Secure Backend Engineering
APIs, data layers, and infrastructure built on the assumption that someone will try to break them. We start with a threat model, give every service and person only the access it needs, and keep the checks running long after launch.
- API design
- Auth & access control
- Cloud & DevSecOps
- Security reviews
Built to hold up.
01
Threat model before code
We map what you are protecting, who might attack it, and how, then design the system around those answers instead of patching later.
02
Least privilege everywhere
Services, keys, and people get only the access they need. Roles and permissions are explicit, reviewed, and easy to audit.
03
Checks on every change
Dependency audits, static analysis, and security tests run in the pipeline, so problems are caught in review rather than in production.
04
Built for the next engineer
Clear structure, typed interfaces, and written decisions, so your team can run, extend, and audit the system without us.
What we deliver.
(06 parts)- 01
Threat model and architecture
A written threat model, data flow diagrams, and an architecture that shows where trust boundaries sit and how each one is defended.
- 02
APIs with validation at the edge
REST or RPC endpoints with schema validation on every input, consistent errors, rate limits, and documentation your team can build on.
- 03
Authentication and access control
Sign-in, sessions, and roles designed for your users, with multi-factor options and permission checks enforced on the server, not the client.
- 04
Secrets and encryption
Secrets kept in a managed store and out of code, data encrypted in transit and at rest, and a plan for rotating keys.
- 05
Audit logging and monitoring
Logs of who did what and when, kept free of sensitive data, with alerts on the events that matter to your risks.
- 06
Infrastructure as code and CI/CD
Environments defined in code and reviewed like code, with a pipeline that tests, scans, and deploys the same way every time.
How we work.
Four steps, with you in the loop at every one. No black boxes and no surprises at launch.
Discover
Goals, users, and risks
We map the goal, the users, the risks, and agree on what success looks like.
Design
Reviewed early and often
Direction, prototypes, and a system, reviewed with you early and often.
Build
Tested at every step
Production-grade engineering with tests, security checks, and a live preview at every step.
Launch & grow
Measured and improved
We ship, measure, and keep improving: performance, content, marketing, new features.
Your project
- The systems, data, and users in scope
- The threats and compliance needs to design for
- Where it runs: your cloud account, ours, or a mix
- How access, secrets, and logs are handed over to you
- Support and maintenance after launch
Penetration tests by an independent party, formal compliance work, and ongoing on-call are scoped separately. Everything is agreed in a written proposal before work begins.
Start a project01Can you review or harden a backend we already have?
Yes. We start with a review of the code, infrastructure, and access setup, write up what we find in order of risk, and agree with you which fixes to make first. We can make the changes ourselves or work alongside your team.
02Do you provide compliance certification?
No. We are not an auditor and do not issue certifications. We build with practices that support frameworks such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001, keep the evidence an auditor will ask for, and can work with your chosen auditor.
03Who owns the code, infrastructure, and keys?
You do. Code lives in your repository, infrastructure runs in accounts you control, and secrets are handed over through your own secret store. We keep only the access the work needs and remove it when the work is done.
Related work.
All workGuides worth reading.
All insightsSecurity
What a threat model looks like for a small web app
A threat model is not a binder for banks. For a small web app it fits on one page and shapes almost every decision that follows.
· 4 minRead the guideSecurity
Secrets, keys and access: least privilege in practice for a startup
Least privilege sounds like enterprise policy. In a small team it comes down to a few habits about where secrets live and who can touch what.
· 3 minRead the guide
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(Start a project)
Have an idea? Let's build it.
A product, a platform, a brand, or a security review. Tell us what you are building and we will reply with next steps.