Should you rewrite PHP code from scratch, or...
After initial development and commercialization web applications often face similar challenges. With budget constraints, a fast-paced environment, and external pressure, engineering is often imperfect. In a long term, this results in a slower development pace, performance & security issues, recurring bugs, and inability to scale, both software and business-wise. Dealing with ageing software and legacy code, many companies consider writing a new code from the scratch as the only solution. As they don`t see a doable way of improving the existing code.
Although we disagree, and in most cases, we discourage rewriting, there are a few reasons why you may still consider it. Especially for relatively small web applications, conscious rewriting from a scratch may be the most efficient way to get rid of technical debt. Unfortunately rewriting freezes the development of new features until a new version of the software is fully rewritten. So the question is, will your end-users wait for it? If not, we suggest another option...