PHP 3 to Laravel 12:
Anatomy of a Rescue Mission
- The Challenge: Mission-critical legacy systems (PHP 3) are "museum pieces" that risk operational failure and truck stops.
- The Strategy: Avoid the "Big Bang" rewrite. Use "Rescue Engineering" protocols: Stabilization via Docker, Bridging via Shared Sessions, and Incremental Extraction.
- The Outcome: A seamless transition to Laravel 12 without downtime, resulting in a testable, scalable codebase that attracts top engineering talent.
The codebase was a museum of early 2000s web development. Raw SQL queries in the view files, global variables everywhere, and a server running a PHP version so old it belonged in a history book.
For this client, a major US logistics provider, this system wasn't just old;it was the backbone of their operations. A failure meant trucks stopped moving. This wasn't just a rewrite; it was Rescue Engineering.
The Rescue Protocol
- 1. Stabilization: Moving the legacy code into a Docker container to ensure environment parity.
- 2. The Bridge: Implementing a service layer that allows Laravel and legacy PHP to share session data.
- 3. Incremental Extraction: Moving features one-by-one from the monolith to Laravel controllers.
Stabilizing the "Patient"
Before we touch a line of code, we stabilize the environment. Legacy systems often fail because they rely on specific, outdated OS configurations. By "containerizing" the monolith, we create a safe, reproducible environment that can run alongside modern infrastructure.
Building the Laravel Bridge
The biggest hurdle in a long-term rescue is keeping the user experience seamless. We implemented a "shared session" architecture. When a user logged into the old PHP 3 system, the Laravel 12 side knew exactly who they were.
This allowed us to rewrite the Dashboard in Laravel while the Reporting engine was still running on the old code. To the user, it looked like one unified system.
The "Big Bang" Myth
In rescue engineering, the "Big Bang" (switching off the old and switching on the new) is almost always a mistake. It introduces too much risk. Instead, we used a Reverse Proxy to route traffic. If a feature had been modernized, Laravel handled it. If not, the request was passed through to the legacy server.
The Result: Technical Freedom
After 12 months, the legacy server was finally decommissioned. The logistics provider now has a codebase that is testable, scalable, and;most importantly;secured a long-term, reliable partner to ensure their operations run smoothly for the next decade.
Stop firefighting. Start innovating.
Your legacy code doesn't have to be a liability. Let our senior architects show you the path from "Rescue" to "Modernization."
Consult with Our Rescue Team