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APIs and integrations

API Development and System Integration

We connect the systems that run your business. Bespoke REST APIs, third-party integrations, webhooks and middleware, so data flows by itself instead of being retyped by hand.

Talk to Rob and Jaseor ring 01474 639 089

You'll be talking to one of us, not a salesperson.

Getting two systems to agree, without anyone watching

An API is the contract that lets one system ask another for data, or tell it to do something, in a predictable way. Integration is wiring those contracts together so your ecommerce, ERP, warehouse and accounts systems stay in step.

Done well, it's invisible. Orders appear where they should, stock matches and invoices reconcile. Done badly, you get silent failures, duplicated records, stock that drifts, and a process that depends on one person remembering to run it.

The difference is almost entirely in the parts you can't see at the demo, which is where we spend our time.

Integrations are where most projects quietly fall apart: two systems that each think they own the truth, and nobody owning the bit in between. We design that middle layer deliberately, so data flows in one direction, errors are visible, and nothing silently drops.
Jason Wheeler, co-founder

What the work involves

  • REST API design

    Clean, predictable, versioned APIs with proper status codes and consistent responses, whether they serve a mobile app, a partner or your own front end.

  • Authentication and access

    OAuth 2.0, API keys or Laravel Sanctum, with scoped permissions so each integration can only touch what it should.

  • Webhooks and events

    Reacting the moment something happens, such as an order or a payment, rather than polling on a timer and hoping.

  • Middleware and data mapping

    The translation layer between systems that disagree about fields, formats and rules. This is where most off-the-shelf connectors give up.

  • Errors and retries

    Queues, retries, idempotency and clear logging, so an outage at the other end is a delay you can see, not a pile of lost transactions.

  • Documentation

    Every API is documented, so you're never stuck with a black box only one person understood.

What we connect

  • Shopify to Oracle NetSuite

    Orders, returns, stock, wholesale and finance data. We built this for Motel Rocks. See NetSuite and Shopify.

  • Shopify to Peoplevox and 3PLs

    Picking, despatch and stock kept accurate with no manual exports. See Peoplevox and Shopify.

  • Shopify to accounts

    FreeAgent, Xero and Sage. We removed the retyping for Vincent and Barn.

  • APIs for apps and partners

    With authentication, versioning, rate limits and documentation a third-party developer can use.

  • Middleware layers

    One place that owns the logic between systems, and shows you what's flowing where.

  • Fixing someone else's integration

    Taking over flaky or undocumented integrations, working out what they really do, then stabilising or rebuilding them.

Bespoke or an off-the-shelf connector?

Tools like Zapier and Make are good, and sometimes they're the right answer.

RequirementBespoke integrationOff-the-shelf connector
Simple flow between popular appsOften overkillIdeal, and fast to set up
Your own business rulesBuilt inLimited
High volume or money involvedDesigned for it, with retries and loggingCheck carefully
A system with no standard connectorYesUsually not

What a reliable integration looks like

The protocol is the easy bit. Reliability comes from what surrounds it: how failures are handled, how you know it's working, and how you change it later without breaking something.

  • Queues

    Redis-backed queues for asynchronous work, retries and idempotency, so nothing is lost or processed twice.

  • Logging and alerts

    Every transaction visible, with an alert when something needs attention.

  • Reconciliation

    Checks that both systems actually agree, not just that a message was sent.

  • Least privilege

    Token-based authentication with scoped access, so each connection reaches only what it needs.

  • OpenAPI documentation

    A clear contract for any API we expose, so others can build against it.

  • Testing first

    Tested against sandbox endpoints before it ever touches live data.

We'll tell you if you don't need us.

If a connector does the job, use it. It's cheaper and it's quicker.

Bespoke earns its keep when the logic is yours, the volumes are real, or a silent failure would cost you money. Everything we build you own, and when it's live we look after it, because integrations break when the system at the other end changes.

Questions we get asked

  • Can you connect a system with a poor API, or none?

    Often, yes. Where there's no API, we can often work with files, webhooks or a database to get the same result. It's usually why people come to us rather than using a connector.

  • Why not just use Zapier?

    For simple, standard flows you should. When systems are niche, mapping is complex, volume is high or the logic is yours, bespoke is more reliable and often cheaper to run, because per-task costs grow with volume.

  • What do you build with?

    PHP and Laravel mostly. See Laravel development.

  • Who owns the code?

    You do, and it's documented so someone else could pick it up.

  • Do you use AI for this?

    Yes, for much of the typing. A developer designs it and checks every change. Here's how.

Photos of Rob and Jason, who run Dev Partners

Hello, you get us

Rob on the left, Jase on the right. No sales team and no account managers. One of us is on every job, from the first chat to long after it goes live, and the people writing your code sit in the same small team.

Meet everyone

The network side

If the systems you're joining sit on your own network, Rob covers that end of it under networks and integrations.

Related

Our work

From the blog

Where we work

Tell us what you've got

It goes straight to Rob and Jase. You'll hear back from one of us, usually the same day, and we'll tell you honestly whether we're the right people.

Book a call with usor ring 01474 639 089

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