An application built on Yii years ago still runs the business, but the people who understood it have moved on.
Hire Yii Developers for Maintenance, Upgrades & Phased Migration
Yii engineers who are at home in older codebases. They keep Yii 1.1 and Yii 2 applications running, bring PHP and dependencies up to date, and plan migrations that do not stop the business.
- Experience with both Yii 1.1 and Yii 2 codebases
- PHP version upgrades planned and tested in stages
- Tests added around old code before it is changed
- Meet the developer before you commit to anything
- DaysTo a shortlist
- MonthlyContract terms
- YoursCode and IP
Teams That Build With SyntecHire
References available on request.
What You Can Build With Yii
Yii 1.1 to Yii 2 Migration
Controllers, models and widgets rewritten for Yii 2 module by module, with both versions serving requests during the move.
Tech Stack
- Yii 1.1
- Yii 2
- Composer
- Codeception
Outcome
Users keep working while the old framework is phased out.
Yii 2.0 was a complete rewrite of the framework, so moving an application from version 1.1 is a migration project and not a routine upgrade.
Technical Expertise Our Yii Developers Bring
Tracing behaviour through controllers, behaviours and widgets when there is no documentation to lean on.
- Yii 1.1
- Yii 2
- Xdebug
Finding slow queries, removing repeated lookups and adding indexes without changing results.
- Active Record
- Query Builder
- MySQL
Tests that record what the system does today, so a refactor can be checked against them.
- Codeception
- PHPUnit
- Fixtures
Automated refactoring for the mechanical changes and careful review for the ones that alter behaviour.
- PHP 8
- Rector
- PHPStan
Moving copied-in libraries under Composer and replacing packages that are no longer maintained.
- Composer
- Packagist
- Version Constraints
Reviewing role checks, input validation and session handling in code written to older standards.
- RBAC
- CSRF Protection
- Input Validation
Fragment, data and query caching applied where profiling shows it helps.
- Redis
- Memcached
- Query Caching
Repeatable, scripted releases in place of manual file uploads and hand-run SQL.
- Docker
- GitHub Actions
- Database Migrations
How Yii Has Evolved
- 2008
Yii 1.0First release
The first stable release, led by Qiang Xue, with MVC, Active Record and caching.
- 2010
Yii 1.1Long-lived line
The release line that many older production applications still run on.
- 2013
Yii 2.0 previewPublic preview
The Yii 2 code was opened to the community ahead of the stable release.
- 2014
Yii 2.0Rewrite
A full rewrite built on namespaces, Composer and the PSR standards.
When Yii Is The Right Choice
Choose Yii when
- The application works and earns its keepMaintaining a stable system usually costs less than rewriting it.
- You run an old Yii or PHP releaseA staged upgrade removes the security exposure without changing how users work.
- Business rules are buried in the codeA developer who reads Yii fluently can document and test those rules before anything moves.
- You want a gradual migrationMoving one module at a time keeps the system in service and lets you stop at any point.
Consider something else when
- You are starting a new productA framework with a larger hiring pool and ecosystem is a safer choice for a first version.
- The application is small enough to rebuildWhen the scope is a handful of screens, rebuilding on a current stack can be simpler than upgrading.
- Nobody can say what the system should doWithout an owner for the requirements, neither maintenance nor migration goes well. Settle that first.
Why CTOs Choose Us
Candidates are given existing Yii code to read, explain and change, which is the work they will do for you.
You speak to the developer and judge their understanding of legacy systems before any contract.
The developer works only on your application, so what they learn about it is not lost to other projects.
Work is committed to your repository and goes through your reviews and release steps.
Month-to-month terms, no exit fee, and a replacement if the fit is wrong.
How Your Developer Joins The Team
- 1Step 1
Discovery
A call about your stack, team and the work ahead.
- 2Step 2
Matching
A shortlist of people who have done similar work.
- 3Step 3
Onboarding
Access, environment setup and a first small task.
- 4Step 4
Shipping
Regular pull requests inside your review process.
AI In Delivery
Where coding assistants help, and where a person decides.
Used for speed
Boilerplate, test scaffolding and first drafts of documentation.
Always reviewed
Every change is read and approved by an engineer before it merges.
Never given secrets
Credentials and client data stay out of prompts. Your policy on AI tools applies.
Security And IP
What we enforce on every engagement.
IP assignment
All work product is assigned to you in the contract.
NDA first
Signed before anyone sees your code.
Least privilege
Access limited to what the task needs.
Clean exit
Access revoked and handover documented when work ends.
Yii Developer Pricing Tiers
- Early career
Entry
On request
- Works on defined tasks
- Pairs with a senior reviewer
- Suited to well-scoped backlog items
- Mid level
Experienced
On request
- Owns features end to end
- Reviews others' code
- Suited to most product teams
- Senior
Expert
On request
- Leads architecture decisions
- Mentors the team
- Suited to complex or legacy systems
Rates depend on seniority, stack and team size. We quote a fixed monthly figure per developer.
What Is Included In The Rate
| SyntecHire dedicated developer | Typical freelancer | |
|---|---|---|
| Screening and onboarding | Included | Your time |
| Replacement if the fit is wrong | Included | Start again |
| Continuity and handover notes | Included | Varies |
| IP assignment and NDA | In the contract | Varies |
| Availability | Full time on your product | Shared across clients |
Is A Dedicated Developer The Right Fit?
Five quick questions.
1Is the work expected to run for three months or longer?
2Do you have someone who can set priorities each week?
3Is there an existing codebase or a clear specification?
4Do you want the developer inside your own tools and reviews?
5Would losing context between contractors hurt the project?
0 of 5 answered. Answer every question to see the result.
Related Insights
View All Articles- HiringHow to brief a remote developer so week one is productiveA short checklist covering access, context and a first task that is small enough to finish.
- Project ManagementStaff augmentation or a dedicated team: a decision you can make in ten minutesFour questions about ownership, runway and management time that settle the choice.
- ModernisationSigns your legacy platform has become a business riskWhat to look for in release frequency, incident history and hiring difficulty.
Yii Hiring Questions
Tell us the Yii and PHP versions you run. We shortlist only people who have maintained that release line in production, and you interview them before deciding.
It depends on the size of the codebase, its test coverage and your hiring plans. The developer can assess the application and set out the options with their trade-offs. The decision stays with you.
Yii 3 is a separate, package-based framework and not a drop-in upgrade from Yii 2. Moving to it is a migration, and should be weighed against the other options in the same way.
It is common. The work starts with reading the code, writing down how it behaves and adding tests around the riskiest parts. Changes follow once that safety net exists.
You do. The contract assigns all work and intellectual property to you, and the code lives in your repository throughout.
Tell us and we provide a replacement. Terms are month to month, so you can also end the engagement without an exit fee.