Service · Web development

Hire a full-stack developer who masters frontend and backend.

One developer who carries your frontend and backend through in the same codebase, from React component to database query, with code review by a senior colleague and a replaceable position within our team. No handoff overhead and no lone freelancer as a single point of failure.

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One person, frontend and backend in the same context.

Hiring a full-stack developer is, at heart, a choice to remove the handoff between frontend and backend from the project. Instead of two specialists who each toss their work over the fence every sprint, with the attendant coordination, contract debates over API versions and the inevitable "I had understood it differently" moments, all the context sits with one person. This is not always the cheapest route, but for MVPs, smaller features and rapid iteration it is often the fastest.

We supply full-stack developers as part of our web development team: full-time on your project, but with code review by a fellow senior, architecture sparring with a team lead, and a replaceable position within the team. The code is delivered in a transferable form: typed interfaces between frontend and API, a sensible test layer, and a README that lets a successor understand the routing and data flow within a morning. That is the difference between "hiring a full-stack developer" and "adding full-stack capacity to your organisation".

We work from the Netherlands in the Dutch time zone, with communication in Dutch or English, whichever you prefer. No offshore handover at seven in the morning, no language barriers in stand-ups, no half a working day lost waiting on a production incident just before a release. When something gets stuck on a Friday afternoon, as it inevitably does with a complex full-stack feature, a second senior is on hand in the same codebase to look over both the React side and the API layer.

The types of projects we excel at: MVP builds for startups, internal tooling for SMEs, client portal rollouts, headless CMS frontends, dashboards that need the frontend and backend API running in the same sprint, and workflow applications where the logic is split between the UI and the server layer. For pure marketing sites or heavy enterprise systems with separate frontend and backend teams, we actually advise against full-stack deployment; more on that below.

What our full-stack developers build.

Three main directions where full-stack deployment on a single person measurably delivers faster than a split frontend/backend team.

Direction 01

MVPs and proofs of concept for startups

From an empty Git repository to a working demo over a few sprints. A full-stack developer can set up a Next.js application, model a PostgreSQL database, implement a first authentication flow and connect a payment via Stripe or another provider all in the same week, without two specialists waiting on each other's schedules. Suited to founders who want to validate quickly, or product teams who want to run an experiment alongside the main roadmap. We do not write throwaway code: the MVP is built in a form you can later scale or hand over to a larger team.

Next.js + ReactPostgreSQLAuth + StripeDockerMVP pace

Direction 02

Internal tooling and client portals for SMEs

Workflow applications that digitise a department's working process: quotes, case files, client communication, a planning tool, an approval flow. Almost always applications where the logic sits in both the UI and the server layer: validation on both sides, role-based access in both the API and the screens, and an audit log of who changed what. A full-stack developer builds this type of application more efficiently than a split team, because validations, types and data structures only need to be defined once. Often combined with our broader software development service when design, requirements work or discovery is also involved.

TypeScript end-to-endNestJS / FastAPIPostgreSQL + RedisRole-based accessAudit log

Direction 03

Dashboards, headless CMS frontends and workflow apps

Applications where the frontend and backend are closely intertwined: an operational dashboard with real-time data, a headless CMS frontend where React rendering and a Node.js or Python API run together, or a workflow application where an approval triggers a server-side action that feeds back into the UI. The full-stack role pays off here because the developer can define the API contract, build the UI around it and write the migration within the same session. Often alongside a React specialist when the frontend becomes heavier, or alongside a Node.js developer or Python developer when the backend becomes more complex.

React + Node.jsReact + PythonHeadless CMSRealtimeWorkflow engines

What you get at the end.

More than a developer for the duration of the project: you receive a finished full-stack application that your own team, or a successor, can keep running and developing independently.

Production codebase

Frontend and backend in your own Git repository, typed, with a CI pipeline and preview deployments on pull requests.

Architecture documentation

A README covering routing and data flow, an ADR overview of the non-trivial decisions, and a diagram of the production environment.

Test layer

Unit tests on the critical business logic and end-to-end tests with Playwright on the main flows. We don't chase 100% coverage for its own sake, but we do cover where the risk lies.

Knowledge transfer

Live walkthroughs for your own team or a successor, with video recordings and a question round afterwards.

Option for ongoing maintenance

When you want a steady hand after handover for dependency updates, security patches and further development on the roadmap.

Three ways of working, choose what suits you.

How we deploy our full-stack developer depends on what capacity you already have in-house and how large the scope is. We are flexible in form, never in quality.

Engagement model 01

Dedicated full-stack developer

Our developer works full-time on your project, joins your stand-ups and works alongside your product owner, while drawing on our team for code reviews and architecture discussions. You steer on output; we take care of continuity and backup. Suitable when you don't yet have in-house development capacity, or need to run a peak project without hiring someone permanently.

