React Developer · Manchester
React Developer Manchester
React and Next.js shops, portals and business software, designed around your processes and built by the person you talk to.
Custom React web applications and full-stack development for Manchester businesses, beyond templates, beyond WordPress. You deal with me directly, from the first conversation to long after launch: no account managers and no hand-offs.
- Google Partner
- 17 Years Experience
- 300+ Clients
- 5★ Rated
- Nominet Accredited
Tell me about your project
Prefer to talk? 07853 089988
Work I've actually done
Applications, Not Just Pages
Tony James Designs
Modernising years of successful international e-commerce without throwing away what worked
Tony James Designs had run its international motorcycle paint-protection store on WooCommerce for years, and it worked. Asked to update the website, I recommended something different: keep the business exactly as it operates, and replace the platform underneath it. The old store was mapped in detail first, including a configurator driven by 610 conditional elements, then rebuilt as a bespoke Next.js and Payload application. Products, customers and order history came across intact, followed by practical improvements: better search, launch-interest capture, built-in shipment tracking and a partner directory.
Read the case study
Plate Studio
Bringing a complicated, compliance-heavy purchase online
Plate Studio needed to bring a complicated, compliance-heavy purchase online without sacrificing either the customer experience or the security of sensitive customer information. I designed and built one platform that does both: a live plate builder that shows customers exactly what they are buying, connected to a secure document and verification workflow that lets the business legally fulfil every order.
In a Pickle
Turning a founder's idea into a working breakdown marketplace
In a Pickle Breakdown set out to offer pay-as-you-need breakdown help: no membership, the price shown up front, and a vetted local operator you can watch arrive. I turned the founder's idea into an operating model and built the platform behind it: a three-sided marketplace with location-based matching, live GPS tracking, payments held until the job is settled, automatic supplier payouts, and document-based vetting that keeps every operator compliant.
Edwards Jewellery
The brief said e-commerce. The conversation revealed a specialist.
Anne asked for an e-commerce website to replace a perfectly presentable Wix site. Conversations with her uncovered a much stronger proposition: a specialist bench jeweller who works personally with clients to create, restore and transform jewellery, including the inherited pieces people no longer wear. The project became discovery, positioning and content strategy as much as development, and the platform grew to support how the business actually works, from events and wedding fairs to consultations and a private client area.
Starstruck
From a dance-school website to the platform the school runs on
What began as a new website for Starstruck Performing Arts became a closer look at how the school runs online. The result is a bespoke platform that takes a family from first enquiry to the class register: local search, enrolment, term billing, parent and tutor portals, targeted communications, a shop and event tickets, all on infrastructure Starstruck owns. Bringing class management and payments in-house removed around £5,000 a year in platform charges.
Start with the problem
What I Can Help With
“I'm wasting time doing things by hand”
Automation, integrations and bespoke software
“My website has become a limitation”
Migration, modernisation and performance
“I need to sell online”
E-commerce, payments and customer accounts
“I want to use AI properly”
Practical AI in real workflows, and agents
“I need more enquiries”
SEO, PPC, landing pages and conversion
“I'm not sure what I need”
Tell me what you're trying to achieve and I'll tell you honestly
Full-stack, end to end
Why You Need a Full-Stack Developer,
Not a “Web Designer”
A website is only the layer your customers see. Behind it sits the system that runs the business, the servers that keep it online and the marketing that brings people in. I build and run all four.
Front end
What customers see
- Websites
- Online shops
- Customer portals
- Booking flows
React, Next.js, WordPress and WooCommerce, including WordPress plugins I build and publish.
Web designer✓Me✓Back end
What makes the business work
- Orders & payments
- Customer accounts
- APIs & integrations
- Automation & AI
Node.js and PHP on MongoDB, MySQL and PostgreSQL, with Stripe, Twilio and AI models wired in.
Web designer–Me✓Servers
What keeps it running
- Hosting
- Security
- Backups
- Domains & email
Director of Host Dada, my own UK hosting company. I run the servers my clients’ sites live on.
Web designer–Me✓Marketing
What brings customers in
- SEO
- Google Ads
- Lead generation
- Content
Google Partner with 17 years of SEO and paid search, and the founder of Lead Stack, a lead-generation business.
Web designer–Me✓
One person across every layer, so nothing falls between the gaps.
How I workWhy work with me
You Deal Directly With Me
Not an account manager, and not a junior developer working from someone else's notes. You work with the person who:
- understands the requirement and the business behind it
- recommends what to build, and what not to
- writes the software
- understands SEO and paid search
- runs the hosting and infrastructure
- is still there afterwards
Darren really took the time to understand my wants, needs and expectations and delivered exactly what was on the brief. He's been there when I wanted changes or when I'd messed up on certain things. Overall his work is the best I've had. Top quality work as always, keep it up!
What clients say
Still There After Launch
We have used Darren Kandekore to create two websites for our business. He is very professional, and his work is always to a high standard. If we ever have any problems, he is easy to get hold of and will quickly resolve the issue to ensure our website is up and running. We would definitely recommend Darren!
