Backend development
Node.js, Express, application logic, databases, authentication and the services sitting behind the visible website.
ONGOING_DEVELOPMENT // SUPPORT
Ongoing development support
A developer who stays with the system.
Not every business needs another rebuild. Sometimes you need an experienced developer who can understand the system you already have, fix what is causing problems, improve what is working and remain available as the platform continues to evolve.
I provide ongoing development support for established ecommerce platforms and web applications — covering backend development, integrations, frontend work, infrastructure and production troubleshooting.
WHEN_IT_FITS
When ongoing development support makes sense
You may already have a functioning website, ecommerce platform or web application. The problem is that maintaining and improving it has become increasingly difficult.
Previous developer is no longer available
Internal development capacity is limited
Integrations need maintaining or extending
Recurring bugs are consuming time
Infrastructure needs attention
Technical debt is slowing development
In those situations, replacing everything is rarely the first thing I recommend. The first job is understanding what exists.
EXISTING_SYSTEMS
Taking responsibility for an existing system
Working on an established production system is different from starting a new project with an empty repository. Real systems already have customers, integrations, processes and business rules in place, which means changes need to be made with care.
Existing systems come with context
Existing customers, integrations, processes and business rules cannot simply disappear while development takes place.
Understanding comes before changing
Existing codebases often include architecture decisions, third-party extensions and previous development choices that need to be understood before changes can safely be made.
Improve rather than rewrite by default
The objective is not to rewrite software for the sake of it.
It is to make the existing system more reliable, maintainable and useful to the business.
SUPPORT_SCOPE
What I can support
Support can span the full production stack — from application code and integrations through to ecommerce platforms, infrastructure and the problems that sit between them.
APIs & integrations
External services, webhooks, failed requests, existing integrations and the glue connecting different platforms.
Ecommerce engineering
Ongoing Shopify and Magento / Adobe Commerce development, integrations, extensions and production troubleshooting.
Frontend development
React, TypeScript, JavaScript and existing frontend systems that need functionality or maintainability improved.
Cloud & infrastructure
AWS, Cloudflare, Linux, nginx, deployments, DNS, proxies and production application infrastructure.
Production troubleshooting
Intermittent bugs, failed integrations, deployment problems and failures spanning multiple systems.
NO_GREENFIELD_REQUIRED
Existing systems are welcome
You do not need to arrive with a perfectly documented application and a beautifully organised repository.
Real commercial systems rarely look like that.
LEGACY_CODE
The platform may have evolved over years, with older code sitting alongside newer development.
THIRD_PARTY_DEPENDENCIES
Extensions, services and integrations may be business-critical even when their original purpose is poorly documented.
HIDDEN_BUSINESS_LOGIC
Important behaviour is often buried in places nobody wants to touch because nobody is entirely sure what will break.
I can investigate the existing system, establish how the important parts fit together and make changes incrementally rather than treating a complete rebuild as the default solution.
PROCESS
How ongoing support works
The aim is to move from understanding the system to improving it without losing the context built along the way.
Step 01
Understand
Learn how the existing platform works, what matters to the business and where the current technical problems are.
Step 02
Stabilise
Investigate immediate production problems, fragile integrations and recurring failures.
Step 03
Improve
Move beyond firefighting into improvements, integrations, automation and new functionality.
Step 04
Stay involved
Retain knowledge of the architecture, previous decisions and how the business actually uses the system.
TECHNICAL_SCOPE
Across the stack
I work across application code, ecommerce platforms, integrations and infrastructure — often within the same production system.
- Node.js
- Express
- TypeScript
- JavaScript
- React
- REST APIs
- Webhooks
- Shopify
- Liquid
- Magento / Adobe Commerce
- PHP
- MySQL
- AWS
- Cloudflare
- Cloudflare Workers
- Linux
- nginx
- Git
The exact technology matters less than understanding how the pieces interact in production.
EXPERIENCE
Commercial systems require context
Development decisions cannot be made from the code alone.
Ecommerce
Changing an ecommerce integration may affect fulfilment, stock flow, customer communication or downstream systems.
Tracking & attribution
Altering checkout functionality can affect advertising attribution, analytics and conversion tracking.
Infrastructure
Moving infrastructure can affect DNS, email, proxies, APIs and external services that depend on the existing setup.
That wider context is part of maintaining a production system properly.
My work has included long-term development and technical support for established ecommerce businesses and production applications, covering backend development, ecommerce platforms, cloud infrastructure and third-party integrations.
View experience →LONG_TERM_SUPPORT
A practical alternative to another full-time hire
Ongoing development support works well when a business needs experienced technical capacity but does not need — or is not ready for — another permanent developer.
Planned development
Regular development each month for improvements, integrations and the work already sitting in the backlog.
Flexible capacity
Support can increase or reduce as the technical workload changes, without adding another permanent role.
Retained knowledge
When something goes wrong, you have someone who already understands the platform, architecture and previous decisions.
What matters is continuity.
The value of ongoing support grows as knowledge of the system, decisions and business context stays with the work.
START_PROJECT
Need someone to take ownership of an existing system?
Tell me what you are running, what is currently causing problems and what you would like to improve.
You don't need a perfect technical specification. A useful starting point is simply what you have, what is going wrong and what needs to happen next.
Start a project enquiry →