CodeIgniter 3

CodeIgniter 3 development and support for apps you still rely on

Your CodeIgniter 3 application does not need a rewrite to be safe and useful. We keep it compatible with newer PHP releases, close security gaps and add features without disturbing what works.

  • Work in the existing style
  • PHP compatibility fixes
  • Honest stay-or-upgrade advice
Get a free quote See our work
What is included
  • PHP compatibility
  • Security hardening
  • Composer adoption
  • Fault tracing and fixes
  • New features, same style
  • Stay-or-upgrade assessment
Get a free quote Reply within one business day. NDA on request.
The problem

Signs a CodeIgniter 3 app needs attention

Plenty of companies run their daily operations on a CodeIgniter 3 application written years ago. It takes orders, raises invoices or schedules staff, and it has done so reliably. Then the hosting provider announces a PHP change, a penetration test comes back with findings, or the only developer who understood it stops answering email.

You do not have to choose between neglect and an expensive rebuild. CodeIgniter 3 is a stable, well-understood framework, and an application on it can be kept healthy with targeted work. We take on CodeIgniter 3 systems as they are, with their application folder, their MY_Controller and their copied-in libraries, and make them safe to run and safe to change. When staying no longer makes sense, we say so and explain the upgrade path to CodeIgniter 4.

  • Warnings after a PHP change

    The host moved you to a newer PHP release and the screen filled with deprecation notices, or a blank page appeared where the dashboard used to be. Rolling back is only allowed for a few more months.

  • Security findings nobody can fix

    An audit or a customer questionnaire flagged SQL injection, weak password hashing or missing CSRF protection. You have the report, but no one on your side knows the code well enough to act on it.

  • Features take forever

    Each new report or field takes longer than the last, because logic is duplicated across controllers and every change breaks something that looked unrelated.

  • Pressure to rewrite

    A vendor has told you the whole system must be rebuilt because CodeIgniter 3 is old. The price is high, the benefit is vague, and you want a second opinion grounded in your code.

What we do

How we keep CodeIgniter 3 healthy

We work inside the conventions your CodeIgniter 3 application already follows, and tighten what is underneath them.

PHP compatibility

We test the application against the PHP release your host is moving to, then fix removed functions, dynamic property notices, changed defaults and outdated extensions before the switch.

Security hardening

Query bindings in place of concatenated SQL, modern password hashing, CSRF tokens, output escaping, a real encryption key, safe upload handling and sensible session cookie settings.

Composer adoption

Composer autoloading switched on in config, hand-copied libraries replaced with maintained packages, and a lock file so every server runs the same versions.

Fault tracing and fixes

Faults reproduced on a staging copy with real data, traced through controllers, models and hooks, fixed, and covered with a test where the code allows it.

New features, same style

New screens, reports and integrations built with the loader, models and helpers your code already uses, so the application does not end up as two styles stitched together.

Stay-or-upgrade assessment

A written view of how much life the application has on CodeIgniter 3, what an upgrade would cost in effort, and what would trigger the decision.

Typical projects

CodeIgniter 3 jobs clients hand us

01

Hosting deadline rescue

Your provider is retiring an old PHP release on a fixed date. We bring the application, the framework core and its libraries up to the new release on staging, then switch production with a rollback ready.

02

Security remediation

A penetration test report worked through finding by finding, with each fix verified, documented and mapped back to the report so you can show the result to your customer or auditor.

03

Feature backlog

A list of long-postponed improvements delivered in small releases: a new export, an approval step, an extra user role, a payment gateway change.

04

Developer handover

The departing developer has a few weeks left. We capture what they know, set up version control and staging, document deployment and take over day-to-day changes.

In depth

Staying on CodeIgniter 3 done responsibly

The framework core is the easy part

Bringing the system folder up to the latest CodeIgniter 3 release is usually quick, provided nobody edited core files. The first thing we do is compare your system folder with a clean copy of the same release. Any differences are changes someone made directly in the framework, and each one has to be understood and moved into an extension class in application/core before the core can be replaced.

What newer PHP releases break

The harder work is in application code and third-party libraries. The trouble spots are familiar to us: libraries that still call the removed mysql functions or mcrypt, each() loops and create_function, count() on values that are not arrays, string and number comparisons that now behave differently, and required parameters placed after optional ones. Recent PHP releases also deprecate dynamic properties, and CodeIgniter 3 relies on those when the loader attaches a model or library to a controller. We run the code through static analysis for the target release, turn error reporting fully on in staging, and click through every screen with logging enabled, because much of this only shows at runtime.

