Rewrite your web app, or fix it?
When deciding whether to fix an app versus replacing it, it comes down to which is least effort and what's most stable in the long run. Rebuilding, starting with a clean slate, always feels attractive but also oftentimes the scope is underestimated in terms of effort and subsequently the monetary budget.
Developers tend to criticize the work of their predecessors and I’m no different, but in all honesty it is oftentimes a too easy and quick judgment that’s made and when looking properly, it’s not all that bad.
Some examples
Allmusic had a lot of unknown processes, and some of them apparently did reporting to a music rights organisation. No one understood why they were there, but when they were turned off, we found out that crucial processes stopped working. Basically it was the result of a spaghetti code codebase. We decided to gradually phase out and replace more and more parts of the system, instead of a single rebuild. Over the course of multiple years, all systems remained functional and improved.
UpLinked was built on Bubble and got way too slow for Bubble’s architecture, and unmanageable. So we rebuilt it on React + Convex. The rebuild grew much larger than the original product, and turned out to have never been possible on the previous architecture in the first place.
Sometimes the answer is to ‘downgrade‘
Sometimes when I fix custom sites for small clients who have a lot of expensive specific demands, I suggest they’re better off just having a Squarespace or Wix site that offers everything they need for a tiny fraction of the costs.
Selected work
- UpLinked: LinkedIn content automation
I worked on UpLinked for a year and a half: a carousel editor and analytics inside their Bubble app, then the rebuild on Convex with seven AI agents, a strategy planner and a phone app.
- AllMusic: intuitive discovery for library music label
A library music provider for producers who know the feeling they want but not the track, needed a playful browsing experience. I implemented this among everything else in both front and backoffice to manage catalogue, royalties, CRM.
- Taxi Haarlem Service: taxi booking app and dispatch system
I built the website, customer app and dispatch tools for a cooperative of thirteen taxi drivers, a service its customers prefer over Uber. It keeps their shared Google Calendar at the centre and connects bookings, driver assignments and flight updates through airport APIs.
Working together
I work from Zaandam, next to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. Tell me what you want to build, what already exists and where you are getting stuck. How I work.
Email me at m [at] hacktis.ch.