Fix a Legacy PHP Application

Hi, I’m Keith Smith. I’ve been a freelance PHP developer since 2006, working with PHP applications that businesses rely on. I help troubleshoot and repair legacy PHP applications when they break, become incompatible with newer PHP versions, or are difficult to maintain. You can read more about me on my About Keith Smith page.

Your legacy PHP application doesn't need to be rewritten just because it's old.

I help businesses troubleshoot, repair, and keep existing PHP applications running when they break, stop working after a server or PHP upgrade, develop database or API problems, or become difficult to maintain.

If your application was built years ago and the original developer is no longer available, I can help you understand what you have, find the problem, and fix it.

Legacy PHP Application Rescue

Older PHP applications can become difficult to maintain as hosting environments change and older PHP versions reach end of life.

A PHP application that worked for years can suddenly stop working after a PHP version change, server migration, database update, or hosting change.

You may be dealing with:

• PHP 5.6 or PHP 7.x compatibility problems
• Fatal PHP errors
• Blank or broken pages
• Database connection problems
• MySQL errors
• Broken API integrations
• Cron jobs that stopped running
• Code that no longer works after a PHP upgrade
• Old CodeIgniter applications
• Applications that were abandoned by their original developer

I fix the application you already have.

I don't automatically recommend rebuilding an application simply because it uses older PHP.

First, let's find out what is actually wrong.

Fix a Legacy PHP Application

When an old PHP application stops working, the problem isn't always obvious.

The application may have worked perfectly for years. Then the hosting company upgrades PHP, the database changes, an API stops responding, or a server migration exposes an old compatibility problem.

I can troubleshoot the existing application, identify the source of the problem, and make the necessary repairs.

Common problems include:

• PHP errors and warnings
• Deprecated PHP functions
• PHP version compatibility
• MySQL and database errors
• Broken forms
• Failed API requests
• Authentication problems
• File and permission problems
• Cron and scheduled-task problems
• Third-party integration failures

PHP 5.6 Application Support

PHP 5.6 applications are still running businesses.

If your application was built for PHP 5.6 and your hosting environment has changed, upgrading PHP can cause existing code to fail.

I can help troubleshoot PHP 5.6 applications and determine what needs to be changed to get the application working again.

PHP 7.x Application Support

PHP 7.x applications can also develop compatibility problems as hosting environments move to newer PHP versions.

If your application was built on PHP 7 and stopped working after a PHP upgrade, I can investigate the compatibility issues and repair the affected code.

PHP Upgrade & Compatibility Fixes

Upgrading PHP can expose problems that have been hidden in an older environment for years.

An application may contain deprecated functions, outdated database calls, incompatible libraries, or other code that newer PHP versions no longer support.

I can troubleshoot the application before, during, or after a PHP upgrade and fix compatibility problems that prevent it from working correctly.

Legacy CodeIgniter Support

Older CodeIgniter applications can be particularly difficult to maintain when the original developer is unavailable.

If you have an existing CodeIgniter application that needs troubleshooting, bug fixes, compatibility work, or maintenance, I can work with the existing code rather than forcing you into a complete rewrite.

Broken PHP Application

Is your PHP application broken?

Maybe you get a blank page.

Maybe you're seeing a fatal error.

Maybe a form stopped working.

Maybe the application worked until your hosting company changed the PHP version.

Maybe nobody knows why it stopped working.

I can troubleshoot the existing application and determine what is causing the problem.

Legacy PHP Database Problems

Older PHP applications often depend on database code that has been running unchanged for years.

A database problem can cause an entire application to stop working.

I can troubleshoot problems involving:

• MySQL
• Database connections
• SQL queries
• Missing tables or columns
• Database authentication
• Character encoding
• PHP-to-MySQL compatibility
• Data retrieval and application errors

Legacy PHP API Problems

Many older PHP applications depend on APIs and third-party services that can change over time.

When an API changes, authentication expires, endpoints disappear, or response formats change, an application that worked yesterday may stop working today.

I can troubleshoot the PHP code responsible for communicating with external APIs and determine where the integration is failing.

Don't Rewrite It Until You Know What's Wrong

A legacy application isn't necessarily a bad application.

If it still performs an important job for your business, repairing and stabilizing the existing application may make more sense than starting over.

My first goal is simple:

Find the problem. Fix the problem. Keep your application running.

If the application eventually needs modernization or replacement, we'll know that after the existing system has been evaluated—not before.

Need Help With an Old PHP Application?

Tell me what your application is doing, what changed, and what is happening now.

I'll start by looking at the problem and determining what it will take to get your legacy PHP application working again.

My name is Keith Smith. I’ve been a freelance PHP developer since 2006. I work with existing PHP applications, including older applications that have become difficult to maintain, develop compatibility problems, or stop working after changes to the hosting environment.

I built this website myself because I am a programmer, not a website designer. My focus is on understanding the code, finding problems, and getting PHP applications working again.

If you have an old or broken PHP application that needs attention, please call me at 480-748-9893 or complete my Project Request Form.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.