Legacy PHP / Linux modernization

Your old stack is still making money. Let's keep it that way.

Audit, stabilize, and upgrade legacy PHP, WordPress, Laravel, WooCommerce, and Linux systems without rushing into a rebuild. Fixed-scope audits from €750. Agency-ready reports. Read-only first.

Legacy PHP, WordPress, Laravel, and Linux modernization without a rewrite.

From €750 · fixed-price audit3–7 days · read-onlyWhite-label · agency-ready
Stack — beforefragile
AppPHP 7.4 · undocumented
FrameworkLaravel 6 · 4 majors behind
CMS / PluginsWP + 38 plugins, 12 outdated
DBMySQL 5.7 · EOL
ServerUbuntu 18.04 · EOL
Backupsuntested
Deploymanual SFTP
The problem

Your old stack still works. That doesn't mean it's safe.

Most agencies and SaaS owners we talk to are running a system that earns real revenue but feels increasingly fragile. The risk is rarely about the code itself — it's about what nobody can see anymore.

  • 01Nobody fully understands the codebase anymore.
  • 02The original developer is gone. Documentation is missing.
  • 03PHP is old or near end-of-life.
  • 04WordPress / WooCommerce plugins are outdated and risky.
  • 05Backups exist, but nobody has tested restore.
  • 06Deployments are manual. Every change feels dangerous.
Self-check · 90 seconds

Not sure how fragile your stack actually is?

Six honest questions across the same axes a real audit checks — upgrades, tests, deploys, dependencies, incidents, knowledge. You see your score immediately. No email, nothing logged.

How it works

Audit first. Then stabilize. Then modernize — only what matters.

We don't push rewrites. Most engagements start with a fixed-price audit, then move into the parts of the ladder that actually reduce your risk.

Refit roadmap
Day 0
Audit
Read-only access. Stack, versions, risks, backups.
Day 7
Roadmap
30 / 60 / 90-day plan with priorities and costs.
Day 14
Sprint
Stabilize. Backups, monitoring, urgent fixes.
Day 30
Upgrade
PHP / framework / plugin compatibility work.
Day 60
Handover
Documentation, system map, onboarding notes.
Ongoing
Care
Monitoring, updates, monthly report.
Service ladder

Six fixed-scope ways to refit a stack.

Click any step to see what's inside. Most clients start at the top and stop wherever the risk stops being worth fixing.

01AuditStart here
02SprintStabilize
03UpgradeModernize
04HandoverDocument
05AI RetrofitAutomate
06CareMaintain
fixed price3–7 daysread-only

StackRefit Audit

A fixed-price technical audit and modernization roadmap. We map the system, surface risks, and tell you what to fix first — without touching production.

Deliverables
  • Stack inventory: PHP, framework, CMS, DB, server
  • Version & end-of-life risk register
  • Backup and restore assessment
  • Maintainability and security notes
  • 30 / 60 / 90-day modernization roadmap
  • White-label report (optional)
For agencies

White-label legacy rescue for agencies.

Agencies often inherit fragile systems they didn't build: old WordPress sites, WooCommerce stores, Laravel apps, custom PHP portals, or Linux VPS setups with unclear history. We work behind your brand so your senior developers don't have to.

01 / 06

NDA-ready

Sensitive access handled with discipline.

02 / 06

White-label reports

Audit deliverables in your agency's brand.

03 / 06

No client contact

Unless you invite us in.

04 / 06

Audit-first delivery

We protect your client relationship.

05 / 06

Senior-only work

No outsourcing chains.

06 / 06

Practical roadmap

Useful in commercial conversations.

Agency partnerships →White-label agency audits
Refit examples

What a refit actually looks like.

Anonymized, hypothetical examples. Real engagements start with the same audit and follow the same boring, careful playbook.

WooCommerce store, 7 years old

WP · WooCommerce · PHP 7.2 · Ubuntu 18.04 · Sprint + Upgrade · 4 weeks

Before — fragile

  • Checkout failed during payment-provider update
  • 38 plugins, 12 unmaintained
  • PHP 7.2 (EOL since 2020)
  • Manual SFTP deploys, no staging
  • Backups stored, never tested

After — refit

  • Stable checkout, monitoring on critical paths
  • Plugin surface cut to 22 maintained plugins
  • Supported PHP baseline selected after compatibility review
  • Git → staging → production flow
  • Restore tested, runbook documented

Custom Laravel SaaS, sole developer

Laravel 6 · MySQL 5.7 · custom VPS · Audit + Handover + Upgrade · 8 weeks

Before — fragile

  • One developer with all the context
  • No written architecture
  • Deploys directly to production
  • Composer dependencies 4 years stale
  • Laravel 6 (out of security support)

After — refit

  • Codebase mapped, business logic documented
  • Architecture diagram for onboarding
  • Staging environment + rollback plan
  • Composer + framework upgrade staged
  • Supported Laravel baseline planned across 60 days

Examples are anonymized and illustrative — not specific clients.

AI

AI-assisted, not AI-hyped.

We use AI to accelerate documentation, code analysis, and workflow design — never to replace the engineering judgement legacy systems actually need.

Once a system is stable, we can add practical AI: support triage, structured data extraction, admin assistants, internal knowledge search. Workflow acceleration, not chatbot theatre.

Where AI helpsguarded
Documentation
Codebase maps, architecture notes, onboarding briefs
Audit analysis
Cross-referencing dependency graphs, deprecation paths
Support triage
Classifying inbound tickets, suggesting first responses
Admin copilots
Structured-output assistants behind staff-only screens
Knowledge search
Internal search across docs, tickets, and code
No client code, logs, credentials, or personal data is sent to external AI systems without explicit, written approval.
Founder

Founder-led. Senior-only work.

StackRefit is founded by Dan Voinea — an AI and technology practitioner with experience across PHP/Linux operations, academia, marketing/media, real estate, hospitality, and education.

The market doesn't only need someone who can write code. It needs someone who can map an old system quickly, communicate risk clearly, and avoid unnecessary rewrites. That's the work.

About Dan →
Start with an audit

Have an old system you're unsure how to quote, maintain, or upgrade?

A StackRefit Audit gives you a clear technical picture, an urgent-risk list, and a practical 30/60/90-day roadmap. Fixed price, read-only access, one week.

Start with an audit →