Skip to content

Back-end development:
the hidden part of your app, built to last.

Users never see your back end, but they feel it: data, logins, payments and background tasks. Senior engineers build it for the traffic you really get, and secure from the first sprint. 4,500+ projects delivered since 2004.

Architecture reasoned in writing · Clear IP & Ownership Terms

Brands our teams have delivered for

  • Hello Peter
  • Gruber Logistics
  • Delhivery
  • Thomson Reuters
  • Qatar Airways
  • Grundfos
  • Save
  • BERD
  • Yale University
  • Kuwait Police
  • Dubai Police
  • Panasonic
  • Infosys
  • Kia
  • Hitachi
  • Orange Business Services
What we do

PixelCrayons provides back-end development services: the data, APIs, logins and background tasks your application runs on. We size the system to the traffic you really get. We prefer one well-built application to many small services. Security is built in from the first sprint, and a senior engineer reviews every change. We work direct for brands and white-label for agencies.

  1. Your data model, designed before anything elseWhat you store, how it links and its rules, agreed before code, with every change reviewed.
  2. APIs your team can build on, fully documentedThe rules for how other software talks to your back end, documented as we build them.
  3. Logins and security built into everyday workProven login tools, the least access needed, passwords kept out of code and common risks checked on every change.
  • Reply within four business hours (typical)
  • Built for your real traffic: one application before many services
  • Senior review on every merge
  • Security built in from sprint one
  • 4,500+ projects delivered since 2004
  • Clear IP & Ownership Terms
In every back end

What our back-end development
includes.

01

Your data model, designed before anything else

The data model is how your information is organised. It outlasts every framework, so it comes first. We agree what you store, how it links together and its rules, in plain English, before code. Changes to it are reviewed like any other change. A back end built this way is easy to extend for years. One rushed past this step gets hard to change within months.

Sprint zero
02

APIs your team can build on, fully documented

An API is how other software talks to your back end: your website, internal tools or partner systems. We document each one as we build it. Every field and version is written down, using REST or GraphQL, whichever suits the job. Your own team can build on it without asking us what a field means.

Every build
03

Logins and security built into everyday work

We build logins and permissions on proven, tested tools, never home-made security code. People and systems get only the access they need. Passwords and keys stay out of the code. Automated checks scan the software we depend on. Every review checks the OWASP list of common web risks. Security is part of how we build each week, not an audit bought at the end.

Every merge
04

Background tasks that run reliably

This quiet work is what turns a demo into a system you can rely on. Background and scheduled tasks retry safely without running twice. Records stay correct wherever money moves. Errors and logs are easy for your team to read. We test that backups really restore, rather than hope they do.

Every build
05

A system sized to your traffic, then handed over

We size the system to your measured traffic and growth, not to industry fashion. For most businesses that means one well-organised application that one team can run. We split it into separate services only when the numbers show you need to. You get the technical notes, how-to guides and our reasoning in writing. The code sits in your accounts from day one.

In writing
Our work

See what we've built
and the results it brought.

Real projects for real clients, with results we can show.

All case studies →
Technologies we work with
Commerce and web
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • Magento
  • WordPress
  • Webflow
  • Next.js
Marketing
  • Google Ads
  • Meta Ads
  • GA4
  • Klaviyo
Cloud
  • AWS
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Google Cloud
AI models
  • OpenAI
  • Anthropic
  • Google Gemini
Build and deploy
  • Docker
  • Kubernetes
  • Terraform
  • GitHub Actions
CRM and automation
  • HubSpot
  • Salesforce
  • Zapier
  • n8n

Product names and marks are trademarks of their owners. Naming a technology means our teams build with it. It does not mean a partnership, certification or endorsement.

The process

How a back-end build starts,
from first call to working APIs.

01
Start

Brief and a call

We sign an NDA. Then we go through your business: its records, rules and traffic, any existing code, and who runs the system after launch.

02
Once the brief is complete

Itemised proposal

We confirm the date your proposal arrives. It prices the scope and sets out the system we recommend, with our reasons. Where it's true, that includes 'you don't need microservices for this'.

03
Your decision

You sign off

You confirm the scope, the payment and the access we need. Nothing starts before this.

04
Typically 2 to 3 business days later

The team starts

We settle the data model and the APIs. Then we set up the code, automated checks, test environments and safe password storage in your accounts.

05
On the date in your proposal

First deliverable

Working, tested APIs on a test site, shown on a call, with real requests against real data.

Inside Prism

Your engagement, week to week,
in one workspace.

Prism is the client workspace where your requests, approvals, tasks and weekly reviews live.

Some engagements include Prism, our client workspace, and your proposal says whether yours does. Where it does, your build runs in a workspace you log into: requests, approvals, the task list and the weekly review, beside the repository your team already owns.

  • 01

    Requests and approvals

    One queue, beside the repository your team owns.

  • 02

    Owned tasks

    Every task has one owner and a date.

  • 03

    Weekly review

    Each decision recorded, with the expectation attached.

Proof

A case study:
how we cleared a backlog of work.

Brand panel: anonymised case study, multi-location healthcare, US, a delivery team inside an agency
Healthcare · US
Via agency partner · white-label

Multi-location healthcare: delivery unblocked.

An agency drowning in backlog handed us their delivery queue. Dedicated team, their brand, their tools: velocity up 85%.

85%
Faster delivery
Cleared
Delivery backlog
Read the full case
Named work

A live PHP platform,
moved to Laravel while it ran.

Shubham consistently excels with punctuality, quick adaptability to feedback, and a proactive drive that enhances system efficiency. He supports the team reliably, even during late hours, without compromising quality. His clear communication and dedication make him a key contributor to our success.

