FriendsBit
Blog & Case Studies
Technical write-ups from our real project work: the problems we solved, the decisions we made, and what we'd do differently.
How We Migrated the UN's Legacy WCF Services to REST API Without Downtime
When the United Nations Department for General Assembly and Conference Management needed to modernize their full-text indexing infrastructure, they turned to FriendsBit. Here's how we delivered a zero-downtime WCF to REST API migration for a system serving 193 member states.
Building a $22,000 Serverless Backend on AWS Lambda: Lessons from The Silva Way
The Silva Way needed a backend that could handle unpredictable traffic spikes without paying for idle servers. We designed and delivered a fully serverless architecture on AWS Lambda, here are all the architectural decisions we made and what it cost.
1,921 Hours of Enterprise Work: Building the CCS Platform in React + Go
Over a long-term engagement, FriendsBit built and maintained a complete enterprise platform for CCS, $77,240 of carefully delivered software across React frontend and Go backend. Here's how we made 1,921 hours of work sustainable.
Debugging a Broken Google OAuth2 Integration for a Mental Healthcare Provider
When David Bonanno's existing developer couldn't fix a critical Google OAuth2 issue blocking patient logins, he brought in FriendsBit. We diagnosed, fixed, and deployed within the same day. Here's exactly what happened.
Building BeSound: Technical Decisions Behind a Mental Health Audio App
BeSound is a mental health audio platform built around curated sound therapy content. Felix Schoeller brought FriendsBit in to build the prototype and core features in 6 weeks. Here are every technical decision that shaped the product.
Cutting 4–6 Hours of Manual Ops Per Week with PowerShell + AWS Automation
Digicom Technology Solutions needed to automate repetitive infrastructure tasks consuming valuable engineering time. We built a PowerShell + AWS automation suite that eliminated the manual work entirely, and made it accessible to non-engineers.
How to Hire a Go Developer for an Enterprise Project
Most Go developers can write a REST handler. Far fewer can build a concurrent data pipeline that holds up under production load. Here is what to look for when you need to hire a Go developer for serious enterprise work.
Hiring an AWS Lambda Developer: What Separates Good from Great
Serverless development looks simple until you are debugging a cold start issue at 2 AM or untangling a DynamoDB design that cannot support a new access pattern. Here is what to look for when you need to hire an AWS Lambda developer.
WCF to REST API Migration: Costs, Timeline, and What Can Go Wrong
Microsoft ended mainstream support for WCF in 2019. If your enterprise still runs WCF services, you already know the modernization pressure. Here is what a real WCF to REST API migration involves, from discovery to cutover.
Building a Mental Health App in React Native: What Developers Need to Know
Mental health apps have a longer list of technical requirements than most mobile categories. Audio playback, offline access, privacy by design, and sensitive data handling all need to be built in from the start, not added later.
REST API Integration for Enterprise Projects: A Practical Guide
Integrating a third-party REST API sounds simple until you are dealing with rate limits, inconsistent error formats, token refresh races, and pagination that breaks at 10,000 records. Here is how to do it properly.
SOAP API Integration: What It Takes and When You Need a Specialist
SOAP APIs are not going away. Banking, insurance, healthcare, and government systems still run on them. Integrating with one correctly requires understanding WSDL contracts, WS-Security, XML schema validation, and fault handling that most modern developers have never encountered.
OAuth2 and OpenID Connect: How to Implement Authentication the Right Way
OAuth2 is the foundation of modern authentication. It is also one of the most commonly misimplemented protocols in enterprise software. Here is how to implement it correctly, what the common mistakes are, and what happens when you get it wrong.
How to Hire a React and Next.js Developer Who Can Actually Ship
React has the widest hiring pool of any frontend framework and the widest variance in quality. Here is how to tell the difference between a developer who can build a demo and one who can build a production system.
How to Hire a React Native Developer for a Serious Mobile Project
React Native makes cross-platform mobile development accessible, but the gap between a developer who can build a demo app and one who can ship to the App Store is larger than most clients expect. Here is what separates them.
How to Hire a .NET Developer for Enterprise and Integration Work
The .NET ecosystem covers a wide range of work, from simple CRUD APIs to complex WCF migrations, Azure integrations, and enterprise platforms. Here is what to look for when your project needs a .NET developer who can handle the hard parts.
React Native vs Flutter in 2026: Which Should You Choose for Your App?
The framework choice for your mobile app depends more on your team's existing skills than on any benchmark. Here is an honest comparison of React Native and Flutter for teams making this decision in 2026.
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Custom Web Application in 2026?
