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Engineering & Architecture.

Architecture decisions are where software projects either become durable systems or expensive rewrites. This hub collects our production notes on data models, multi-tenant applications, security, AI systems, and the trade-offs behind software that has to keep working after launch.

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Engineering articles

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Next.js vs Gatsby in 2026: Why One Framework Died and What It Cost to Leave
Engineering

Next.js vs Gatsby in 2026: Why One Framework Died and What It Cost to Leave

Your Gatsby build breaks at 2 AM. The plugin you need hasn't been updated in 18 months. Netlify's acquisition didn't save it -- it buried it.

17 min read
UK VAT, OSS & IOSS for Ecommerce in 2026: Your Tax-Compliant Playbook
Engineering

UK VAT, OSS & IOSS for Ecommerce in 2026: Your Tax-Compliant Playbook

Your first €10,000 sale into Germany just triggered an OSS filing obligation you didn't know existed. Here's the UK DTC compliance map that stops the bleeding.

20 min read
CPSR Cost Breakdown 2026: UK & EU Safety Report Pricing Guide
Engineering

CPSR Cost Breakdown 2026: UK & EU Safety Report Pricing Guide

Your cosmetic product sits ready to ship -- formulation locked, packaging designed, shelf space confirmed. Then your supplier mentions the CPSR.

17 min read
UK Responsible Person for Cosmetics: Complete 2026 Guide
Engineering

UK Responsible Person for Cosmetics: Complete 2026 Guide

Your first UK cosmetics shipment clears customs. Three weeks later, OPSS sends a suspension notice--no Responsible Person on file. Here's what that appointment actually involves.

15 min read
AEO vs GEO vs SEO in 2026: The Complete Implementation Guide
Engineering

AEO vs GEO vs SEO in 2026: The Complete Implementation Guide

Your organic traffic now flows through three channels--not one. Here's how AEO, GEO, and traditional SEO differ, plus a 22-step checklist to capture all three.

19 min read
Drupal Hosting Costs £32K/Year: Headless Alternatives for £450
Engineering

Drupal Hosting Costs £32K/Year: Headless Alternatives for £450

Your Acquia renewal lands: £32,000 for another year. A headless Next.js stack runs the same site for £450. Here's the invoice comparison.

16 min read
Drupal to Next.js Migration Cost in 2026: Real GBP & USD Pricing
Engineering

Drupal to Next.js Migration Cost in 2026: Real GBP & USD Pricing

Your Drupal site is stable, but quotes for a Next.js migration are landing anywhere from £15k to £120k. Same project, wildly different scopes.

16 min read
Drupal 7 End of Life Jan 2026: Migration Costs & Decision Guide
Engineering

Drupal 7 End of Life Jan 2026: Migration Costs & Decision Guide

Your Drupal 7 site loses commercial support January 5, 2026. No patches, no fixes -- just open doors for bot attacks and compliance failures.

11 min read
7 Signs You've Outgrown WordPress (When Headless Actually Pays Off)
Engineering

7 Signs You've Outgrown WordPress (When Headless Actually Pays Off)

Your WordPress admin freezes during peak traffic. Plugins conflict after every core update. Security patches eat your weekends--again.

19 min read
WordPress Hacked Again? Migration to Next.js + Supabase Fixes It
Engineering

WordPress Hacked Again? Migration to Next.js + Supabase Fixes It

Your WordPress site ships clean after a hack cleanup. Three weeks later, the skimmer's back. The plugin layer is the infection vector--here's how Next.js kills it.

17 min read
WordPress Maintenance Cost in 2026: The £8,400 Nobody Budgets For
Engineering

WordPress Maintenance Cost in 2026: The £8,400 Nobody Budgets For

Your finance team sees £50/month hosting. Your P&L hides £8,400/year in plugin licenses, security patches, and the developer time WordPress silently devours.

15 min read
WordPress Plugin Conflicts Break Your Site. Here's the Fix.
Engineering

WordPress Plugin Conflicts Break Your Site. Here's the Fix.

Your WooCommerce store shows a white screen. The forms plugin updated, the cache broke, and revenue stopped. Again. Here's why WordPress can't fix this.

17 min read
WordPress vs Next.js for Business: The 2026 Decision Framework
Engineering

WordPress vs Next.js for Business: The 2026 Decision Framework

Your CTO just asked if you should rebuild in Next.js. Your WordPress site loads in 4.2 seconds. Here's what the data actually says.

19 min read
HubSpot CMS vs Headless in 2027: Real Pricing & Lock-in Risk
Engineering

HubSpot CMS vs Headless in 2027: Real Pricing & Lock-in Risk

Your marketing team wants HubSpot. Your devs want Sanity or Payload. One bills $23,000/year for a mid-sized site; the others let you own the content layer.

