Move your PHP backend to Node.js or Python

I help people who own a product or run a company take a PHP backend off the product and replace it with Node.js or Python.

GitHub: @ypingmoe

Who this is for

• You have your own project, or you run the company that owns it
• The backend is PHP: a custom app, Laravel, Symfony, WordPress, or another PHP CMS
• PHP2Shell (CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619) made you want that backend on Node.js or Python

The work is the move to Node.js or Python.

What you hire me for

Engagement	What you leave with	Time
Migration plan	A map of the PHP backend and a written plan onto Node.js or Python	About 1 week
Pilot	One real feature of your product running on the new backend, on the same site	About 2–4 weeks
Full move	The rest of the backend moved, and PHP removed from the product	Scoped after the pilot

You choose one new runtime. Node.js uses Fastify. Python uses FastAPI.

How the move works

The site stays on its current address. PHP keeps serving only the routes that have not moved yet. Each finished route is switched to the new service. When the last product route has moved, PHP is removed.

                 ┌─────────────┐
  customers ────►│  your site  │
                 └──────┬──────┘
                        │ one path at a time
            ┌───────────┴───────────┐
            ▼                       ▼
     ┌─────────────┐        ┌──────────────┐
     │  PHP        │        │ Node.js or   │
     │  (leaving)  │        │ Python       │
     └─────────────┘        └──────┬───────┘
                                   │
                            ┌──────▼───────┐
                            │  Postgres    │
                            └──────────────┘

1. Write down what one PHP route does.
2. Build that route in Fastify or FastAPI.
3. Send only that path to the new service.
4. Check it against the contract.
5. Repeat until customers are talking only to Node.js or Python.
6. Remove PHP from the product.

Details: ADR-002 and the migration playbook.

What is in this repo

Path	Purpose
research/why-owners-leave-php.md	Why owners with a PHP backend are moving
packages/contracts/API.md	Example product API: accounts, content, uploads
docs/migration-playbook.md	The order of work on a client project
docs/adr	Node.js vs Python, and how the cutover works
ai-workflow	How I use current AI models, and what I check before shipping

The example product is accounts, content, and file upload. The same contract is the target for both Node.js and Python.

Concern	Node.js	Python
HTTP	Fastify	FastAPI
Contract	One shared API catalog	Same catalog
Data	Postgres	Same schema
Auth	Short-lived access token, rotating refresh cookie	Same
Uploads	Size cap, allowed types, private storage	Same

The runtime choice for a real company is in ADR-001.

How I use AI

I use current models to draft migration notes, API handlers, and tests. I ship a change after I have reviewed it and the tests pass. The method is in ai-workflow.

Start a conversation

Tell me what the product does, that the backend is PHP, and whether you want Node.js or Python.

Out of scope

• Exploit code and attack demos
• PHP maintenance and PHP upgrades
• Testing systems you do not own

Keywords

php2shell php to node php to python php migration nodejs python fastify fastapi backend founders