Service / 04
Laravel.
PHP.
Backend that lasts.
Senior Laravel freelance support. New builds, API backends, inherited systems, and the messy middle where backend decisions start affecting the whole delivery pipeline.
Service / 04 / Capabilities
What's covered.
Laravel application builds
New Laravel builds for products, internal tools, and client platforms. The goal is a codebase your team can keep working in after launch.
API development
Laravel APIs for SPAs, mobile apps, and third-party integrations. Auth, rate limiting, validation, and the parts that tend to matter later.
Maintenance and modernization
Inherited Laravel apps, old PHP systems, version upgrades, cleanup, and safer ways to modernize without turning it into a rewrite project on day one.
Frontend and backend delivery
Laravel paired with Vue, Nuxt, React, or Next.js when the job needs full-stack delivery rather than a backend handoff to someone else.
10+ years senior delivery
Why me
Senior delivery you don't have to project-manage.
Laravel is usually not the hard part on its own. The hard part is keeping the backend practical as the product grows, the integrations pile up, and frontend needs get more demanding. I focus on the parts that hold up after launch.
- You need Laravel expertise without hiring a full-time backend role
- Existing app where upgrades or changes feel risky
- API build for an existing frontend or product
- Legacy PHP or Laravel that no one wants to touch
- One developer who can handle backend and work with frontend
Engagement / Snapshot
A typical laravel development engagement.
Lead time
<7
Days to start, contract permitting
Length
4-12
Weeks for fixed-scope work
Reply
<24
Hours, every working day
Day rate
POA
Quoted per engagement
FAQ / Laravel Development
Frequently asked
Q · 01
Do you only work on brand new Laravel projects?
No. A lot of Laravel work is inherited systems, cleanup, upgrades, and adding features to something that has been around for years.
Q · 02
Can you work on Laravel if the frontend is not PHP-based?
Yes. That is a common setup. Laravel API backend with Vue, Nuxt, React, or Next.js on the frontend is well within scope.
Q · 03
Is this just backend work?
Not necessarily. I can handle backend-focused Laravel work, but I am usually most useful when the project crosses frontend and backend boundaries.
How I work
Remote-first. Async by default.
Inspired by Remote and the way Basecamp ran a distributed team without burning anyone out. Meetings are expensive, writing is cheap, and momentum belongs to whoever can make a decision without a calendar invite.
01 / Specs
Specs before code
A short written spec covering problem, scope, and acceptance before anything gets built. Cuts rework, makes review easier, and means we never argue about what was agreed.
02 / Workstreams
Workstreams over standups
Active work lives in tickets and PRs with running notes. Async updates instead of daily standups, so deep work is the default and meetings only happen when they earn it.
03 / Loom > Zoom
Loom over meetings
Most reviews and walkthroughs go out as a 5-minute Loom you can watch at 2× when convenient. We jump on Meet / Zoom / Teams when the topic actually needs a conversation.
Channels / Tools
Slack
Async, threaded, no expectation of instant reply
Loom
PR walkthroughs, demos, design reviews
Google Meet / Zoom / Teams
Booked when conversation > writing
Linear / Jira / GitHub
Source of truth for the work
Notion / Docs
Specs, decision records, retros
The pitch
I write the code, talk to your team, and ship what we agreed. No agencies. No PMs. No surprises.
James Donnelly
Freelance developer · Manchester