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PHP developers who are safe hands for any codebase

Laravel, Symfony, CodeIgniter or fifteen-year-old vanilla PHP — we have been delivering successful PHP projects for eighteen years, and we are as comfortable inheriting code as we are writing it from scratch.

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What we do

Modern frameworks, and the code that came before them

PHP still runs an enormous share of the web — and an even bigger share of the business-critical applications we are asked to look at. We have been delivering successful PHP projects for eighteen years, which means we have seen the language at every stage of its life: the quick scripts of the late 2000s, the CodeIgniter era, and today’s mature ecosystem built around Laravel and Symfony.

We build new applications on modern frameworks with the engineering habits you would expect — version-controlled, tested, deployable on demand. And we are equally happy inheriting a codebase you already own. Plenty of agencies will quote you a rebuild sight unseen; our first instinct is to understand what you have, stabilise it, and give you an honest view of whether it needs replacing at all. Often it does not.

That mix matters because most businesses are not starting from zero. There is an application earning money today, and it has to keep working while it improves. Safe hands means both things at once: the experience to write clean, modern PHP, and the discipline to change old PHP without breaking what your business depends on.

Capabilities

PHP development capabilities

  • Laravel development

    Greenfield applications, APIs and internal tools on the framework that dominates modern PHP — with queues, testing and deployment set up properly from day one.

  • Symfony development

    Long-lived, component-driven applications for teams that value structure — including upgrades across major Symfony versions without a rewrite.

  • Legacy PHP & CodeIgniter

    Vanilla PHP, CodeIgniter and framework-less codebases. We stabilise, document and modernise the systems other developers refuse to touch.

  • Upgrades & migrations

    Stepwise PHP version upgrades — 5.x through 8.x — and framework migrations, staged so the application keeps running throughout.

  • APIs & integrations

    REST APIs, payment providers, CRMs and third-party services — the connective tissue most PHP applications live or die by.

  • Audits, performance & security

    Independent code reviews, performance profiling and security hardening for PHP applications you have inherited or commissioned elsewhere.

Why Silverark

Why Silverark for PHP

01

Eighteen years of PHP delivery

We have shipped PHP projects continuously since 2008. There is very little in the ecosystem we have not built, fixed or upgraded at least once.

02

We say yes to inherited code

Legacy work is a first-class service here, not a favour. We have rescued codebases with no tests, no documentation and no original developer in sight.

03

Senior engineers, direct access

You talk to the people writing the code — no account managers in the middle, no offshore hand-offs, no surprises.

04

Honest recommendations

If a rebuild is genuinely cheaper than a rescue, we will tell you. If it is not — and it often is not — we will tell you that too.

Proof

Related case studies

ArkEvent

A ticketing and event management platform we designed, built and run — from box office to the venue door.

Read the case study

FAQ

PHP development — common questions

Which PHP frameworks do you work with?
Laravel and Symfony for new builds, plus CodeIgniter and vanilla PHP for existing systems. We choose the framework to fit the project — and when we inherit a codebase, we work with what is there rather than forcing a rewrite.
Can you take over a PHP project from another developer or agency?
Yes — it is one of the most common ways clients arrive. We start with a code audit, get the project running in a clean environment, bring it under version control and testing if it is not already, and then agree a roadmap with you.
Our application runs on an old version of PHP. Can you upgrade it?
Yes. We plan stepwise upgrades from versions as old as PHP 5.x through to PHP 8.x, staged so the application keeps serving users throughout. Every step is tested and reversible.
Do you provide ongoing PHP support and maintenance?
We do. Most of our PHP work is long-term — monitoring, security patching and dependency upgrades, alongside a steady stream of improvements and larger feature work.
Do you work alongside in-house teams?
Often. We can lead delivery end to end, add senior capacity to your existing team, or act as an occasional review-and-advice layer — whichever mix fits how you work.

Need PHP developers you can trust?

Greenfield build or inherited codebase — tell us where your PHP project stands, and we will tell you plainly how we would take it forward.

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