12 min read
Next.js vs Wix vs Squarespace in 2026: Speed, SEO & Real Cost
Engineering

Next.js vs Wix vs Squarespace in 2026: Speed, SEO & Real Cost

Your homepage loads in 4.2 seconds on Wix. The same content ships in 0.8 seconds on Next.js. Here's what that difference costs your brand.

18 min read
Zero-Downtime CMS Migration: Your WordPress → Next.js Cutover Playbook
Engineering

Zero-Downtime CMS Migration: Your WordPress → Next.js Cutover Playbook

Your DNS record flips. Traffic routes to Next.js. WordPress idles behind a proxy. If you planned correctly, nobody notices--and that's the point.

17 min read
Is Jamstack Dead in 2026? What Happened After the Hype Died
Engineering

Is Jamstack Dead in 2026? What Happened After the Hype Died

Your Jamstack site still builds -- but the term vanished. The architecture didn't die; it fractured into patterns you're already using without the label.

16 min read
Contentful vs Sanity vs Payload: Which CMS Fits Your Stack?
Engineering

Contentful vs Sanity vs Payload: Which CMS Fits Your Stack?

Your client picks a headless CMS in March. By August, your team is Slacking about migrating off it. We've shipped all three--here's what actually breaks.

17 min read
Outgrown WordPress? Your Next.js + Supabase Migration Map
Engineering

Outgrown WordPress? Your Next.js + Supabase Migration Map

Your WordPress site loads in 6 seconds. The contact form plugin broke again. A vulnerability sits in code last touched in 2022. You need a way out.

17 min read
CMS Migration Timeline: WordPress to Next.js in 2026
Engineering

CMS Migration Timeline: WordPress to Next.js in 2026

Your WordPress site stalls at 2.4 seconds. The rebuild ships in 3 weeks or 6 months--depending on what breaks during extraction.

16 min read
Why Your WordPress Site Is Slow (and How Next.js Fixes It)
Engineering

Why Your WordPress Site Is Slow (and How Next.js Fixes It)

Your WordPress install fires 47 server requests before a visitor sees text. The caching plugin you bought last month can't fix architectural decay.

16 min read
Jamstack Development Cost 2026: What You'll Actually Pay (GBP/USD)
Engineering

Jamstack Development Cost 2026: What You'll Actually Pay (GBP/USD)

Your agency sends a proposal with a £45K -- £90K range for the same Next.js build. Actual Jamstack costs broken down by framework, CMS, and engagement model.

15 min read
CMS Migration Without Losing SEO: The Complete Playbook
Engineering

CMS Migration Without Losing SEO: The Complete Playbook

Your WordPress database exports at 3 a.m. Your new Next.js build waits in staging. One redirect map stands between you and six months of tanked traffic.

17 min read
Webflow vs WordPress 2026: Why Headless Next.js Beats Both
Engineering

Webflow vs WordPress 2026: Why Headless Next.js Beats Both

Your agency pitched Webflow. Your developer wants WordPress. Your boss asked for a comparison deck by Friday. We've shipped production sites on all three.

19 min read
Wix vs WordPress vs Custom Next.js: Which Breaks First at Scale?
Engineering

Wix vs WordPress vs Custom Next.js: Which Breaks First at Scale?

Your homepage loads in 1.2 seconds today. At 50,000 concurrent visitors, one platform crashes, one slows to 8 seconds, and one scales without a sweat.

19 min read
Jamstack vs WordPress 2026: Who Wins When Your Traffic Doubles?
Engineering

Jamstack vs WordPress 2026: Who Wins When Your Traffic Doubles?

Your WordPress site hits 50k monthly visits. Load times creep past 2 seconds. Your host sends a polite overage invoice. Now you're Googling 'Jamstack'.

19 min read
Overflow Dev Capacity: Scale Without Hiring in 2026
Engineering

Overflow Dev Capacity: Scale Without Hiring in 2026

Your senior dev books leave. Three proposals stack up unsigned. Here's how agencies fill dev capacity without bloating payroll.

16 min read
From Idea to Live Website: Non-Technical Founder Guide 2026
Engineering

From Idea to Live Website: Non-Technical Founder Guide 2026

Your business idea exists only in your head. The gap between concept and live website feels enormous -- but the right decisions, in the right order, close it faster than you think.

17 min read
SaaS MVP Cost 2026: Your Real Stripe + Supabase + Clerk Bill
Engineering

SaaS MVP Cost 2026: Your Real Stripe + Supabase + Clerk Bill

Your B2B SaaS MVP ships with four subscriptions running before a single paying customer arrives. Here's what Stripe, Supabase, Clerk and PostHog actually bill at launch, at 500 users, and at breakeven.

17 min read
MVP Development Cost UK 2026: Real Pricing from £5K to £150K+
Engineering

MVP Development Cost UK 2026: Real Pricing from £5K to £150K+

Your pitch deck says you need an MVP. Your bank account says you need a number. Between £5K Figma prototypes and £150K SaaS platforms, here's what you'll actually pay in the UK this year.

16 min read
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