What you will do

We are modernizing an existing business-critical web application by upgrading a legacy PHP backend and rebuilding the frontend using modern React technologies. The project focuses on improving system maintainability, performance, and user experience while preserving existing business logic and data integrity.

Backend (PHP):

• Analyze and upgrade a legacy PHP codebase to improve maintainability, performance, and security
• Refactor existing business logic while ensuring functional parity with current system behavior
• Design, implement, and enhance RESTful (or similar) API endpoints for frontend consumption
• Improve backend architecture, code structure, and separation of concerns
• Optimize database interactions and overall backend performance
• Implement logging, error handling, and basic monitoring where needed
• Write and maintain unit and integration tests for backend components

Frontend (React):

• Modernize the user experience and interface based on existing functionality and UX improvements
• Rebuild existing application screens using React and modern frontend practices
• Integrate React components with the new or enhanced backend API
• Ensure responsive design and cross-browser compatibility
• Manage application state and data flow efficiently
• Collaborate with backend development to align API contracts and data models
• Maintain clean, reusable, and well-documented frontend code

Requirements

MUST

Backend

• Strong experience with PHP (working with legacy codebases is a must)
• Experience with PHP frameworks (e.g., Laravel, Symfony, or similar) or custom PHP architectures
• Solid understanding of REST API design and backend-frontend integration
• Experience with SQL databases (MySQL/PostgreSQL or similar)
• Familiarity with refactoring techniques and incremental modernization
• Knowledge of security best practices in PHP applications

Frontend

• Strong experience with React (functional components, hooks)
• Experience with modern JavaScript (ES6+) and frontend build tools
• Familiarity with API integration (REST, JSON)
• Experience with UI/UX modernization of existing applications
• Knowledge of responsive design and CSS frameworks or component libraries

NICE TO HAVE

• Experience working on modernization or migration projects
• Full-stack background with strong backend and frontend understanding
• Experience with testing frameworks (PHPUnit, Jest, etc.)
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines
• Ability to work in an iterative, collaborative environment with minimal documentation