API Development & Integration · REST APIs · UK Team · No Offshore
API Development & System Integration
We connect the systems that run your business. Bespoke REST APIs, third-party integrations, webhooks and middleware that make your software talk to itself properly, so data flows automatically instead of being re-keyed by hand.
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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. Get the API right and the two systems stop arguing.
Prefer to watch? The short version of who we are and how we work
Getting two systems to agree, reliably, 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. API development is designing and building those contracts; integration is wiring them together so your ecommerce platform, ERP, warehouse, accounting system and everything else stay in step automatically. Done well, it is invisible: orders appear where they should, stock numbers match, invoices reconcile, and nobody is exporting a spreadsheet at five o'clock to paste into another system.
Done badly, it is the opposite: silent failures, duplicated records, stock that drifts out of sync, and a process that depends on one person remembering to run it. The difference is almost entirely in the parts you cannot see at the demo, which is exactly where we spend our time.
REST API design
Clean, predictable, versioned REST APIs with sensible resources, proper status codes, and consistent responses, whether they serve a mobile app, a partner system, or your own front end.
Authentication & access control
OAuth 2.0, API keys, or Laravel Sanctum, with scoped permissions so each integration can only touch what it should. Security designed in, not bolted on at the end.
Webhooks & real-time events
Event-driven integrations that react the moment something happens, an order is placed, a payment clears, a shipment updates, rather than polling on a timer and hoping.
Middleware & data mapping
The translation layer between systems that disagree about field names, formats, and rules. This is where business logic lives, and where most off-the-shelf connectors give up.
Error handling & retries
Queues, retries, idempotency, and clear logging so a third-party outage causes a delay you can see and recover from, not a pile of silently lost transactions.
Documentation you can hand over
Every API and integration is documented, so you are never locked in by a black box only one person understood. If you take it elsewhere later, the next team can pick it up.
Integrations and APIs we deliver
Every type of work below is something we have built and currently support for real trading businesses.
Shopify to Oracle NetSuite
Orders, returns, inventory, wholesale and finance data moving automatically between Shopify and NetSuite. We built exactly this for Motel Rocks. Read the case study.
Shopify to Peoplevox & 3PL
Connecting stores to warehouse management systems and third-party logistics providers so picking, despatch and stock stay accurate at volume, with no manual order export.
Shopify to FreeAgent, Xero & Sage
Automated, reconciliation-accurate invoicing and finance sync. We removed manual re-keying between Shopify and FreeAgent for Vincent & Barn. Read the case study.
APIs for apps & partners
REST APIs that serve mobile apps, customer portals, or partner systems, with authentication, versioning, rate limiting, and the documentation a third-party developer actually needs.
Integration & middleware layers
A dedicated layer that owns the logic between systems, transforming data, applying your business rules, and giving you one place to see and control what flows where.
Fixing existing integrations
Taking over flaky, failing, or undocumented integrations someone else built, mapping what they really do, documenting them, and stabilising or rebuilding as needed.
Bespoke integration vs an off-the-shelf connector
Tools like Zapier and Make are genuinely good, and sometimes they are the right answer. Here is when they are, and when a bespoke integration earns its keep.
| Requirement | Bespoke integration | Off-the-shelf connector | Manual / no integration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple, standard flow between popular apps | Often overkill | ✓ Ideal, fast to set up | Workable at low volume |
| Complex data mapping & business rules | ✓ Built around your process | Hits limits quickly | Error-prone |
| High transaction volume | ✓ Designed for it | Per-task costs add up fast | Not viable |
| Niche or in-house systems with no connector | ✓ We build to the API or files | Usually unsupported | Manual only |
| Reliability, error handling & reconciliation | ✓ Full control | Limited visibility | Depends on a person |
| Ongoing running cost at scale | ✓ Predictable, you own it | Grows with task volume | Hidden cost in staff time |
| Best for | Complex, high-volume, business-critical connections | Quick, simple, low-volume automations | A stopgap, not a system |
If a connector is the right answer for you, we will say so. Tell us what you are connecting and we will give you a straight recommendation.
What a reliable integration looks like under the bonnet
The protocol is the easy bit. Reliability comes from everything around it: how failures are handled, how you know it is working, and how you change it later without breaking something. Here is how we typically build a production integration.
- REST / JSON : clean, versioned APIs, with webhooks for real-time events where the platform supports them
- Laravel / PHP : our primary stack for the middleware and business logic between systems
- OAuth 2.0 / Sanctum : token-based authentication with scoped, least-privilege access
- Redis-backed queues : asynchronous processing, retries, and idempotency so nothing is lost or double-processed
- Logging & monitoring : every transaction visible, with alerting when something needs attention
- Reconciliation : checks that confirm both systems actually agree, not just that a message was sent
- OpenAPI documentation : a clear contract for any API we expose, so others can build against it
- Staging environments : integrations tested against sandbox/test endpoints before they ever touch live data
What our clients say
20 clients. A few of their words.
A well-rounded team, ensuring a full suite of expertise & resource is always available. CDS Global have seen the successful completion of major projects over the years where Dev Partners' ability to grasp the underlying business needs to provide a future-proof solution has been invaluable.
We have worked with Jason & his team to develop our Shopify store, and the experience was outstanding from start to finish. The design is clean, modern, and perfectly aligned with our brand identity, while the build is fast, responsive, and easy to manage on the backend. They clearly understood our vision and delivered a store we're genuinely proud of. Highly recommend to any brand looking for a top-quality Shopify partner.
After ongoing issues and delays with our previous developers, we brought in Rob & Jason at Dev Partners to take over all our websites and bespoke software. What a breath of fresh air, fully focused, excellent pre-launch designs and clear communication throughout. Highly recommended.