Engagement model 02

Team augmentation

Your own developers lead the project, and our full-stack specialist works alongside them on the parts where your team has less experience: a first Next.js application, a significant PostgreSQL migration, a rollout to Docker and the cloud, or a refactor that touches both UI and API. We work in your repository, with your rituals and your tooling.

Engagement model 03

Project-based scope

You hand us a defined assignment, and we deliver a working application within a scope agreed in advance. Fixed contract, fixed deliverables, handover to your team. Suitable for MVP builds, a first version of a customer portal, or rebuilding a legacy application on a modern full-stack setup. We write a scope document up front so it's clear what does and doesn't fit into this phase.

Engagement model 04

Senior or lead on your team

A senior or lead full-stack developer who also thinks at architecture level: setting code standards, mentoring mid-levels, and planning the refactoring of a codebase that has grown over time. Often asked for when an organisation wants to grow from a first working MVP into a structured application, or when earlier freelance work has left a codebase nobody dares to touch any more. We bring structure without rewriting everything.

How an engagement works.

01Introduction→ 02Match→ 03Build→ 04Handover

Introduction

A short session to sharpen the scope, stack and preferred engagement model. We share examples of previous work and discuss the seniority level you need.

Developer match

We match a full-stack developer to your project based on the stack mix your scope calls for. You meet the developer beforehand yourself, with no blind allocation.

Sprints with reviews

Two-week sprints with a demo and review at the end. Every pull request goes through code review by a second senior — no code reaches main without four eyes on it.

Handover

At the end of the engagement, a structured handover to your own team or a successor, with a runbook, README and walkthroughs.

Stack expertise across our full-stack team.

We work at mid-level, senior and lead level. No junior-only staffing: every project has at least one senior behind the code review. The stack mix you choose depends on your project and your own team; the pills below are what we build with day to day.

Frontend

ReactNext.jsTypeScriptVueNuxtViteStorybook

Backend & data

Node.jsExpressNestJSPythonFastAPIDjangoPostgreSQLRedis

Infrastructure, testing & tooling

DockerAWSGCPVitestPlaywrightGitHub ActionsTerraform

When full-stack, and when specialised.

Honestly, because a service page is worth nothing otherwise: full-stack is the quickest route for a large group of projects, but there are clear scenarios where we actually recommend a split frontend and backend team.

Full-stack wins 01

MVPs and proofs of concept under time pressure

For a first working version where you want to validate quickly whether an idea holds up technically and commercially, a full-stack developer visibly delivers faster. No handoffs, no waiting on an API contract, no contract disputes between frontend and backend halfway through a sprint. One person sees the whole picture.

Full-stack wins 02

Small teams and smaller features

When your scope is not large enough to keep two specialists productive in parallel, a split team in practice means two people waiting on each other for half the day. A full-stack developer works more economically and delivers faster. This applies, for example, to individual features on top of an existing application or to internal tooling where the scope per release is limited.

Full-stack wins 03

Rapid iterations with short feedback loops

For products where the first few months are about quickly testing what works, and only later about optimisation, the one-person context of a full-stack role gives a measurably faster cycle. Assumptions about what the API should do and what the UI needs are tested in the same session.

Full-stack wins 04

Headless CMS front ends and dashboards

Applications where the centre of gravity lies partly in the React or Next.js layer and partly in a Node.js or Python API. A single developer who manages both sides writes a coherent contract between UI and server and prevents drift between what the frontend expects and what the backend delivers.

Specialised wins 01

Complex systems with separate teams

When your application is so large that frontend and backend are in practice two disciplines with their own team leads, we actually advise against full-stack deployment. For that type of product, a specialised React developer and a specialised back-end developer deliver greater quality than a generalist on both sides.

Specialised wins 02

Design-system-heavy or performance-critical

For projects where the frontend carries an extensive design system, or where the backend is performance-critical (think heavy I/O, queueing or a data warehouse layer), a specialist who has specifically deepened their expertise in that area is the better choice. We are honest about this during the introductory conversation and, where necessary, will point you towards a broader software development engagement with a mixed team.

Why an agency developer rather than a freelancer.

For a short piece of work with limited risk, a freelancer is perfectly fine, and we may point you towards someone in our network. For anything that touches production, for longer engagements, or where your application forms part of a larger product, we advise against it. The reasons are not abstract: we see them come up every month in takeover projects where a freelancer stopped abruptly.

Code review by a second senior. Every pull request at our company goes through peer review by someone who also knows the codebase. A freelancer reviews their own work or, at best, someone on your team who happens to be able to work on both sides. The difference in code quality and architectural discipline after six months is significant, especially on a full-stack project where poor API choices made early in the process cause problems later in the UI.

