WhatsApp
PHP
Laravel
MySQL
WordPress
DockerWhy PHP
PHP powers a large share of the web, from WordPress sites to custom business applications. Modern PHP 8 is fast, strongly typed where you want it and supported by excellent frameworks such as Laravel and Symfony.
When PHP is the right choice
| Use cases | |
|---|---|
| Great fit | Business web apps, portals, CMS-driven sites, WordPress and WooCommerce, affordable hosting |
| Less ideal | Long-running real-time services, where Node.js or Go are usually simpler |
What we build with PHP
Custom web apps
Portals, booking systems and internal tools in Laravel or Symfony.
Legacy PHP upgrades
PHP 5 and 7 applications upgraded to PHP 8 safely.
APIs & integrations
REST APIs and connectors to payment, CRM and ERP systems.
WordPress & WooCommerce
Custom themes, plugins and stores.
Our PHP stack
Upgrading legacy PHP applications safely
Many businesses run critical systems on PHP 5 or PHP 7, versions that no longer receive security updates. Hosting providers are dropping support, and libraries the application depends on may have known vulnerabilities. Upgrading is essential, but jumping straight to PHP 8 can break code in subtle ways: removed functions, stricter type handling and changed behaviour for edge cases.
We upgrade in controlled steps. First, we add characterisation tests around the most important behaviour and set up a staging environment that mirrors production. Static analysis tools such as PHPStan and Rector identify incompatible code and can automate many fixes. We then move through PHP versions one at a time, updating dependencies and testing at each step, before switching production over with a rollback plan ready.
Modern PHP in practice
- Typed properties and return types catch errors early.
- Enums, readonly properties and match expressions make business logic clearer.
- Composer and PSR standards keep dependencies and code organisation consistent.
- OPcache and JIT deliver strong performance for web workloads.
- Static analysis with PHPStan or Psalm brings compile-time-style safety.
PHP and WordPress: when to use which
WordPress is built in PHP, and many businesses wonder whether a project should be a WordPress site or a custom PHP application. The rule of thumb is simple: if most of the value is content that editors publish and manage, WordPress is usually faster and cheaper. If most of the value is in workflows, data and business logic — bookings, portals, calculations, approvals — a custom Laravel or Symfony application gives a cleaner foundation. Many companies use both, connected through APIs.
Choosing a PHP framework
Most new PHP work today happens inside a framework rather than in hand-rolled code. The framework decides how routing, database access, security and testing work, so it shapes the whole life of the application. The main options compare like this:
| Framework | Strengths | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Laravel | Fast to build with, huge ecosystem (queues, auth, billing, admin panels), excellent documentation | SaaS products, portals, business apps, APIs |
| Symfony | Reusable components, strict structure, long-term support releases | Large enterprise systems and long-lived platforms |
| WordPress | Content editing, plugins and themes out of the box | Content-led sites and marketing platforms |
| Slim / micro-frameworks | Very small footprint | Small APIs and single-purpose services |
For most custom applications we recommend Laravel; for content-heavy sites, WordPress is often the better tool.
Performance in modern PHP
PHP has become considerably faster since version 7, and PHP 8 added a JIT compiler and many engine optimisations. In real applications, though, speed is rarely limited by the language. It is limited by slow database queries, missing caches and work done during the request that should happen in the background.
- OPcache enabled and sized correctly, so scripts are compiled once
- Query optimisation — indexes, eager loading to avoid N+1 queries, and pagination
- Caching with Redis for sessions, configuration and expensive results
- Queues for emails, exports, image processing and third-party calls
- Long-running workers such as Laravel Octane, FrankenPHP or RoadRunner where request start-up cost matters
Testing and code quality
PHP projects that last are the ones that can be changed safely. We set up the quality tooling on day one rather than retrofitting it after the codebase has grown:
- PHPUnit or Pest tests for business rules, plus feature tests for key HTTP flows
- Static analysis with PHPStan or Psalm at a level that catches real type errors
- Consistent formatting with PHP-CS-Fixer or Laravel Pint, enforced in CI
- Dependency auditing with Composer to flag packages with known vulnerabilities
- Browser tests with Playwright or Laravel Dusk for the most important user journeys
Deployment and hosting options
| Option | Good for | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| Managed PHP hosting (Forge, Ploi, Cloudways) | Small to mid-sized apps with simple needs | Less control over scaling |
| Containers on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud | Apps needing autoscaling and repeatable environments | More setup and DevOps skill required |
| Serverless PHP (Laravel Vapor, Bref) | Spiky traffic and minimal server management | Cold starts and platform limits |
| Traditional VPS | Budget projects and legacy apps | Patching and backups are your responsibility |
Whichever option fits, we deploy through an automated pipeline with zero-downtime releases. See CI/CD implementation.
Questions to ask a PHP development partner
- Which PHP version will the application run on, and how will upgrades be handled?
- How do you prevent SQL injection, XSS and CSRF in your code reviews?
- What test coverage do you aim for on business-critical logic?
- How will background jobs and scheduled tasks be monitored?
- Will we own the repository, hosting accounts and deployment scripts?
PHP version support and upgrade planning
Each PHP release receives active support for about two years and security fixes for a further period, after which it stops receiving patches. Running an unsupported version means known vulnerabilities stay open and hosting providers eventually drop it. We recommend planning an upgrade at least once a year, while the jump between versions is still small.
A typical upgrade involves running the test suite on the new version, using automated tools such as Rector to update deprecated syntax, updating Composer packages that require newer PHP, and deploying to a staging environment for a full regression check before production. Applications without tests get a safety net of characterisation tests first, so behaviour that users rely on is preserved.
Signs a PHP application needs modernising
- It runs on a PHP version that no longer receives security fixes
- Business logic is mixed directly into HTML templates
- There are no automated tests, so every change needs manual checking
- Deployments involve copying files to the server by hand
- Only one developer understands how the system works
None of these require a rewrite. See legacy software modernization.
How we work
- Discovery and architecture — a short design phase that agrees structure, data model and hosting.
- Two-week sprints — working software on a staging environment, with code reviews on every change.
- Automated tests and CI/CD — tests and quality checks run before anything reaches production.
- Documentation and handover — setup guides, architecture notes and API documentation.
Building with Laravel? See Laravel development. Hiring? See hire PHP developers. For complete products, see custom software development.
This page is part of Backend Development Services — see the full overview for related services, approach and pricing.