Real pricing for custom web applications in 2026, from simple internal tools to enterprise SaaS platforms. No vague ranges, just honest numbers and what actually drives cost up or down.
Next.js vs Remix in 2026: Which Framework Should You Use?
Next.js App Router has adopted many of Remix's best ideas, but the two frameworks still diverge in meaningful ways. Here is how to choose between them for a new project in 2026.
Go vs Node.js for Backend APIs: A Production Comparison
Go and Node.js are both legitimate choices for backend APIs. The right answer depends on your team, your traffic profile, and how much you value runtime efficiency over iteration speed.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Senior React Developer in 2026?
Rates for senior React developers vary from $45 to $250 per hour depending on location and engagement model. Here is what those ranges actually mean, and what you are paying for when you pay more.
Next.js vs Nuxt.js for Enterprise Projects: A Practical Comparison
Next.js and Nuxt.js are architecturally similar frameworks built on React and Vue respectively. For enterprise work, the decision almost always comes down to team familiarity, not framework capabilities.
Staff Augmentation vs Dedicated Development Team: What's Right for Your Project?
Staff augmentation plugs a developer into your team. A dedicated team takes ownership of a scope. Understanding which model you need before you start talking to agencies will save you significant time and money.
React vs Angular for Enterprise Applications in 2026
Angular is not dead in enterprise. It is still the right choice for certain teams, particularly those in Microsoft-aligned organizations with a preference for opinionated structure. Here is when to choose each.
AWS Lambda vs Containers (ECS/Fargate): When to Use Each
Lambda and containers both run code on AWS, but they have fundamentally different cost models, operational profiles, and architectural constraints. Choosing the wrong one for your workload is expensive to undo.
Microservices vs Monolith: When to Split and When to Stay
Most teams that split to microservices too early spend years paying the distributed systems tax on a problem that did not need it. Here is when splitting actually makes sense.
Why Your .NET Application Is Slow: 8 Common Performance Issues
Most .NET performance problems fall into a small number of well-understood categories. Here are the eight most common ones, how to diagnose them, and how to fix them.
Why Your React App Renders Too Much (And How to Fix It)
Unnecessary re-renders are one of the most common causes of sluggish React applications. Here is how to diagnose the problem and which patterns actually fix it versus which ones add complexity without helping.
Signs Your Legacy .NET Application Needs Modernization
Technical debt in a .NET application accumulates gradually until the day it becomes a business problem. Here is a checklist for CTOs who need to make the case for modernization before that day arrives.
Why Your API Integration Fails Under Load (And How to Fix It)
API integrations that work perfectly in development and testing fall apart under production load for a small number of well-understood reasons. Here is what those reasons are and how to address each one.
When to Refactor and When to Rewrite: A Senior Engineer's Framework
The rewrite is almost always the wrong answer. Here is a framework for deciding when incremental refactoring is sufficient, when a rewrite is genuinely justified, and how to make the business case for either.
How Much Does .NET Modernization Cost? A Real-Project Breakdown
Modernizing a legacy .NET application has a cost that varies enormously based on where you are starting from. Here are real ranges from real projects, with an honest explanation of what drives cost in each direction.
How Much Does It Cost to Build a React Native App in 2026?
React Native app costs range from $15,000 for a simple MVP to over $120,000 for a complex production application. Here is what those ranges mean and what actually drives cost up or down.
The Real Cost of Technical Debt (And How to Present It to Stakeholders)
Technical debt is rarely measured, which is why it rarely gets addressed. Here is how to make the cost concrete so that stakeholders can make an informed decision about when to pay it down.
Next.js App Router vs Pages Router: Should You Migrate in 2026?
App Router is the future of Next.js and Vercel's investment is all going there. But migrating an existing Pages Router application has real costs. Here is how to decide whether migration is worth it for your specific situation.
Go for Enterprise APIs: Why Engineering Teams Are Moving Away from Node.js
This is not a post claiming Go is always better. It is an honest look at why certain enterprise teams are choosing Go for backend APIs, what they gain, and what they give up.
How to Hire a Node.js Developer for Backend and API Work
Node.js is everywhere, which means Node.js developers are everywhere, and the quality range is enormous. Here is what to look for when your project needs a Node.js developer who understands production backend systems, not just Express tutorial apps.
Go vs Node.js: Real Load Test Numbers from a Production-Like API
Opinion posts dominate the Go vs Node.js debate. This one has actual numbers: wrk benchmark results from an identical REST API written in Go (Chi) and Node.js (Fastify) under 100, 500, and 1000 concurrent connections. Throughput, latency percentiles, and memory, measured.