I can thoroughly recommend Darren Kandekore. After having big problems with my hosting company I needed help quickly to keep my two businesses running efficiently. Darren understood the problem right away and within a couple of days my two websites and business emails found a new, reliable home.
How I work
How a Project Runs
The first stage is understanding the business, before anyone chooses a technology.
Scope & Architect
A detailed technical specification covering user flows, data models, API design and technology decisions before any code is written.
Build & Integrate
Frontend and backend developed in parallel with regular demos so you can review progress and make decisions throughout the build.
Test, Deploy & Support
Rigorous testing, staged deployment and production launch, followed by ongoing support and maintenance as the application evolves.
React Developer
What's Included
React.js Frontend
Component-driven React applications with clean architecture, performance optimisation and maintainable codebases that can scale.
Node.js & Express Backend
RESTful APIs, authentication systems and scalable backends built with Node.js and Express, fully integrated with your React frontend.
Database Design
MongoDB, MySQL and PostgreSQL database architecture: schema design, query optimisation and data modelling for your application.
Third-Party API Integration
Stripe payments, Twilio SMS, Google APIs, CRM integrations and any other third-party service your application requires.
Performance & Optimisation
Code splitting, lazy loading, caching strategies and Core Web Vitals optimisation for applications that load fast under real-world conditions.
Authentication & Security
JWT authentication, role-based access control, OAuth integrations (Google, GitHub) and security best practices throughout.
Deployment & DevOps
Deployment to AWS, DigitalOcean, Vercel or your preferred provider, with CI/CD pipelines and environment configuration.
Responsive & Accessible
Every application is fully responsive across devices and built to WCAG accessibility standards where required.
React Developer for Manchester Businesses
When a standard WordPress website isn't enough, React is the answer. As a full-stack React and Node.js developer with 17 years of commercial experience, I build custom web applications, SaaS platforms, internal dashboards and API-driven tools for Manchester businesses that need genuine bespoke software, not a theme from a template marketplace. Whether you need a customer-facing SaaS product, an internal operations dashboard, a complex data integration or a high-performance marketing platform, I can design, build and deploy it. My full-stack capability spans React, Node.js, Express, MongoDB, MySQL and REST API design, everything needed to bring a complex web application from concept to production.
Manchester's rapidly growing tech and creative sector, combined with a large student population from multiple universities, creates intense competition online and a pressing need for businesses to differentiate themselves digitally.
About Manchester's business landscape
Manchester is the Northern Powerhouse in action, a city that has reinvented itself as a world-class hub for media, technology, finance and the creative industries. MediaCity UK in nearby Salford hosts the BBC, ITV and dozens of digital agencies. The Northern Quarter is home to a thriving creative and startup ecosystem, while Spinningfields represents one of the UK's most significant financial districts outside the City of London. Manchester's digital economy is growing faster than almost any other UK city.
UK 3rd largest city, 2.8m Greater Manchester population
- Media & Creative
- Tech & Digital
- Finance & Professional Services
- Retail & Hospitality
- E-commerce
- Property & Construction
Questions Businesses Ask
Do you build custom React applications?
- Yes. I work with businesses of all sizes on custom React projects, from internal tooling and dashboards to customer-facing SaaS platforms and high-performance marketing sites. Most projects are managed remotely with regular video call updates.
When should I choose React over WordPress?
- Choose React when you need a genuine web application: interactive dashboards, real-time data, complex user flows, SaaS products or performance-critical marketing platforms. WordPress is better for content-managed sites where non-technical teams need to edit content regularly.
Do you build the backend as well as the frontend?
- Yes, I'm a full-stack developer. I build Node.js and Express backends, design database schemas (MongoDB or MySQL) and create the REST APIs that your React frontend consumes. You don't need to manage separate frontend and backend developers.
Can you integrate third-party APIs and services?
- Yes. API integrations are a core part of most web applications I build. Common integrations include Stripe for payments, SendGrid for email, Twilio for SMS, Google Maps, CRM platforms (HubSpot, Salesforce) and custom REST or GraphQL API connections.
How do you handle project management for a complex React build?
- I use a structured approach: detailed technical specification agreed upfront, regular demos (typically fortnightly), staged development milestones and a staging environment for review before production deployment. Clear, frequent communication throughout.
How much does a custom React application cost?
- It depends on the scope, so I don't publish a set price. A focused internal dashboard and a multi-role platform with complex backend logic are very different projects. Every build is planned around a return on your investment, whether that's time saved, costs cut or new revenue, and you get a fixed, written quote after a detailed technical scoping session.
Can you take over or extend an existing React project?
- Yes. I can audit an existing React codebase, document what's there and extend or refactor it. I'm used to working with codebases I didn't start and have experience with a wide range of React project structures and configurations.
Start a conversation
Tell Me What You're Trying to Achieve
You don't need to know whether the answer is a website, software, AI or marketing. Tell me what you want to improve and I'll tell you honestly what I'd do.