API Development
Build the connections your products need to exchange information and support new functionality.
- Node.js
- Laravel
- REST
- Webhooks
Overview
An API is how two systems talk to each other. This service covers building the ones your products expose, and connecting to the ones your business depends on — payment gateways, messaging, logistics, accounting or an internal system.
The work includes the parts that are easy to leave out and expensive to retrofit: authentication, rate limits, error handling and documentation a developer can actually work from.
Problems this solves
- Data is exported from one system and imported into another by hand
- Each integration was built differently and breaks unpredictably
- There is no documentation for an existing API
- Access to business data is not properly controlled
Who this service suits
- Businesses whose website, app and internal tools cannot share data
- Companies integrating a payment, messaging or logistics provider
- Teams exposing data to partners or a mobile app
- Organisations replacing manual data transfer between systems
Features and deliverables
Build
- Custom REST endpoints designed around real use
- Authentication, tokens and permission scopes
- Validation, error handling and rate limiting
- Webhooks for event-driven updates
Integration
- Third-party service and gateway integration
- System-to-system data synchronisation
- Scheduled jobs and retry handling
Handover
- API documentation for your developers
- Test environment and sample requests
- Monitoring and logging setup as scoped
Technologies we use
The final stack is chosen per project, based on scope, budget, who will maintain the site and what it needs to connect to. Not every technology listed is used on every project.
Backend
- Node.js
- Runs the API services and handles concurrent requests.
- PHP and Laravel
- The alternative backend, used where it suits your hosting or existing systems.
Interfaces
- REST
- The standard request-and-response style most services and apps expect.
- Webhooks
- Lets another system notify yours the moment something happens, instead of polling for changes.
How a project runs
The same stages apply to every project. Which of them are included, and how long each takes, is set out in your proposal.
- 01
Requirement Discussion
We go through what you need, who it is for and which features matter most, so the scope is built on your actual priorities.
- 02
Scope and Proposal
You receive a written proposal setting out the deliverables, assumptions, timeline and cost before any work begins.
- 03
UI/UX and Planning
Structure, screens and user journeys are designed and agreed, along with the technical approach for the build.
- 04
Development
The approved scope is built in stages, with the work shared as it progresses rather than only at the end.
- 05
Testing and Quality Assurance
Functionality, responsiveness, performance and content are checked across devices and common browsers.
- 06
Client Review
You review the build against the agreed scope and raise changes, which are handled before deployment.
- 07
Deployment and Handover
The project goes live on your hosting or platform account, with access, credentials and a walkthrough handed over.
- 08
Post-Launch Support
Where support is included in the agreement, the covered period and scope are stated in the proposal.
Timeline
A delivery estimate is given in the written proposal, once the scope is agreed. Estimates are not delivery guarantees: the date moves with the scope and with how quickly reviews and content come back.
What affects the timeline
- The number of endpoints and integrations in the agreed scope
- Quality of the third-party provider's documentation and sandbox
- Provider approval or verification steps, which sit with them
- Access to the systems being connected
How pricing works
This service is quoted per project. Tell us what you need and we will come back with a written proposal covering scope, deliverables, timeline and cost.
A project quotation is separate from the monthly care plans, which cover ongoing changes after launch.
Add-ons and what is not included
Optional add-ons
Quoted separately, on top of the agreed scope.
- Additional integrations beyond the agreed scope
- A developer portal for partners
- Monitoring, alerting and uptime dashboards
- Migration or versioning of an existing API
Third-party costs and exclusions
Paid directly to the provider, or outside the project scope.
- Hosting and infrastructure costs
- Third-party API, gateway and subscription charges
- Changes required by a provider's own API updates after handover
- GST, where applicable, is charged additionally
Start a project enquiry
Let’s talk about your
API Development project.
API Development is already selected below. Send a few details and we will come back with next steps and a written proposal — you don’t need a technical brief to start.
- What you want to build or improve
- The tools or systems you already use
- Your timeline and budget, if known