PHP
Since its invention in 1994, PHP has established itself as one of the web’s primary programming languages. Pure PHP code is secure, powerful, and great for developing fully customizable applications – it’s also notoriously abstract and difficult to master.
Difficult, but not impossible: As experienced PHP developers, this is one of the primary technologies we use. Leveraging Model View Controller framework architectures like Laravel or working entirely with raw PHP, we help clients create static sites without databases, dynamic sites with databases, and secure applications with no connected software architecture.
Laravel
Laravel is a structured software framework that enables developers to simplify PHP development. Its MVC architecture allows for scalability, speed, security, and structure, while also making it easier to add new features over time.
At IronGlove, Laravel is one of our go-to frameworks for larger clients requiring industrial uses or businesses that require online systems to interface with customers. Laravel works great with relational databases and is able to handle integrations that other software frameworks struggle with. If you’re building a serious web application that uses dynamic data, this is what you want.
WordPress
WordPress is one of the most popular CMS platforms in the world, but when you strip away all the amateurs who rely on 3rd party plug-ins and templates, it’s actually a bit of an underrated gem.
As programmers and not plug-in vendors, the IronGlove team views WordPress as a hybrid software application delivery framework and codes it just like we would with Laravel or Drupal. The only difference? Applications developed in WordPress can often be upwards of $10k cheaper for our clients. It’s not a great fit for every project, but when it fits, the cost-effectiveness can’t be beaten.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an open-source plugin-based system that turns WordPress websites into online stores. Its core selling features are perfect for small or mid-sized e-commerce frameworks, but WooCommerce is powerful enough to handle big tasks too. It’s great for integrating with other WordPress content, such as landing pages.
One of the drawbacks to WooCommerce is that, like Word Press itself, it can tend to feel homogenized. We develop custom interfaces to work around this and give clients the fully customized store they deserve.
Drupal
Drupal might be lesser known than other content management systems, but that’s mostly because of its complexity. In the hands of a skilled PHP developer with coding experience, this open-source, barebones framework is incredibly powerful.
It’s proficient at handling databases, 100% customizable, and almost impossible to hack. Security is one of the reasons Drupal is used by Tesla, Google, and many state/county governments. Because the software is difficult to maintain, we typically only use Drupal for industrial applications that need a high margin of uptime.
UX/UI Design
UX/UI design plays an outsized role in the journey that users take towards a positive interaction with your brand. As such, this is a foundational aspect of our entire web design strategy.
UX, or user experience, is all about the user, relying heavily on behavioral psychology and other data-supported insights. UI, short for user interface, refers to the mechanisms in place to support that journey. Though not technically a ‘technology’, UI/UX design is one of the most powerful tools in our arsenal and a key competitive advantage.
Sass
Not to be confused with SaaS, Sass stands for Syntactically Awesome Stylesheet. A pre-processor for CSS, Sass allows coding logic to be included in website styles for increased flexibility and provides a minimalistic programmatic structure that lets developers use variables instead of writing code over and over again
The version we use at IronGlove is SCSS, which is CSS compatible. Sass is useful for working on very large projects where there are a lot of functions and pages. It is compatible with Bootstrap, one of our main front-end frameworks – we can customize Bootstrap by modifying the core coding in Sass. Another advantage of Sass is that it is compatible with multiple browsers.
Angular
Angular is a JavaScript framework that’s used in conjunction with web applications. Made from both JavaScript and TypeScript, this open-source framework is maintained by Google.
One of Angular’s primary functions is to bring user interactivity to online web applications. Gmail, Upwork, and PayPal are a few of the many companies that use the Angular framework to bring their UI to life in a predictable, logic-based fashion. Angular uses an MVC architecture and is compatible with many other popular PHP frameworks, including Laravel.
Bootstrap
Bootstrap is a popular front-end framework that allows developers to create a mobile-ready website out of the box. Front-end developers used to have to create classes for font sizes, colors, containers, buttons, and more – with Bootstrap, all this is pre-configured and ready to go.
In addition to making sites mobile-friendly, Bootstrap is also compatible with accessibility standards and screen readers, making it a great first step towards compliance. The framework comes precompiled, but the code can also be compiled and customized for specialized applications using Sass.
Magento Open Source
Magento Open Source is an open-source e-commerce platform with a well-deserved reputation for quality and reliability. Its streamlined, minimalist approach to e-commerce is perfect for stores that don’t need the full features of Adobe Commerce or the content management of WordPress with WooCommerce.
Unlike WooCommerce, many of Magento’s features are readily available with no coding: mobile-only features, integrated full-featured checkout, payments and shipment handling, promos, SEO features, customer accounts, and site search can all be easily integrated into the store.
Testimonials
Their design work is first-rate, and their communication skills are excellent. The fact that they’re a small agency enables us to talk directly to their principal — I’ve never felt like I’m passed off to a junior partner or someone who doesn’t grasp our project objectives. I can’t speak highly enough of our work with them — I’m thrilled.
-Mike Erdmann, CEO
IronGlove is great at explaining processes to people who aren’t tech-savvy. On top of that, they’re good at staying organized and keeping everything on track. Their resources are also friendly as they keep the project moving.
-Rachel Kimball, Marketing Manager
Their communication and attention to detail were exceptionally strong. Every fine detail was taken care of in a timely manner. We were never waiting for anything. They went above and beyond by including UX functions that we didn’t ask for but will greatly improve the quality of the site. The overall functionality and speed of the website are strong as well.
-Kelly Miskovski, Director of Outreach
If you’re looking for a team with top-notch reliability and communication skills, then go for IronGlove.
-Ravi Moudgil, IT Manager
When we hired IronGlove Studio, we saw double-digit growths in our businesses thanks to their help in implementing our initiatives. Our company recorded an increase in sales during that time. The team was great in terms of project management. Everything was rock solid in communication, budgeting, beating deadlines, and delivering the tasks.
-Joel Bornzin, E-Commerce & Marketing Manager
Want to learn more about the tech we use and how it can benefit you?
Reach out today to schedule a free consultation with us