We have worked on legacy systems of every kind since 2003: CMS and ecommerce installs, community platforms, old frameworks, databases and custom applications. We know how they were built, how they age, and how to keep them running while you decide what comes next.
If it is business-critical and hard to change, we have probably worked on something like it. From old CMS installs to custom-built applications, older versions are our daily work.
WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and similar systems: old core versions, abandoned plugins and themes, and custom modules that block an upgrade.
Magento 1 and 2, WooCommerce, OpenCart, PrestaShop and custom shops. Extension conflicts, checkout and payment upgrades, and platform migrations. See our Magento 1 support.
SocialEngine, PHPfox and MetaFox, forums and member-network scripts, including installs with years of custom plugins and themes.
CodeIgniter, CakePHP, Zend Framework, Symfony 1, Yii 1 and in-house frameworks: end-of-life versions that need upgrading or replacing.
Plain PHP, procedural code and Smarty-template systems, often with no documentation and no original developer.
Old MySQL and MariaDB versions, schemas without keys, slow queries, data cleanups and moves to a supported database. See legacy database optimization.
Outdated PHP, web server and control-panel setups: moving to supported runtimes, fixing TLS and SSL problems, and migrating between servers.
Payment gateways, shipping, CRM and accounting links, and old SOAP or XML feeds that have to keep working through an upgrade.
Older themes, jQuery-era JavaScript and front-end code that is tied to the back end and breaks when the platform changes.
Not on the list? If it runs on the web and it is hard to change, send it over. We will tell you honestly whether it is something we can take on.
Bug fixes, small changes and support for systems that still earn money but no longer have a developer behind them.
Closing known vulnerabilities, hardening configuration and cleaning up compromised code on outdated software.
Moving systems off unsupported PHP and platform versions, with the custom code adapted to match.
Moving data, users and content to a newer version or a different platform, with the path planned to limit downtime.
Turning an undocumented codebase into something your team and the next developer can actually understand.
Finding why an aging system has slowed down and fixing the cause, not just the symptom.
We review the code, the database and the server before changing anything, so we know what we are dealing with and what is at risk.
We fix what is urgent and unsafe first. The system has to be stable and backed up before it can be improved.
You get a written picture of what we found: what can stay, what should be upgraded, what should be rebuilt, and what each option costs.
We carry out the option you choose, in tested steps, with your data and custom functionality preserved.
You receive documentation of the system as it now stands, and we can stay on for ongoing support if you want it.
Any production system that still runs your business but is hard to change: an old platform version, an unsupported PHP version, an abandoned plugin or theme stack, or custom code that nobody on your team fully understands anymore.
CMS and publishing systems (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal), ecommerce platforms (Magento including Magento 1, WooCommerce, OpenCart, PrestaShop), community platforms (SocialEngine, PHPfox, MetaFox), older PHP frameworks, custom and Smarty-template applications, and the databases, servers and integrations around them. Older versions of all of these are our daily work.
Yes. We read the code, trace how it behaves, and document what we find before changing anything. Inherited and undocumented systems are a large part of our work.
We assess first and then recommend the option that fits your system and budget. Sometimes that is stabilising and keeping what you have, sometimes a version upgrade, sometimes a migration to a newer platform. We recommend the right path, not the most expensive one.
Yes. We patch known vulnerabilities, harden configuration, and clean up compromised code, and we plan PHP version upgrades so the platform is no longer running on unsupported software.
Practical write-ups from our engineers on upgrading, testing, migrating and documenting old systems.
Most legacy PHP systems do not need a rewrite. They need the work done in the right order. Here is the sequence we follow, and why each step comes where it does.
Removed functions, constructors that silently stop running, comparisons that flip. What actually breaks between PHP 5.6 and PHP 8, and how to find it before production does.
Old Smarty versions hold applications back on old PHP. Here is how to upgrade Smarty, turn on output escaping, and decide whether to keep the templates at all.
Starting again feels clean, and usually costs more than it saves. When a rewrite is the right call, when it is not, and a cheap test to find out.
Legacy code is code without tests, and you cannot change it safely without them. How to build a safety net under tangled PHP without rewriting it first.
The safest way to replace a legacy system is to grow the new one next to it. Routing, shared logins, database ownership and rollback, in practice.
Do not document everything. Document what the next person needs at 2am. How to learn what an unexplained codebase does, and what is worth writing down.
Start with an honest technical assessment. We'll tell you what you have, what it needs, and what your options are.
No sales pitch. Honest assessment. Clear roadmap.