Irfan Zaman, Product Manager, Shine ElectronicsShine Electronics
Related services

Services that connect
to your back end.

A back end never runs alone. Each service it connects with is one you can buy on its own, from the same senior team.

Building the whole application, including the screens?

This page covers the hidden part of your application. If you need the full build (screens, back end and how they connect), see custom web development. Adding engineers to your own team instead? Hire Node.js, Django or Laravel developers by the month.

Who is accountable

The people responsible
for your work.

Leadership and how we’re built →
Parvessh Agarwal

Parvessh Agarwal

Founder & CEO

An entrepreneur at heart. He links business analysis, strategy, clear goals and ROI to practical technology.

LinkedIn →
Saundaraya Gupta

Saundaraya Gupta

Technical Manager

Brings technical work, client updates and project management together, so work moves smoothly from brief to launch.

LinkedIn →

Every engagement

A named coordinator and escalation contact

Know who coordinates your engagement, who owns the work and how to escalate an issue.

All engagements. Roles may be combined and vary with your engagement.

Full terms →
Before you sign

Our commitments

Each one says where it applies and links to its full terms.

Response and start times

We typically respond within four business hours. Eligible engagements can typically start within two to three business days after scope, payment and required access are confirmed.

Business hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm IST, excluding published company holidays. Typical expectations, not guaranteed service levels.

Full terms

30-Day Corrective Maintenance

Applicable development work includes 30 days of corrective maintenance after production launch.

Development engagements, including partner (agency) development engagements and AI implementations; not marketing services or retainers.

Full terms

Clear IP & Ownership Terms

Your materials remain yours. Bespoke deliverable rights, licences and handover are agreed before work starts.

All engagements.

Full terms

Clear Delivery & Escalation Ownership

Know who coordinates your engagement, who owns the work and how to escalate an issue.

All engagements. Roles may be combined and vary with your engagement.

Full terms

How we handle claims, credentials and your data: group credentials, dated ratings, how case figures are signed off, client permissions and data handling.

Inherited systems

Taking over a back end
another team built.

Taking over a back end starts with a plain review, not a sales pitch for a rewrite. This is the order we work in, and where a rewrite fits.

  1. 01Write down what is already thereWe record the data model, how releases work and the risky areas before we change anything.
  2. 02Make it stable before adding to itWe add tests on the key paths and replace passwords and keys, keeping them out of the code. We check the backups really restore, rather than assume they do.
  3. 03Check security in every reviewFrom then on, everyone gets only the access they need and passwords stay out of code. Automated checks scan the software we depend on. Every senior review checks the OWASP list of common risks.
  4. 04Improve in stepsChanges to the data model are reviewed like code. We split the application into services only when your numbers show a need. New features keep going live while the system improves.
  5. 05Rewrite only when it is cheaperIf a rewrite costs less than improving what exists, we show the reasoning and you make the call.

Most inherited systems are better than the team that inherited them fears.

Questions

Frequently
asked.

Backend web development is the part of your application users never see. It covers the data model, the APIs, logins and background tasks. We size it to your real traffic and build security in from the first sprint. Connecting to other systems, such as CRMs, ERPs and payments, is on our API and integrations page.

Probably not. Microservices split an app into many small services. That makes the code simpler but the running much harder, which only pays off for very large teams. Our default is a monolith: one well-organised application that one team can run. We split it later if the numbers show a need. If we think you need services, we'll explain why in writing, using your figures.

Node.js and TypeScript, PHP with Laravel, and Python for data-heavy work. We use PostgreSQL or MySQL databases and host on the major clouds. We choose based on what your team can run and hire for, and prefer proven tools with plenty of developers. Where we lack senior depth in a technology, we say so and point you elsewhere.

As part of everyday work, not a certificate bought at the end. We use proven login tools and give only the access needed. Passwords stay out of code, and automated checks scan the software we depend on. Every review checks the OWASP list of common risks. Personal data is handled to laws such as GDPR. We won't promise 'unhackable', but if you need an audit or penetration test, we build to pass it.

Yes, taking over back ends is a regular part of our work. We start with a plain review of the data model, how releases work and the risky areas. Then we make it stable before adding to it: tests on the key paths, new passwords and keys, and checked backups. If a rewrite costs less than step-by-step fixes, we show our reasons and you decide.

Your materials, data and accounts remain yours. Agreed ownership rights in bespoke deliverables transfer under the engagement terms and applicable payment; third-party software and open-source dependencies keep their licences. We don't withhold customer-owned data or accounts over a payment dispute. Credentials live in your vault, and schema documentation and runbooks are kept as we build.

Yes. Many agencies use us as their backend development agency under their own brand, with an NDA. You keep your tools and client calls; our engineers do the work. We don't approach the clients you introduce to us for direct business, through the work and for twelve months after the last assignment for that client ends, and it's written into the agreement.

The range

What it costs,
at the direct rate.

A fixed quote to build the core, priced from the data up, or to take over one someone else built. Then a retainer to run it. Connecting the core to other systems is the API & Integrations row.

  • ProjectBack-end build$5,000–$37.5Kfixed quote, one-time
  • ProjectTakeover and stabilisation$2,500–$12.5Kfixed quote, one-time
  • RetainerEngineering retainer$1,875–$10Kper month

Indicative: every figure is refined into an itemised proposal.INR figures shown excl. GST.

Build the part
nobody sees. Properly.

Tell us what your application has to do. You'll have an itemised proposal (architecture, team and timeline, with the reasoning).

Reply within four business hours (typical) · NDA standard · Clear IP & Ownership Terms

Last updated