FirstEngineer

Service

APIs other developers can actually build on

Whether the customer is your own frontend, a partner integration, or a paying developer, the interface they touch is the product. We design it, version it, document it, and keep it stable.

Typically 2–4 weeks
API development
The interface is the product

01

The interface is the product

If developers are your customers, the API is what they judge you on — the docs, the error messages, the time between signing up and a first successful call. We design for that first attempt. A good API gets integrated in an afternoon; a bad one generates support tickets for as long as it exists.

  • REST or GraphQL API, versioned from day one
  • Authentication, rate limiting and quotas
  • Generated docs and a client SDK
  • Contract tests so a change can't silently break callers
Versioned and documented

02

Versioned and documented

Documentation generated from the code so it cannot drift out of sync, a typed client SDK, and versioning from the first release so today's integrations keep working tomorrow. Breaking changes get a deprecation window and a migration note instead of an apology email after the fact.

Keys, quotas and rate limits

03

Keys, quotas and rate limits

Authentication, per-key quotas and sensible rate limits, so one noisy integration cannot degrade the service for everyone else. Usage is measured per key from the start, which is also exactly what you need the day you decide to charge for tiers.

Contract tests as a safety net

04

Contract tests as a safety net

Tests that fail the build when a response shape changes, so a rename in your codebase cannot silently break every caller downstream. It is the difference between catching it in CI and hearing about it from a customer whose production is already down.

How it runs

Same four steps, every project

  1. 01

    Scope

    A call, then a one-page scope: what gets built, what it costs, what date it lands, and what is explicitly not included.

  2. 02

    Build

    The core of the thing first, on your infrastructure from day one. A working demo every Friday, whether the week went well or not.

  3. 03

    Harden

    The parts everyone skips — empty states, errors, retries, analytics, and the case where a user does something strange.

  4. 04

    Ship

    Live, with monitoring and a handover doc. Two weeks of support included, then you take it or we stay on.

Pricing

What this usually costs

The exact number comes out of the scoping call. These are the shapes it takes.

Standard

Monthly · pause or cancel anytime

$2,000per month

One active build at a time, delivered in order. The plan most founders start on — enough to get a product live and keep it moving.

Priority

Monthly · pause or cancel anytime

$3,600per month

Two builds running in parallel and a faster turnaround, for when there is a launch date someone else already committed to.

Embedded

Monthly · 1 month minimum

from $7,500per month

Dedicated capacity that behaves like a team member — in your standups, on your roadmap, accountable for a slice of the product.

Other things we build

Tell us what you need built

Thirty minutes, free, no proposal. You leave with a scope, a number, and a date — or an honest reason why we’re not the right people.