The system is business-critical but too risky to change
A small change could disrupt trading, and nobody wants to be the one who breaks it. I map the system, add safety nets, and make it possible to change code with confidence again.
Available for Ireland modernization projects
Legacy modernization for Ireland
Legacy software modernization Ireland: PHP, Laravel, and WordPress systems
Many established Irish businesses, financial services firms, insurers, professional services, public-sector suppliers, and long-running SMEs, depend on an ageing PHP, Laravel, or WordPress system that is too important to switch off but too risky to touch. I stabilize it and modernize it in careful, incremental steps, so it keeps trading while it gets safer to change.
A good fit for Irish businesses on legacy systems who cannot accept a risky big-bang rewrite, need auditability and compliance to hold up, and need a senior engineer who treats the running business as the priority.
When modernization makes sense
The original developer is gone
The person who built it left years ago, and knowledge of the system left with them. I reconstruct how it works through a structured audit, without needing the original author around.
PHP, Laravel, or WordPress is dangerously out of date
End-of-life PHP, an old framework version, or abandoned plugins with known security issues. I plan and execute a careful upgrade path with backups and rollbacks.
Compliance and auditability are under pressure
Regulators, auditors, or clients are asking questions the current system cannot answer cleanly: who changed what, when, and why. I bring in version control, tests, and a documented change process that holds up to scrutiny.
There is no safe way to test a change before it goes live
Every release is manual, undocumented, and done directly against the live system. I set up staging, automated tests on the critical paths, and a rollback plan so releases stop being a gamble.
Performance and hosting have not kept up
The system was fine years ago but now struggles under load during busy trading periods. I profile it and modernize the parts that matter, including the web server and infrastructure layer.
What modernization includes
A deep audit and roadmap first
Every engagement starts with a deep audit that produces a prioritized roadmap, so you invest in the right order and understand the real state of the system before committing to a plan.
Safety nets before any change
Tests on the critical paths, staging environments, backups, and a rollback plan, so modernization never puts a trading business at risk.
Incremental upgrades, not a rewrite
PHP, Laravel, and dependency upgrades done in controlled steps, each verified before the next, instead of one big risky jump that could take the system down.
Auditability and documentation as you go
Version control, a documented change process, and a written record of the architecture and its risky areas, useful for both compliance and day-to-day handover.
Knowledge transfer and handover
The architecture, the risky areas, and the deploy process written down, so the system is never locked in one person's head again.
How modernization runs
Modernization is delivered in controlled, incremental steps, each scoped and quoted before it starts, so the business keeps trading and is never exposed to a risky big-bang change.
Deep audit
I review the code, dependencies, tests, deployment, and infrastructure, then produce a written report on the real state and risks, including compliance gaps if relevant.
Modernization roadmap
You get a prioritized roadmap: what to stabilize first, what to upgrade, and what can wait, with costs per step.
Incremental delivery
We work through the roadmap in steps, each on staging, tested, and released with a rollback path, timed to avoid disrupting trading.
Handover or ongoing care
You get full documentation and access. If you want, I stay on to keep the system healthy and reduce key-person risk going forward.
Modernization pricing
Starting points for legacy modernization in Ireland
Modernization audit
from €950 one-off
A thorough review of the system that produces a prioritized modernization roadmap with costs per step, including compliance and auditability gaps.
- Code, dependency, and security review
- Tests, deployment, and infrastructure assessment
- Written roadmap with prioritized steps
Incremental modernization
from €2,500 per month
Executing the roadmap in controlled steps: upgrades, tests, and stabilization, each scoped before it starts and timed around your trading calendar.
- Safety nets before changes
- Verified, reversible releases
- Documentation as we go
Targeted rebuild
from €6,000 per project
A scoped rebuild of the parts of the system that are genuinely cheaper to replace than to keep patching, agreed after the audit, not sold before it.
- Scoped from the roadmap
- Staging, testing, and rollback plan included
- Full documentation and handover
Support and maintenance
from €300 per month
Keeping a modernized system healthy: updates, monitoring, and a senior engineer who already knows it, reducing key-person risk long term.
