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Laravel & PHP Development

The Laravel development company that modernises PHP without a rewrite

BinaryBrill is a Laravel development company offering PHP development services for teams that need a working, maintainable application built quickly, and just as often for teams stuck with the older half of PHP nobody wants to touch. Hire Laravel developers from our in-house senior team for custom PHP web application development, whether that means a new build or bringing an old one back onto solid ground.

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A senior engineer replies within 24 hours — not a sales rep.

The PHP problems that outlast whoever wrote the code

The application predates Laravel, and it shows

PHP 7 or earlier, custom framework code nobody documented, and business logic scattered across files with no consistent structure. It works, mostly, which is exactly why nobody has been given the budget to fix it — until a security vulnerability or a hosting deadline forces the question.

There's no test suite, so every change is a gamble

Nothing verifies that a fix in one place doesn't break something in another, so changes get made cautiously, slowly, and with a round of manual testing that never quite covers everything. The codebase isn't fragile because PHP is fragile — it's fragile because nobody wrote down what it's supposed to do.

The hosting arrangement is something nobody wants to touch

Manual FTP deploys, shared hosting with no staging environment, and a server nobody remembers the credentials for until it's needed urgently. Every deployment is a small act of faith, and the team most equipped to fix that is the one avoiding the server the hardest.

The platform choice was never actually decided

A custom Laravel build was commissioned to do what WordPress and WooCommerce already do well, and the maintenance cost has been higher ever since — or the reverse: a genuinely bespoke workflow got squeezed into a WordPress site until every plugin update risks breaking something load-bearing. Neither direction was a deliberate decision at the time.

How a Laravel development company modernises without starting over

Laravel remains one of the fastest routes from requirement to a working, maintainable application, and modern PHP is a long way from its reputation. Most of the work is bringing an older codebase up to that standard without throwing away years of working business logic.

Tests added before behaviour changes, not after

On a legacy codebase, the first work is a test suite covering current behaviour — not the behaviour we assume it should have. That gives us, and your team, a way to know a change hasn't broken something else, which is the precondition for modernising confidently rather than cautiously.

Laravel used as intended, not fought against

Queues, scheduling, Eloquent models and Blade or Livewire interfaces handle the things Laravel already does well, so the application doesn't carry hand-rolled versions of features the framework provides. Custom framework code from an older build gets moved onto Laravel's conventions incrementally, one module at a time.

The right tool chosen deliberately, not inherited

Where a content platform is genuinely the right tool, WordPress and WooCommerce get the job done faster and cheaper than a bespoke build. Where the workflow is specific enough that a CMS fights you at every step, a proper Laravel application is worth the extra initial cost. We make that call explicitly rather than defaulting to whichever tool the last developer preferred.

A deployment pipeline that replaces the FTP folder

Version-controlled deployments through CI/CD, a staging environment, and a hosting setup someone other than the original developer can operate. This alone removes most of the anxiety around shipping changes to an older application.

What this covers

Pick the piece you need, or bring us the problem and we'll tell you which applies.

Custom PHP Web Application Development

Laravel applications built for a workflow specific enough that a content platform or a generic plugin doesn't cover it. Custom PHP web application development here means queues, scheduling, Eloquent models and a Blade or Livewire interface applied properly, not a WordPress site stretched past what it's designed for.

Laravel applications with queues, scheduling, Eloquent models and Blade or Livewire interfaces
Multi-tenant and role-based applications where access logic is genuinely complex
Payment and subscription billing integrated with proper handling of failed and recurring charges
Architecture built for a maintainable second and third year, not just the initial launch

Legacy PHP Modernisation & PHP Development Services

Most of what reaches us is the older half of PHP: version 7 or earlier, custom framework code, no tests, and a hosting arrangement nobody wants to touch. Our PHP development services bring that codebase forward incrementally, with tests added before any behaviour changes rather than after something breaks.

PHP version upgrades run incrementally, with regression tests in place before behaviour changes
Custom framework code migrated onto Laravel conventions module by module
Test suites built to cover current behaviour before any modernisation begins
Deployment pipelines replacing manual FTP or cPanel deploys with version-controlled CI/CD

WordPress & WooCommerce Development

WordPress and WooCommerce remain the right tool for a genuine content platform or a storefront that doesn't need bespoke checkout logic. We build and maintain on that platform where it's actually the right call, rather than defaulting every project to a custom Laravel build regardless of fit.

WordPress builds with custom themes and Advanced Custom Fields for editorial workflows
WooCommerce stores with custom checkout, shipping and inventory logic where the defaults fall short
Plugin audits and performance work on sites that have accumulated too many of them
Security hardening and update discipline for sites that have been neglected

API Layers & Legacy PHP Integration

An existing PHP system often has real, working business logic that a mobile app or a partner now needs to reach — and the honest answer is rarely to rewrite the core. We build an API layer that exposes what's needed without disturbing the system underneath it.

API layers exposing an existing PHP system to a mobile app or partner without rewriting the core
Authentication and rate limiting added to systems that were never designed to be called externally
Data synchronisation between a legacy PHP system and newer services
Documented API contracts so external consumers integrate against something stable

Hire Laravel Developers for Your Team

You can hire Laravel developers from our in-house team on a dedicated basis, working inside your existing repository and process rather than as a detached delivery team you coordinate with at arm's length.

Dedicated Laravel and PHP engineers embedded in your existing team, sprint process and code review
Engineers experienced with both modern Laravel and legacy PHP codebases
Flexible scaling as roadmap and modernisation timelines change
Direct communication with the engineer doing the work, not an account management layer

The stack we build on

Chosen to fit the problem — not because it's what we used last time.

