# Software project rescue & legacy upgrades > Your developer left, or the app is outdated and fragile? We take over software projects, stabilize them, and modernize legacy code. Senior US team in Phoenix. - URL: https://velocitylabs.io/app-rescue/ Software project rescue # Software project rescue: you probably don't need to start over. Your app is outdated or fragile, or your last developer disappeared. We take it over, stabilize it, and modernize the legacy code that's holding your business back. ## When a software project needs rescuing - ### Your developer disappeared They stopped answering or moved on, and nobody else knows how the app works. - ### Every change breaks something Fixes take longer each time, and nobody wants to touch the code. - ### It's years out of date Old versions of the language, the framework, and the libraries, missing security fixes. - ### It was built in a hurry An offshore team, a rushed MVP, or an AI tool got it launched, and now it has real customers. - ### Nobody can deploy it Releases depend on one person’s laptop, or on steps nobody wrote down. - ### It's slow, or it falls over Pages time out and errors pile up, and the app struggles every time more people use it. ## How a takeover starts 1. ### Secure your code and accounts First we make sure you control your code, hosting, domain, and the accounts the app depends on, so nothing is stuck with someone who left. 2. ### Find out what you have A [code audit](https://velocitylabs.io/code-audit/) shows what’s there, what’s risky, and what to fix first, in plain English. 3. ### Fix the most urgent problems first Then we stabilize it: security fixes, the bugs that hurt most, and upgrades, in small steps your business can keep running through. > “More than a development firm, they are a trusted resource for us. I look forward to working with them for many years.” > > Aaron Post ## Legacy software modernization, without starting over Most apps don’t need a rewrite. A rewrite throws away years of fixes and starts over with new bugs, while your business waits. We modernize legacy software in steps instead: get it running and tested, upgrade the language and framework a version at a time, and replace the riskiest parts, shipping improvements your customers can see along the way. When a rewrite really is the better choice, we’ll tell you. ## Apps we've taken over ![The surveying firm's daily workflow screen, listing the day's work orders](https://velocitylabs.io/images/work/land-surveying-firm.webp) ### Land surveying firm We audited this firm's job and invoicing app, fixed the three urgent issues we found, rebuilt its invoice engine, upgraded Rails, and still look after it. - [Ruby on Rails](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=ruby-on-rails) - [PostgreSQL](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=postgresql) - [RSpec](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=rspec) ![Go Swim home page: videos to inspire, educate and make you a better swimmer](https://velocitylabs.io/images/work/go-swim.webp) ### Go Swim A swim instruction video site we took over after launch and developed for six years: subscriptions, payments, and video delivery. - [Ruby on Rails](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=ruby-on-rails) - [Stripe](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=stripe) - [Vimeo](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=vimeo) - [Amazon CloudFront](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=amazon-cloudfront) ![Princess Dental Staffing home page: Make your next hire with Princess](https://velocitylabs.io/images/work/princess-dental-staffing.webp) ### Princess Dental Staffing Dental practices use it to hire staff and book temps online. Along the way we built its Stripe subscriptions, the API behind its mobile app, and AI-based matching, as it grew from one local market to nationwide. - [Ruby on Rails](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=ruby-on-rails) - [PostgreSQL](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=postgresql) - [Stripe](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=stripe) - [Mistral](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=mistral) - [Twilio](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=twilio) - [SendGrid](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=sendgrid) - [Solr](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=solr) - [Amazon S3](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=amazon-s3) - [Amazon CloudFront](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=amazon-cloudfront) - [Heroku](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/?tech=heroku) [See more of our work](https://velocitylabs.io/portfolio/) ## Questions about rescuing a project #My developer abandoned the project. What do I do? First, secure what’s yours: the code repository, hosting, domain, and the accounts for any services the app uses. Then get an outside look at what you have before anyone changes it. We can do both, and take over from there. #Should we rewrite the app or refactor it? Usually refactor. Modernizing in steps keeps what already works and keeps the business running, while a rewrite starts over. A [code audit](https://velocitylabs.io/code-audit/) tells you which fits your app, and if a rewrite is the better choice, we’ll say so. #How do you modernize a legacy application? In small steps: get it running with tests around what matters, upgrade the language and framework a version at a time, and replace the riskiest parts, while shipping fixes along the way. #How do we get our code from the old developer? Your contract decides who owns it, so start there. Either way, ask for the code repository, the hosting and domain logins, and the accounts for any services the app uses. If some of it can’t be recovered, we’ll help you work out what to rebuild. #How does a takeover start? With access and an audit. Once you control the code and accounts, we review the app, then fix the most urgent problems first.