- Managed updates and monitoring
- Priority response for incidents
- Cancel anytime
These are starting points in EUR and depend on the scope and current state of the system. Modernization always starts with an audit, because the cost of the work depends entirely on what is actually there. I work remotely from Spain across Europe, including Ireland, with a working day that overlaps yours.
Production systems maintained and modernized
A couple of long-running production systems I have worked on, including Artnet News, a large media platform, and WebSpellChecker, a commercial platform. Each links to a longer write-up.
MEDIA PLATFORM
Artnet News — Global Art Media Platform
Senior Full-Stack Engineer — Freelance
Full-stack engineering for one of the world's largest art media platforms: 11 custom WordPress plugins, a Leaky Paywall metered subscription…
View case study →- AMP
- Bedrock
- Cloudflare
- Cloudinary
- +17
CORPORATE WEBSITE
WebSpellChecker — Corporate Website & Commercial Platform
WordPress Engineer & Platform Lead
Corporate site and commercial platform built from scratch: WooCommerce subscriptions, a custom licensing REST API, 4 custom plugins, 15+ page…
View case study →- ACF
- Cloudflare
- CSS
- Docker
- +11
Related reading
How I think about performance, infrastructure, and clean architecture when modernizing old systems.
Other things I can help with
WordPress & WooCommerce rescue
Your site is slow, updates break things, or customers cannot complete checkout. I find the real cause, fix the critical path, and leave you with a site your team can safely operate.
Laravel & SaaS development
Turn a product idea or an unfinished platform into software people can actually use and pay for — including subscriptions, onboarding, dashboards, integrations, and reliable releases.
AI automation
Reduce repetitive work with focused tools and workflows: process documents, prepare answers, connect systems, or give your team faster access to internal knowledge.
Legacy modernization
Keep the business running while an old PHP, Laravel, or WordPress system is made safer and easier to change. Improvements are delivered in controlled steps, not as a risky big-bang rewrite.
Monthly technical support
For businesses that need someone to know the system and take care of it every month: updates, monitoring, fixes, and small improvements without briefing a new contractor each time.
Related services and Ireland pages
More on legacy modernization in general, and dedicated pages for Laravel development and web development for Ireland-based clients.
Frequently asked questions
You are remote from Spain, not based in Ireland. Does that work for us?
Yes. I run this as a small remote studio from Spain, not a local office, working with clients across Europe including Ireland. Spain is one hour ahead of Ireland, so the working day overlaps almost fully, and modernization work happens through repository, hosting, and staging access anyway, so location has no practical effect on the result.
Can you take over a system whose original developer has left?
Yes, that is the normal case for this kind of work. The audit exists precisely to reconstruct how the system works, document the risky areas, and remove the dependency on one person, without needing the original developer available.
How do you avoid downtime during trading hours?
Work is done on staging first, tested, and released in small, verified, reversible steps. Anything that genuinely needs a maintenance window is planned with you in advance, outside your busiest trading periods.
Should we rebuild from scratch or modernize incrementally?
Incremental modernization first, in almost every case. A full rewrite is where most modernization projects fail, because it puts a running business on hold for months. I will tell you honestly when a specific piece is genuinely cheaper to rebuild than to keep patching.
We have compliance and audit requirements. Can modernization help with that?
Yes. Version control, tested and documented releases, and a written record of what changed and why are byproducts of doing modernization properly, and they hold up much better to an auditor's questions than an undocumented legacy system.
Who owns the code and the knowledge afterwards?
You do. Everything is documented and handed over: architecture, deploy process, and the reasoning behind decisions. Ongoing support is optional, not a condition of the modernization.
How predictable is the cost?
The audit gives you a written roadmap with a cost per step before any implementation work is agreed, so you are never committing to an open-ended bill. Prices above are starting points in EUR and depend on the state of your system.
Tell me about your legacy system
Describe the system, its stack and version, and what is making it risky to run. I read every message and reply personally, usually within one business day.