Breathing New Life into Legacy Systems. The Artisan of the Day Is Elena Cañete.
For many developers, legacy code is something to run from. For Elena Cañete, it has become a theme in her career, a space where she balances modernizing systems for the future while respecting the past.
“Old systems may feel clunky or frustrating,” she explains, “but they’ve provided real business value. My job isn’t just to replace them, it’s to honor their purpose while paving the way for what comes next.”
From VHS to Code
Elena’s journey began in the Philippines, where, at the age of 9 or 10, she helped her uncle convert VHS tapes into CDs, edit wedding videos, and design invitations. That early curiosity with technology led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Information Management at the age of 15, and by 19, she was already working as a developer.
Over the years, Elena built websites, CRMs, ERPs, and APIs, freelanced, and even managed a small remote dev team. But the real turning point came when she discovered Laravel, a framework that would define her approach to tackling complex projects.
Elena’s first major legacy challenge came at A-Vask, a company in Denmark, where she faced an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system written in vanilla PHP. Her mission was to rebuild it from scratch with Laravel and integrate chip-based solutions for managing industrial linens.
“Laravel gave me the tools to bring order, structure, and speed to what was once an unmanageable codebase,” she says. That project not only transformed the system but also led her to relocate from the Philippines to Denmark, marking a major milestone in her career.
From Monolith to Microservices
At Clio, an EdTech company, Elena tackled a monolithic system built on TYPO3, a content management system with a long-standing history. She helped transition the platform to a Laravel-based microservices architecture, consolidating over 60 digital learning materials into a single, streamlined system.
“Dismantling something with so much history while building a scalable new solution is delicate work,” she reflects. “But it’s also incredibly rewarding.”
Today, Elena works at Eupry, a company developing digital solutions for temperature compliance. Once again, she faced legacy PHP systems and began rebuilding their ERP and APIs with Laravel, laying a foundation for scalable and future-proof solutions. “Every time I see a legacy system evolve into something modern and powerful, it reminds me why I love what I do,” she says.
Laravel Community Experience
Elena attended her first Laravel conference at Laravel Live Denmark 2025. The experience was inspiring: connecting with the community, learning from expert talks, and seeing firsthand the passion around Laravel. “I walked away motivated and ready to build even better things,” she shares.
Her advice for fellow developers is empowering: “Say yes to the scary projects.” She goes on to explain that rebuilding ERP systems, creating APIs, and integrating new technologies may feel overwhelming at first, but these challenges often lead to the most growth.
And when it comes to legacy systems, she emphasizes respect: “Learn from them, understand their history, and then use modern tools, like Laravel, to carry that value forward.”
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