Rescue and modernization
Your developer left. Your app does not have to go with them.
We take over the code nobody understands, make it safe, then move it forward one release at a time.
Digital Potter takes over web and mobile apps without the old team. Then we keep them running every month.
- 10 daysto a written audit
- Week oneaccess and backups secured
- Monthlycare once it is stable
Sound familiar?
It still runs. Nobody knows why, or for how long.
The agency stopped answering, or the freelancer took a full-time job. The passwords live in someone's old inbox. Every update breaks something else. The libraries are years out of date. And customers are starting to notice.
Nobody on your side can deploy a change
Logins and accounts in a former vendor's name
Libraries and frameworks years out of date
Fear of touching anything before a busy season
How it runs
Take over, stabilize, then modernize.
The usual shape of a rescue. Each step is useful on its own.
Take over access and backups
Week one
Code, servers, domains and store accounts moved into your name. Backups taken and tested before anything changes.
Audit in ten days
Weeks one and two
A written report on what is risky, what is fine and what to fix first. In plain language.
Stabilize
The first month or two
Security fixes, monitoring and a release pipeline. Changes ship without breaking something else.
Modernize in releases
After that
The oldest parts get rebuilt one release at a time. The app keeps running the whole way.
The modernization path
No big rewrite. A steady path to software you can change.
Big rewrites stall, and the old app has to keep running meanwhile. So we replace one part at a time. Each release moves real users onto new code. Data moves with scripts we can re-run. Nothing is switched off until its replacement works.
Outdated libraries and frameworks upgraded in steps
The riskiest parts rebuilt first
Automated tests added as we touch each area
Documentation written in your name as we go
What the care plan covers
Once it is stable, we keep it that way.
Monitoring and alerts on the app and servers
Security updates and library upgrades every month
Backups checked, not just scheduled
Bug fixes and small changes from a set monthly budget
App Store and Google Play updates kept current
A monthly note on what changed and what is next
So you always know the state of your software.
Need a diagnosis first?
Start with an audit or a senior lead.
Principal engineering
Principal engineeringA senior lead who runs your product engineering month to month.
A straight answer
When a rescue is the wrong call.
Your current team is fine
If they answer and ship, help them instead. A Fractional CTO may be enough.
The app has no users
If nobody depends on it yet, starting fresh may cost less than a rescue.
You want it fixed and forgotten
Old software needs care every month. A one-time fix just resets the clock.
Investment
Start with an audit. Stay for the care.
The audit tells you what it takes. Stabilization work gets a fixed number from it.
Technical audit
from $2.5k
A written report on your app in ten days, with what to fix first.
- Access and backups secured
- Code and infrastructure reviewed
- Risks ranked by cost
- Yours to keep either way
recommended
Monthly care
from $3k / month
Monitoring, updates, fixes and a steady path to modern code.
- Monitoring and alerts
- Security and library updates
- Fixes from a monthly budget
- Monthly written note
Questions
What owners ask when their developer is gone.
Can you take over without the old team?
Yes. Most rescues start that way. We need access to the code, the servers and the accounts. If some of it is missing, we help you recover it.
Should we rewrite the app or fix what we have?
Usually fix it, then replace it one part at a time. Full rewrites take longer than planned and stall the business. The audit tells you which parts are worth keeping.
What does the care plan cover?
Monitoring, security updates, library upgrades, backups and store updates. Bug fixes and small changes come from a monthly budget. Bigger work gets its own fixed number.
How fast do you respond when something breaks?
Outages come first, every time. Response times are written into the care plan before it starts.
What does the first month cost?
The audit starts from $2.5k. Stabilization work gets a fixed number from the audit. Monthly care starts from $3k once the app is stable.
Can you work with the stack we already have?
Almost always. We read the code before we judge it. If part of the stack is a real risk, the audit says so and explains why.
Next step
Bring the app nobody on your team can explain.
Thirty minutes. You leave knowing how risky it is, what to do first, and roughly what it costs.