I'm a backend developer. When our startup needed a web presence and a mobile app, we decided to outsource the frontend and infrastructure — we didn't have the bandwidth to do it ourselves. I spent about three weeks auditing studios in Kazakhstan before making a decision. This post is that audit.
Why I audited instead of just picking
I've seen enough projects fail from bad vendor choices to know that the "discovery call" is theater. I asked every studio the same five questions before anything else:
What's your backend language?
Who owns the code after delivery?
