. We make it work for your customers.
Two kinds of code land with us. New apps built in Lovable, Bolt, Replit or Cursor that look finished but hide missing permission checks, secrets in the code and no tests. And older apps that have run for years on PHP 7 or an old Node.js, quietly falling out of security support.
Both start the same way: a written review, ranked by risk. Then the security holes, then tests around the flows that matter, then the upgrade in small steps while the app keeps running. A recent one went from Laravel 7 on PHP 7.2 to Laravel 13 on PHP 8.5 in 3 days, with no downtime.
We'd rather fix what you have than rewrite it. A rewrite only makes sense when the review shows the foundations can't hold, and if that's the case we'll show you why.
Is this for you?
You'll get the most out of this if
- You built your app with Lovable, Bolt, Replit or Cursor and want to launch it
- Your app works, but you're not sure it's safe to put paying customers on it
- Your site runs on PHP 7, an old Laravel release, or Node.js 20 or older
- The last emergency security patch skipped you because your version was too old
- A previous developer left and nobody wants to touch the code
Deliverables
What you walk away with
- 01
A plain-English review
What's there, what's risky and what it'll take to fix, ranked by what could hurt you first. You keep it either way.
- 02
Security fixes first
Secrets moved out of the code, permission checks added on the server, inputs checked, and outdated or made-up packages replaced.
- 03
Tests around what matters
Sign-in, payments and the main flows get tests before anything big changes, so the next edit, by a person or an AI, can't break them quietly.
- 04
The upgrade, one step at a time
PHP to 8.x, Laravel to a supported release, Node.js to 22 or 24, each step tested on staging with the app running in between.
Timeline
How the project runs
Typical timings for a first live version. We confirm yours in writing after discovery.
Week 1
Review
We read the code, run it and write down what we find. You get the review and a fixed quote.
Weeks 1 to 2
Make it safe
The security fixes, starting with whatever is open to the internet.
Alongside
Add tests
Tests around the flows that matter, written against the old version first.
In steps
Upgrade
Versions moved up one at a time and checked after each, then one planned switch on the live site.
Usual stackPHP, Laravel, Laravel Shift, Node.js, Next.js, React, TypeScript, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Docker, Pest, Claude Code
Why a small studio
The person who scopes your project is the one who builds it, and the one who picks up when it breaks at 2am.
- The founder is on your project
- Hussain leads every build himself. You won't brief an account manager who briefs a developer who briefs someone else.
- Three people, the output of ten
- We build with Claude, Codex and our own agent tooling every day. A small senior team now covers what used to need a department.
- We stay after launch
- Evals before every release, a log of each AI decision, cost limits and someone on call. Month six matters more to us than demo day.
- Your repo, your cloud
- The code sits in your GitHub and runs in your AWS, GCP or Azure account from the first commit, on tools your next hire already knows.
- Projects shipped
- 115
- since 2014
- Clients served
- 53
- US, UK, EU, Middle East, APAC
- Average rating
- 5.0
- 113 of 113 rated jobs
- Years shipping software
- 18
- the founder, since 2008
FAQ
Questions people ask
Should we fix our app or start again?
Usually fix it. A rewrite throws away everything that already works and takes months. We only suggest one when the review shows the foundations can't hold.
Our app was built with AI tools. Is that a problem?
Not by itself. AI tools are good at getting features working fast and weak on the parts nobody sees: permissions, secrets, error handling and tests. That's what our review looks for.
How long does a Laravel upgrade take?
Less than most people expect, when it's done one version at a time with tests first. We recently took a SaaS app from Laravel 7 on PHP 7.2 to Laravel 13 on PHP 8.5 in 3 days: 2 days of changes and 1 day of testing, with no downtime.
Which versions can you upgrade from?
Old PHP 5 and 7 apps, older Laravel releases and Node.js 20 or older. Very old code takes more steps, with the same approach.
Will the site go down during the upgrade?
It shouldn't. Every step is tested on a staging copy first, and the live switch happens once, at a quiet time, with a way back.
How much does it cost?
The review is a small fixed fee. After it you get a fixed quote for the fixes or the upgrade, so there's no open-ended bill.
Keep exploring
Goes well with
- Node.jsAPIs, real-time systems and integrations in Node.js and TypeScript that stay fast under load.
- Laravel & PHPSecure, maintainable Laravel applications, upgrades and rescues, from a team that has written PHP since 2008.
- Server security & patchingWhen PHP, Node.js or your server ships an urgent fix, we patch every server you have the same day, check it worked and tell you.
Start here
Let's scope yours.
Send a few lines about the workflow or product. You'll hear back from Hussain within a working day with questions, a rough shape and a ballpark.