Core framework

Laravel
PHP 8
Eloquent ORM
Blade
Livewire

CMS & commerce

WordPress
WooCommerce
Advanced Custom Fields
Statamic

Data & queues

MySQL
PostgreSQL
Redis
Laravel Horizon
Laravel Queues

Testing & deploy

PHPUnit
Pest
Docker
Laravel Forge
GitHub Actions

How we'll work together

Every stage ends with something in your hands — not a status update.

01
Codebase and hosting audit
We establish the PHP version, whether the application runs on Laravel or custom framework code, what test coverage exists (often none), and exactly what the current hosting and deployment process looks like.
You get: A written assessment covering PHP version, framework status, test coverage, hosting risk, and a prioritised list of what's actually holding the application back.
02
Test suite and reference feature
Before changing behaviour, we write tests covering how the application currently works, then build or refactor one feature end to end on Laravel conventions to establish the pattern the rest of the modernisation will follow.
You get: A test suite covering current behaviour, a working reference feature, and a documented conventions guide.
03
Build or modernise incrementally
New builds proceed in two-week sprints against a staging environment. Legacy modernisation moves module by module, verified against the test suite at each step, so the application keeps working for real users throughout.
You get: Working software on a staging URL every sprint, with modernised modules released to production as they complete.
04
Deployment pipeline and handover
We replace manual FTP or cPanel deploys with a version-controlled CI/CD pipeline and a hosting setup documented well enough for another developer to operate without the original author in the room.
You get: A CI/CD deployment pipeline, hosting documentation, and handover sessions with your team.

Where we've applied this

Professional services

Client portals and operational tools where Laravel gets a working system in front of users quickly without leaving an unmaintainable codebase behind.

Retail & e-commerce

WooCommerce stores where the content and catalogue side is well served by WordPress, with custom Laravel services handling checkout logic a plugin can't.

Media & publishing

Content-heavy sites built on WordPress where editorial workflow matters more than custom application logic, kept fast and secure without over-engineering.

Hospitality & travel

Booking and content sites combining a marketing presence that needs regular editorial updates with a reservation flow that needs real application logic.

Education

Course and enrolment platforms combining public content pages that must rank with an authenticated area that has to stay responsive during enrolment peaks.

Non-profit & membership organisations

Membership and donation platforms where Laravel handles recurring billing and access logic that WordPress plugins tend to handle poorly at scale.

Questions buyers ask us

Is Laravel the right choice for our project, or should we use a CMS instead?

If the core need is publishing content and selling products through fairly standard workflows, WordPress and WooCommerce will get you there faster and cheaper, and we'll recommend them. If the workflow is specific enough that you'd be fighting a CMS's assumptions at every turn — custom access logic, non-standard billing, an internal tool with real business rules — Laravel is the better foundation. We make that call explicitly during scoping rather than defaulting to whichever we happen to prefer.

Should we modernise our existing PHP application or rewrite it in Laravel?

Modernise incrementally far more often than a rewrite is worth it. A legacy PHP application usually contains years of business rules that exist nowhere else, and a rewrite spends its first months rediscovering them through bug reports. We recommend a full rewrite only when the existing code has no structure worth preserving at all — which happens, but it's the exception. Moving custom code onto Laravel's conventions module by module, with tests added first, gets you to the same destination with far less risk.

What drives the cost of a Laravel or PHP project, and how long does it take?

On a new build, the number of distinct workflows and integrations. On a modernisation, the state of the existing code matters more than anything else — a lack of tests is frequently the largest hidden cost, because it has to be addressed before any change can be made safely. A focused feature or a WooCommerce build is typically weeks; modernising an untested legacy application runs months, driven mostly by how much test coverage has to be built first.

How do you handle sensitive data, especially on a WooCommerce or e-commerce build?

Payment data is handled through PCI-compliant providers rather than touched directly wherever possible, credentials are kept out of application code, and access to customer data is scoped rather than broadly available across the codebase. On an inherited application, part of the audit is checking what the current hosting and code actually do with sensitive data before we commit to a modernisation plan.

When is Laravel or PHP the wrong tool?

When the application is dominated by real-time features at scale — live collaboration, high-frequency WebSocket traffic — where a Node.js backend is usually a better architectural fit. And when the actual need is a content platform or a fairly standard online store, where WordPress and WooCommerce will get you to the same outcome for less money and less ongoing maintenance. We'd rather say so during scoping than build a bespoke Laravel application where a CMS would have done the job.

Can we hire Laravel developers to join our existing team rather than run a separate project?

Yes, and it's a common arrangement. Engineers work inside your repository, your branching model and your code review from day one, matching your existing conventions rather than importing new ones.

Our PHP application has no tests and is years old. Is it worth saving?

Usually, yes. The absence of tests explains why the codebase feels risky to touch, not why it's beyond saving — those are different problems. We start by writing tests that capture how the application actually behaves today, which gives you a way to verify that modernisation work hasn't broken anything, then move the code onto Laravel's conventions incrementally. It's rare that we recommend starting over entirely.

Who writes the code, and how experienced are they?

Our own in-house engineers in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab — 45+ of them, with over a decade of combined delivery experience, delivering for clients in 15+ countries. Nothing is subcontracted. You meet the engineers who will be on your project before you sign, and the person demonstrating the sprint is the person who wrote it.

How do you decide between Laravel and another backend stack like Node.js or .NET?

Speed to a working application, the shape of the workflow, and what your team can maintain afterwards. See our broader page on choosing between stacks for how we weigh Laravel against Node.js, .NET and the frontend frameworks it often pairs with — the short version is that Laravel tends to win when you need a maintainable application quickly without heavy real-time or enterprise-identity requirements.

Building something new in Laravel, or rescuing an old PHP application?

Tell us what the application does and what state the code is in. A senior engineer replies within 24 hours with a straight view on whether to modernise, rebuild, or move it onto WordPress instead.

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