Services / Web apps & infrastructure from scratch

01

Your web app and its infrastructure, built right from day one.

For teams starting something new: a customer portal, an internal tool, an API or a product MVP. We design and build the application and the infrastructure together, so it launches secure, affordable and easy to change, instead of being rebuilt a year later.

Who it is for

  • Founders turning an idea or prototype into a real product
  • Businesses that need a customer portal, booking system or internal tool
  • Teams that need an API or backend for a mobile or web app
  • Companies replacing a spreadsheet or manual process with software

Signs you need it

  • You have an idea but no technical team to build it
  • Your prototype works but would not survive real users
  • Quotes you have received cover the app but not hosting, security or costs
  • You want to own your code and infrastructure, not rent a black box

What is included

Architecture and planning

A simple design sized to your stage: what to build first, where it runs, and what it will cost each month.

Web application and API

The application itself: pages, forms, dashboards and APIs, with user sign-up and login where you need them.

Cloud infrastructure in code

Hosting, databases, DNS and certificates defined in Terraform from the start, on serverless, containers or Kubernetes depending on your needs.

Security built in

Authentication, encrypted data, least-privilege access and edge protection from the first release, not added after an incident.

Deployment pipeline

Every change is tested and shipped through an automated pipeline, with the ability to roll back in minutes.

FOR FOUNDERS

Monolith or microservices? The first big decision, explained simply.

It sounds technical, but it decides how fast you launch, what hosting costs and how painful growth will be. Here is the plain-English version.

Monolith Users connect to one application that contains web pages, login, orders, payments and emails, all using one database. Users Your appone codebase · one deploy Web pages Sign-up & login Orders Payments Emails Database
Everything lives in one application and shares one database.

Think of a food truck. One kitchen, one team, everything within arm's reach. Quick to open, cheap to run.

Speed to launch
Running cost
Complexity to operate

Great for

  • MVPs and first versions
  • Small teams
  • Getting to market fast

Watch out for

  • Code gets tangled as it grows
  • One bug can take everything down
  • You scale all of it, or none of it
Modular monolith Users connect to one application organised into separate modules for accounts, orders, payments and notifications, each with its own section of one database. Users Your appone deploy · clear walls inside Accounts Orders Payments Notifications one database,separate sections
Still one app, but each part owns its own code and data, with clear walls between them.

Think of a restaurant kitchen with stations. Grill, salads and desserts each have their own space and staff, but it is still one kitchen under one roof.

Speed to launch
Running cost
Complexity to operate

Great for

  • Most new products
  • Teams that plan to grow
  • Splitting parts out later, cheaply

Watch out for

  • Needs discipline to keep the walls
  • Still deploys as one unit
Microservices Users connect through a gateway to four separate services, accounts, orders, payments and notifications, each with its own database. Orders sends events to notifications. Users Gatewayfront door Accounts Orders Payments Notifications events
Separate small apps, each with one job and its own data, talking over the network.

Think of a food court. Independent stalls that can each open, close or expand on their own, but you need a manager, shared rules and more staff to run the whole place.

Speed to launch
Running cost
Complexity to operate

Great for

  • Several teams working in parallel
  • Parts with very different traffic
  • Keeping critical parts up when others fail

Watch out for

  • Many more moving parts to monitor and secure
  • Higher hosting and people costs
  • Slower to build at the start

OUR ADVICE

Start simple. Split only when there is a reason.

Most new products should start as a modular monolith. You launch quickly and cheaply, and because the walls are designed in from day one, any part that later needs to scale on its own, such as payments during a busy sale, can be lifted out into its own service without a rewrite.

Microservices are a tool for scale and team size, not a starting point. Starting with too many services too early is one of the most expensive mistakes a young product can make.

How products usually grow Stage one, launch as one app. Stage two, grow with clear modules inside the app. Stage three, split out only the parts that need to scale on their own. One app 1 · Launchone app, fast and cheap 2 · Growclear modules inside 3 · Scalesplit out what needs it

What you get

  • Working application in your own cloud account
  • Source code and Terraform in your repositories
  • Automated deployment pipeline
  • Monitoring, alerts and a monthly cost estimate
  • Documentation and handover session

Timeline

  1. Weeks 1–2

    Discovery, scope and architecture design

  2. Build

    Delivered in short stages you can see and test as it grows

  3. Launch

    Go-live, monitoring and handover, with optional ongoing support

Common questions

Do we own the code?

Yes. Everything is built in your accounts and repositories, and it is yours from day one.

Can you start from our existing prototype?

Often, yes. We review it first and tell you honestly what to keep and what to rebuild.

How much will hosting cost?

You get an estimate before we build. Many early-stage products run for a few dollars to a few hundred dollars a month when the infrastructure is sized properly.

OTHER SERVICES

Not sure where to start?

Most engagements begin with a free 30-minute call and a cloud review.

Get in touch