Replaceable within the team. When our developer is out for a few weeks or leaves for another assignment, they actively hand over to a colleague who already knows the codebase from reviews. A freelancer goes on holiday and your release planning stalls, or worse, you have to bring in someone new halfway through who needs six weeks again to become productive.

Architectural sparring with a team lead. For non-trivial decisions, such as which database engine to use, which authentication model, how to set up a queue, or when to split a microservice, a lead is on hand to think alongside the developer. An individual freelancer makes those decisions alone, and you only notice when something has gone wrong. For an MVP that is sometimes acceptable; for production systems it rarely is.

Contractual certainty. You contract with Appfront B.V., not with an individual. That means IP rights are properly arranged, NDAs are enforceable, and there is a liable company should anything go wrong. For projects involving your customer data or business data, that is not a luxury.

Handover-ready code with documentation standards. We know the engagement will eventually end, so the code is written with that handover in mind. Type-safe, documented, with a README that makes sense to anyone, not just the person who wrote it. No hidden "only that one developer knows this" knowledge buried in a script. You can also combine this with our broader software development service for projects where front-end, back-end and design come together.

Frequently asked questions.

When is a full-stack developer a better fit than two specialists?

For MVPs, proofs of concept, smaller features and rapid iterations, where the overhead of a handoff between front-end and back-end outweighs the depth advantage of two specialists. For large, long-running systems with their own front-end and back-end teams, a split model usually works better. During the initial conversation we assess which side is decisive for your specific scope. We would rather point you towards a split team if that suits you better than bill you for an extra hour.

What is the minimum lead time to bring in a full-stack developer?

For a team augmentation role, we can often have someone start within a few weeks, depending on the required stack mix and seniority level. For a project-based engagement with a scoping phase, it takes a little longer, as we first produce a scope document and sprint plan. We are honest during the initial conversation about what is realistic for your timing and your stack.

Which contract types do you offer: fixed or flexible?

Both are possible. For dedicated developers and team augmentation, we work on an hourly rate with a minimum weekly commitment, cancellable monthly. For project-based scope, we agree a fixed contract based on a scope document with deliverables and a sprint budget. No long lock-ins and no mandatory minimum contract terms measured in years.

Do you work with a Dutch or EU-based team?

The full-stack team works from the Netherlands in the Dutch time zone. Communication can be in Dutch or English, whichever you prefer. No offshore handover, no 24-hour cycles, no language barriers in pull request reviews or stand-ups. For a full-stack role this matters even more, because the developer needs to be able to join your product discussions and technical trade-offs as an equal.

What happens if the developer leaves halfway through the project?

That is precisely why we conduct code reviews with a fellow senior. If someone leaves or is off for an extended period, the second senior is already active in the codebase and can take over after a short handover, on both the front-end and back-end. You are not left at a standstill. For longer engagements we run a more formal knowledge transfer session in which the successor is brought up to speed without your own team having to do it.

How is knowledge handed over at the end?

A standard part of every engagement: a runbook with operational instructions, an architecture document explaining the non-trivial decisions, ADRs for the bigger decisions, and walkthrough sessions with your own team or successor. Ideally these take place in the final sprints of the engagement, not on the very last day of the collaboration.

How is pricing determined?

For team augmentation and dedicated developers we charge an hourly rate based on seniority (mid-level, senior, lead). For project-based scopes we charge per sprint or a fixed total budget based on a scope document. We share rates openly in the introductory conversation: no hidden tiers, no penalty clauses and no surprises halfway through.

Is an MVP feasible with a single full-stack developer?

For most MVPs, yes. That is exactly where full-stack involvement delivers the most value. Over an engagement of a few sprints, a developer can put a working application in place that you can use to gather customer feedback and continue commercially. Where the scope grows or requires multiple disciplines (design, data, complex integrations), we expand the team, often with a second full-stack developer or a specialist on the demanding component. During the initial conversation we make an honest assessment based on your scope, without false promises that everything can be done by one person.

Who owns the code and the infrastructure?

You do. The code is written in your Git repository under your account, the cloud environment runs in your own AWS or GCP tenant, and the databases remain under your control. The intellectual property rights to everything built on commission rest with you, contractually confirmed. The open-source libraries we use are clearly documented, including their licences, so that your own team or an audit can easily review them later.

Talk to us about your full-stack project.

A no-obligation introductory call of half an hour. We listen to your scope, ask follow-up questions where needed, and are honest about whether full-stack support is the right route here, or whether a specialist team would be a better fit. No sales pitch, just direction.

Schedule an introductory call Email fabian.vandijk@appfront.nl