API and backend development

Behind every app is a backend that stores data, enforces business rules and talks to other systems. Dotqode builds backends and APIs that are secure, documented and ready to grow with your product.

What we focus on

We design data models around how your business actually works, so new features do not require rewrites. APIs are documented so your own team, or partners, can build on them. Security is part of the design from day one: authentication, permissions and careful handling of personal data.

We also connect your product to the services it depends on, including payment gateways, CRMs, ERPs, email and messaging providers.

Common projects

Backend work comes in many sizes. Typical requests include:

• A backend for a new web or mobile product, covering accounts, core data, notifications and an admin area for your staff.
• A public or partner API, so customers and resellers can connect their own systems to yours with keys, usage limits and clear documentation.
• Joining up systems that do not talk to each other. For example, sending orders from an online shop into an ERP, or keeping customer records in step between a CRM and a billing tool.
• Splitting slow or overloaded work into background jobs, such as report generation, imports and bulk emails, so the main application stays responsive.

How we keep backends dependable

A backend is only noticed when it goes wrong, so we put effort into the parts nobody sees:

• Clear separation between business rules and the code that handles requests, so rules can be tested on their own
• Database changes made through versioned migrations, never by hand on a live server
• Logs and error tracking that show what happened when something fails
• Retries and sensible timeouts for calls to outside services, which will occasionally be slow or unavailable

We also plan for growth without building for traffic you do not have yet. A well-indexed database, caching for expensive queries and background processing carry most products a long way. When a part of the system genuinely needs to scale on its own, the clean separation we build in from the start makes that change far less painful.

Who this is for

This service suits product teams whose front end is in good shape but whose backend is holding them back, companies that need their existing systems connected, and founders who need a solid foundation for a web or mobile app. Our backend developers can join your engineers as a dedicated team, or we can deliver the whole product as an end-to-end project with one project manager accountable for delivery.

As with all our work, the source code, database designs and documentation belong to you.