backend engineering
the layer everything else stands on
Backends rarely fail all at once. They drift - a query that got heavy, an endpoint that got slow, a schema that stopped matching the domain - until the whole thing feels fragile. We design services that hold up as they grow, and we go back into ones that have drifted and make them fast and legible again, usually without the rewrite everyone assumes is coming.
signs you need this
- a core endpoint got slow enough to lose sales and nobody knows which query
- everyone assumes a ground-up rewrite is the only fix
- the data model no longer matches how the business actually works
- you have no traces or metrics, so every incident is a guess
what we do
- API and service design, from first endpoint to versioning
- data models and query paths that stay fast as tables grow
- performance work: profiling, caching, and cutting hot paths
- observability - logs, traces, and metrics you will actually read
related work
backend engineering in practice.
how we engage
ways to work together.
scoped project
a defined problem with a clear finish line
We agree the outcome, break it into observable milestones, and build to them. Best when you know roughly what you need and want a fixed shape around it.
- a written scope and milestone plan
- regular working demos, not status decks
- handover with tests, dashboards, and a runbook
embedded engineering
a team that needs senior hands for a stretch
We work inside your team and process for a set period - reviewing, building, and levelling up the codebase alongside your engineers.
- work in your repos, standups, and review flow
- focus on one or two hard problems at a time
- knowledge left behind, not hoarded
advisory & review
a decision or a system you want a second read on
A shorter engagement to look hard at what you run and tell you the truth about it - an architecture review, an AI feasibility read, a performance audit.
- a focused review of code, data, or architecture
- a written findings doc with priorities
- a call to walk through it and answer questions
more of what we do
the other two disciplines.
start here
have a system that used to feel fast?
Tell us what it does and where it hurts. We’ll tell you honestly whether it needs sharpening or rebuilding - and what that would take.