Hardening without rewriting

Older CodeIgniter 3 projects share a set of weak points. Queries are built by joining strings with input from the request. Passwords are stored with MD5 or SHA1. The global XSS filter is trusted in place of escaping output. The encryption key is empty or the same in every environment, and sessions sit in a folder other accounts can read. None of these needs a new framework to fix. We replace string-built queries with bindings or the Query Builder, migrate passwords to password_hash on next login, add CSRF protection and escaping in views, and move sessions to the database or Redis.

Bringing in Composer

CodeIgniter 3 can load Composer packages through a single config setting. Turning it on lets us retire libraries that were pasted into application/libraries or third_party years ago and replace them with maintained packages for mail, PDFs, spreadsheets and payment gateways. It also opens the door to PHPUnit, so the riskiest calculations can finally be covered by tests.

Knowing when to stop

We advise staying on CodeIgniter 3 when the application is stable, change requests are modest and the code can run on a supported PHP release. We advise planning a move when you need features the old structure fights against, when a required library has no maintained version, or when your compliance team asks for a framework under active development. For code that is older still, or only loosely based on a framework, see legacy PHP modernization.

Process

Taking on your CodeIgniter 3 system

  1. 1

    Access and safe copy

    We take a full copy of code, database and uploaded files, put the code in version control and stand up a staging site that mirrors production.

  2. 2

    Core, code and security check

    Core file comparison, static analysis against the target PHP release, a security review of queries, sessions and uploads, and a look at server logs.

  3. 3

    Prioritized plan

    You get a ranked list: what must be fixed now, what can wait, and what is fine as it is, each with an effort estimate.

  4. 4

    Fix and verify on staging

    Changes are made in small commits and checked screen by screen. You test your own daily tasks on staging before anything reaches the live site.

  5. 5

    Release and watch

    We deploy with a rollback plan, monitor error logs closely for the first days, and move to a support arrangement that suits your pace of change.

Deliverables

What you have once we are involved

  • An application that runs cleanly on a supported PHP release
  • A security review with each finding fixed or explained
  • Version control and a staging site for every future change
  • Maintained Composer packages in place of copied libraries
  • A clear recommendation on staying or upgrading
FAQ

CodeIgniter 3 questions answered

Is it safe to keep running CodeIgniter 3?
It can be, if the surrounding conditions are right. The framework is in maintenance and most real risk sits in application code, old libraries and the PHP release underneath. We check those and give you a written answer for your specific application instead of a general one.
Will our CodeIgniter 3 app run on the newest PHP release?
Often yes, after some work. The latest CodeIgniter 3 core copes with current PHP far better than early releases did, so we update the core first. The remaining effort depends on your own code and bundled libraries, which we measure with static analysis and a full click-through on staging.
Can you add new features without upgrading to CodeIgniter 4?
Yes. We build new controllers, models, views and libraries in the same conventions the application already uses. Where it helps, new logic goes into plain classes loaded through Composer, which also makes it easier to carry over if you upgrade later.
We have no documentation and no tests. Can you still take it on?
Yes, that is the normal starting point. We learn the system from the code, the database and your staff, write down what we find, and add tests around the areas we change. You end up with more documentation than you started with.
Someone edited the CodeIgniter system folder. Can that be undone?
Yes. We compare your core against a clean copy of the same release to find every edit, then move each change into an extension class such as MY_Controller or a MY_ prefixed library. After that the core can be updated like any other dependency.
How do you charge for CodeIgniter 3 support?
It depends on the shape of the work. A defined job such as a PHP compatibility project is quoted with a fixed scope and milestones. Ongoing fixes and small features fit better on a monthly plan, described on our CodeIgniter maintenance and support page.
When would you tell us to stop investing in CodeIgniter 3?
When the cost of each change keeps rising, when a library you depend on has no maintained version, or when your roadmap needs things the old structure resists, such as a proper API or automated testing. At that point we lay out the options with rough effort for each.
Related

CodeIgniter 3 to 4 Upgrade

CodeIgniter Maintenance & Support

Legacy PHP Modernization

PHP Migration & Upgrade

CodeIgniter Developer
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Need a hand with a CodeIgniter 3 application?

Send a short description of the system, the PHP release it runs on and the deadline or finding that prompted you to look for help. A developer who has worked on CodeIgniter 3 code replies within one business day, and neither the consultation nor the quote costs anything.

  • Free consultation and quote
  • NDA on request
  • You own the source code
  • Reply within one business day
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