From Auth0 Task to Full Backend Rebuild in 8 Weeks
How diagnosing inherited problems led to production-ready architecture with 4 major integrations
Client: US event management startup
Industry:Professional Services Solutions
Services:Project Delivery & Rescue
Key results at a glance
The challenge
The Problem
A US-based startup building a youth event management platform for organisations like soccer and hockey clubs engaged us for what seemed straightforward: integrate Auth0 authentication.
What We Found
Upon joining, the reality was concerning:
- Memory leak discovered: Stack overflow within days while testing authentication
- Previous developer departed: The codebase revealed why
- Expectation gap: Significant disconnect between what leadership believed they had and what actually existed
- Frontend blocked: An excellent frontend developer had been forced to stub out backend interactions
The backend barely existed. What was scoped as an Auth0 integration became something much larger.
The results
Key results
- Memory leak causing stack overflow resolved in first week
- Scope expanded from Auth0 integration to full backend rebuild
- CQRS patterns implemented for future microservices scalability
- Relational authorization supporting coach-to-group permissions
- 4 major integrations: Stripe, SendBird, SendGrid, Auth0
Outcomes
Immediate Impact
- Memory leak resolved in first week
- Backend transformed from non-functional to production-ready
- Frontend developer unblocked to complete their work
Architecture Delivered
- CQRS patterns enabling future microservices migration
- Relational authorization supporting complex permission requirements
- Four integrations providing complete platform functionality
- Sub-1.5 second response times achieved
Scope Expansion
What started as a focused Auth0 task became a full backend rebuild - demonstrating the value of honest assessment over just completing the stated scope. The business got what they actually needed, not just what they originally asked for.
Trust Earned
The engagement demonstrated that finding and communicating problems early - even when it means delivering uncomfortable news - builds more trust than completing narrow scope while ignoring obvious issues.
The solution
Our Approach
After presenting findings to the (non-technical) leadership team, the engagement expanded from authentication to full backend architecture.
CQRS Foundation
Implemented Command Query Responsibility Segregation patterns knowing the platform might eventually need microservices. This separation enables future scaling without rewriting.
Relational Authorization
The authorization model couldn't be simple roles. A coach should only see youth members in their specific group - requiring permissions tied to data relationships, not just role checks. We built a custom authorization layer on top of Auth0.
Integration Stack
Four major integrations delivered:
- Stripe: Payments, subscriptions, and Connect for payment distribution
- SendBird: Real-time chat features
- SendGrid: Transactional messaging for event invitations and notifications
- Auth0: Authentication with relational authorization layer
Performance Target
Set and achieved sub-1.5 second response times across all endpoints.
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