A pair of critical bugs in PHP itself, now called PHP2Shell, was published on 21 October 2026, and Amazon's threat team logged the first attack attempt on 17 October, before any fix existed. Fixed builds exist only for PHP 8.2 and up, so servers on 7.x, 8.0 or 8.1 stay open. Don't worry: we can move your PHP API to Kotlin and have the first release running in 7 days. See the news report.
Our PHP to Kotlin migration services in USA and UK companies are aimed at product teams who already write Kotlin for Android and want one language from the phone to the server. Instead of keeping a PHP API that only one person understands, your mobile developers can read, review and fix the back end too.
We usually build the new server with Ktor, the lightweight framework from JetBrains, or with Spring Boot when you need its large set of integrations. Database work goes through Exposed or jOOQ, JSON is handled by kotlinx.serialization, and slow outside calls run on coroutines so one waiting request does not tie up a thread.
Our studio in Gujarat, India has more than a decade of web development work. We plan our day around US Eastern and UK hours, send short written updates each evening and keep the Kotlin code plain enough for your own people to own after launch.
What Kotlin gives you over PHP
Kotlin runs on the JVM, so it inherits the speed and libraries of Java while being much shorter to write. These are the gains our clients' teams tend to feel first.
Null errors stopped by the compiler
Kotlin marks which values may be empty. Code that forgets to check for null will not compile, which removes a whole class of crash that PHP only shows in production.
Shared models with your Android app
Data classes and validation rules can live in a Kotlin Multiplatform module used by both the server and the app, so the API and the client never drift apart.
Coroutines for slow calls
Waiting on a payment provider or a shipping API no longer blocks a worker. Coroutines handle thousands of open calls with a small server.
Scope of a Kotlin back end migration
- PHP endpoints rewritten as Ktor routes or Spring controllers
- Request and response bodies typed as Kotlin data classes
- Queries ported to Exposed or jOOQ, with Flyway for schema changes
- Existing user table and password hashes kept so nobody resets a password
- JWT or session auth rebuilt to match your mobile app
- Push notifications, email and third-party API clients
- Tests with Kotest or JUnit 5 on every ported rule
- Gradle build, Docker image and CI deploy to your host
Our 7-day plan for a PHP to Kotlin move
Day 1: Read the PHP
We list each endpoint your apps call, the tables behind it and the edge cases, then agree what ships in week one and the fixed fee.
Days 2-4: Write the Kotlin service
Gradle project, data classes, database layer, then endpoint by endpoint, each with a test that checks it returns what PHP returned.
Days 5-6: Point a test build at it
Your Android or web build talks to the Kotlin API on staging while we diff responses against the PHP version and fix any gap.
Day 7: Launch
We move live traffic to Kotlin route by route through your proxy, watch error rates, and keep PHP ready as a fallback.
PHP API vs Kotlin API
What changes when the server your apps talk to is written in Kotlin.
| PHP API | Kotlin API | |
|---|---|---|
| Null handling | Undefined index notices and null bugs at runtime | Nullable types checked at compile time |
| Concurrency | One process per request | Coroutines handle many waiting calls on few threads |
| Code sharing | Separate models for app and server | Shared Kotlin data classes and validation |
| Tooling | Editor support varies | Full IntelliJ refactoring and inspections |
| Libraries | Composer packages | Kotlin libraries plus the whole Java ecosystem |
| Team | PHP developers separate from mobile | Android developers can work on the back end |
Why work with us on Kotlin
We know both sides of this move: the PHP habits that hide bugs and the Kotlin features that catch them.
Your apps keep working on launch day
We freeze the API contract on day one, so the Kotlin server answers with the same JSON fields and status codes your released app versions expect.
One price per phase, agreed after a free review of your PHP code.
We sign an NDA first and hand over the repo and all keys at the end.
Kotlin back end migration for US and UK product teams
This work suits start-ups and app companies in the United States and the United Kingdom that ship an Android app on top of an ageing PHP API. Our team overlaps with New York mornings and London afternoons, and we answer your questions the same day.
An offshore Kotlin team costs much less than hiring JVM engineers locally, and you still get a fixed price, a signed NDA and a named lead who joins your stand-ups when you need one.
Official sources: PHP supported versions · Kotlin
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about our PHP to Kotlin Migration service.
Most small and medium PHP APIs move to Kotlin in 7 days. Large back ends get a phased plan, with the busiest endpoints live on Kotlin inside the first 7 days and the rest moved in later sprints.
Ktor suits lean APIs that mostly serve a mobile app. Spring Boot suits apps with many integrations, admin tools or enterprise login. We advise after reading your code, not before.
No. The Kotlin server keeps the same URLs, JSON shapes and error codes, so users who have not updated the app see no change.
Maybe not. If nobody on your side writes Kotlin, a PHP 8.4 upgrade, Laravel or Node.js may be easier to staff. We will tell you that honestly in the audit.
Every endpoint that runs on Kotlin no longer depends on PHP at all. Any PHP that stays during a phased move is upgraded to a fixed PHP 8.4 build so it is patched too.
Yes, that is who this service is for. Calls happen in US Eastern or UK hours, replies come the same day, and every project runs under an NDA at a fixed price.
Is your PHP app still on an old version?
Send us the URL or the repository. We check it for the PHP2Shell flaw and old code for free, and tell you what a 7-day migration looks like.
Get a free migration audit