BPC Energy Ltd turned to Dev Partners for a complete turnkey solution, and they exceeded our expectations. The team handled everything from project management to development and support with real care and attention. They understood what we were aiming for, stayed on top of every detail, and always delivered on schedule with excellent quality.
Working with Dev Partners to redesign and modernise our WMS system: the whole process has been thoroughly professional from the outset and a delight to work with. Cannot recommend enough.
Great agency. Have used Dev Partners for several years and they have built 20+ sites for us, in addition to taking on our legacy websites, upgrading and maintaining. Easy to work with and some great practical ideas to improve our digital offerings.
Jones Hire have been working with Dev Partners on several projects, which have been very successful. They linked our catering database to a new improved website so clients can easily place and update orders, created a custom warehouse picking app to fulfil all our challenging requirements, and are currently developing a custom transport app to streamline our loading and delivery process.
We have been trying to reinvent our website for over 5 years, trying to make it convert and failing each time. Spoke to Rob at Dev Partners, the team helped create our new site and the improvement was instant.
We have been working with Rob and the team for about 10 years now. Dev Partners helped us build a completely bespoke CRM from scratch which manages our daily business and is always well maintained. We have been able to use the system and roll it out in our new franchise branches.
We collaborated with Dev Partners on the front end of a fairly complex telemarketing platform. Rob and Jason took the time to properly understand the moving parts, asked the right questions, and delivered a clean, intuitive interface that's made the system far easier for our team to use.
I have been working with the team at Dev Partners for the last 3 years and we have always been impressed with the speed in which they act on things for us, along with the honest open communication. The team are a valuable and vital part of our supply chain.
We've had a program for our business in the electronic security sector that Dev Partners developed and keep up to date. They've never let us down, always there when needed. Thanks Rob and the team.
Dev Partners have been working with us for just over 2 years. They have significantly upgraded and redesigned our existing web platforms, and always deliver a first class service.
Dev Partners helped us build an event website. The team were very knowledgeable, easy to work with and quick to deliver a high quality product.
Working with Dev Partners has been an exceptional experience. Their team is highly skilled, professional, and committed to delivering results. What truly sets them apart is their communication and transparency; we always felt informed, supported, and confident.
We've worked with Dev Partners a few times to support us on bespoke web build tasks. They're very easy to work with, approachable, and explain the detail in a way that's understandable. A great partner for technical issues at sensible prices.
Excellent customer service backed up with solid experience. As a media business we have had five websites built by Dev Partners. I would certainly recommend them.
Found Dev Partners and they were great, nothing too much trouble. They managed to help us with integrating our old existing system with Shopify.
I've worked with Rob and his team off and on for many years and have always found them to be professional, knowledgeable, and best of all, they listen to their clients and deliver what is required.
We have worked with Dev Partners for 7 years and can highly recommend them for their expertise and excellent customer service.
API development and integration questions
The questions we get most often about connecting systems and building APIs.
API development is building the interfaces that let software systems talk to each other in a controlled, reliable way. Integration is using those interfaces to connect systems so data flows between them automatically rather than being re-keyed by hand.
In practice that means designing and building REST APIs, connecting your systems to third-party platforms, and writing the middleware that sits between them to transform data and apply business rules. It is some of the most valuable work we do, because it removes manual effort and the errors that come with it.
Ecommerce to ERP (Shopify to Oracle NetSuite for Motel Rocks), ecommerce to warehouse management systems (Shopify to Peoplevox), ecommerce to accounting (Shopify to FreeAgent, Xero and Sage), connections to 3PL and fulfilment providers, payment and finance integrations, and REST APIs that serve mobile apps or partner systems.
If a platform exposes an API, we can connect to it; and where it does not, we can often work with files, webhooks, or a database to get the same result.
Yes, and that is usually why people come to us rather than using an off-the-shelf tool. Connectors like Zapier are excellent for simple, standard flows between popular apps. When the systems are niche, the data mapping is complex, the volume is high, or the business logic is specific to how you operate, a bespoke integration is more reliable and far cheaper to run over time.
We build the connection around your actual process rather than forcing your process to fit a generic connector.
Authentication and authorisation are designed in from the start: token-based auth such as OAuth 2.0 or Laravel Sanctum, scoped access so each integration can only do what it needs, TLS everywhere, input validation, rate limiting to prevent abuse, and careful handling of secrets and credentials.
We also build in logging and monitoring so that if something does go wrong, it is visible immediately rather than discovered weeks later when data has drifted.
It depends on the number of systems, the complexity of the data mapping, and how reliable it needs to be. A focused one-way integration or a small REST API can start from a few thousand pounds. A two-way, high-volume integration with error handling, retries, and reconciliation across multiple systems costs more.
We scope it properly first and give you a fixed-price proposal based on what the work actually involves, not an estimate designed to win the project and grow later.
Yes. We regularly take on integrations and APIs built by someone else, including ones that are failing intermittently or that nobody fully understands any more. We start by mapping what it actually does, document it properly, and then stabilise or rebuild it depending on what we find.
Undocumented integrations that only one person understood are one of the most common and most dangerous forms of technical debt, and untangling them is routine work for us.
Two systems that should talk and don't?
Tell us what you are connecting and we will tell you the cleanest way to do it.
A bespoke integration, a REST API, or honestly sometimes an off-the-shelf connector. We will give you a straight recommendation, scope it properly, and quote a fixed price based on what the work actually involves. You speak directly to the founders, and the team building it is fully UK-based and in-house.
Common starting points:
- Connecting ecommerce to ERP, WMS, or accounting
- A bespoke REST API for an app or partner
- Webhook and middleware layers between systems
- Replacing manual data re-keying with automation
- Fixing or documenting an integration someone else built
We reply to all enquiries within one working day.
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