Frequently Asked Questions
Your Questions, Honest Answers
We believe in radical transparency. Find straightforward answers to 48 common questions about our services, process, pricing, and more.
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General
7 questions
We're an enterprise software development company that builds custom software for businesses. We specialize in:
• Custom Software Development
• AI Agents & Automation
• Enterprise Modernization
• Cloud Architecture & DevOps
• Technical Consulting
We work primarily with mid-market and enterprise clients in FinTech, SaaS, Healthcare, E-Commerce, Logistics, Manufacturing, Education, and Energy sectors. View all industries →
Our team is based in India, but we work with clients globally. Our working hours (10am-9pm IST) overlap with major business regions:
• USA (West Coast): Morning overlap
• USA (East Coast): Morning-afternoon overlap
• UK & Europe: Afternoon-evening overlap
• Australia: Evening overlap
• Middle East: Full day overlap
Time zones have never been a barrier to successful projects.
Several things make us different:
1. Senior Engineers Only: Every engineer has 5+ years of experience. No junior developers learning on your project.
2. Money-Back Guarantee: If the first sprint doesn't meet agreed success criteria, you don't pay for it.
3. 100% Code Ownership: Everything we build belongs to you from day one.
4. Direct Founder Access: You talk directly to Gautam and the engineers building your project.
5. Built to Last Philosophy: We build software designed to run for 10+ years, not just to ship quickly.
Learn more about why choose us →
ByteForever was founded by Gautam Thapa in October 2025. Gautam has 8+ years of enterprise software development experience, having built systems that processed millions of transactions with 99.9% uptime requirements.
He started ByteForever because he saw too many businesses burned by development agencies that overpromise and underdeliver. Learn more about our team →
We're a team of 14 specialists with expertise across:
• Full-Stack Engineering
• DevOps & Cloud
• Mobile Development
• AI & Automation
• QA & Testing
• Product Design
Every engineer: 5+ years experience. No junior developers. No exceptions.
SnagRex is our own product — a deals discovery platform launching Q1 2026. It aggregates offers from e-commerce, travel, and finance into one place.
Why does this matter to you? SnagRex is proof that we practice what we preach. We build it using the same standards, architecture, and quality processes we use for client projects. It's our own "skin in the game."
Getting started is simple:
1. Book a Discovery Call: Fill out our contact form or email hello@byteforever.com
2. Discovery Call (30-60 min): We discuss your project, answer questions, assess fit
3. Proposal (3-5 days): If it's a good fit, we send detailed scope and pricing
4. Kickoff (1-2 weeks): Sign agreement, set up infrastructure, start building
The Discovery Call is free and pressure-free. We'll tell you honestly if we're a good fit — and if we're not, we'll point you in the right direction.
Services
10 questions
Our core technology stack includes:
Backend: Java/Spring Boot, Node.js, Python, Go
Frontend: React, Next.js, Vue.js, Angular
Mobile: React Native, Flutter
Database: PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis
Cloud: AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, DigitalOcean
DevOps: Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD pipelines
We're pragmatic about technology — we recommend what's best for your specific project, not what's trendy.
Yes. We build cross-platform mobile applications using React Native and Flutter. We also build responsive web applications that work seamlessly on mobile devices.
For projects that require native iOS or Android development, we can discuss the trade-offs and recommend the best approach.
Yes. We build AI agents and automation solutions, including:
• Custom AI agents for specific business workflows
• Integration with LLMs (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
• Intelligent automation systems
• Data processing and analytics pipelines
We focus on practical AI applications that solve real business problems, not AI for the sake of AI. Learn more about our AI services →
Yes. After launch, we offer optional maintenance packages that include:
• Priority bug fixes
• Security updates
• Performance monitoring
• Feature enhancements
However, you're never locked in. We provide complete documentation and can transfer knowledge to your internal team or another vendor.
Yes. We regularly take over projects from other teams or help modernize legacy systems. Our process:
1. Code Assessment: Honest evaluation of the codebase quality
2. Recommendation: Options — fix, refactor, or rebuild
3. Execution: Detailed transition plan
We won't sugarcoat the assessment.
Yes. We're happy to sign NDAs before discussing your project. Just let us know during the initial inquiry.
For standard projects, we include confidentiality clauses in our Master Service Agreement that protect your intellectual property.
Yes, but with some caveats:
We're a good fit if you:
• Have a clear idea of what you want to build
• Have budget for quality engineering (willing to invest in proper MVP)
• Value long-term quality over "just ship it"
We're NOT a good fit if you:
• Need the absolute cheapest option
• Want to iterate with disposable code
• Need it in 2 weeks
We build MVPs that can scale into real products, not throwaway prototypes. Learn more about our custom software development →
To set clear expectations:
We DON'T do:
• Staff augmentation / body shopping
• 24/7 dedicated developer rentals
• "Design only" projects (we're engineers first)
• Product strategy or market research
• Very small projects (we focus on quality engineering)
We're engineers who build software, not a staffing agency.
Yes, but with context:
We have a UI/UX designer on our team who handles:
• User interface design for applications we build
• User flows and wireframes
• Responsive design systems
• Usability testing
We're NOT a design agency. Design is part of our software development process, not a standalone service.
If you need extensive branding, marketing design, or pure design work, we can recommend specialist agencies.
Yes. Most projects require integration with existing systems:
Common integrations we handle:
• Legacy databases and APIs
• Third-party SaaS tools (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.)
• Payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, etc.)
• Authentication systems (SSO, LDAP, OAuth)
• Data warehouses and analytics platforms
• Custom internal systems
During Discovery, we assess your integration requirements and plan the architecture accordingly. We're experienced with both modern APIs and legacy systems.
Process & Pricing
9 questions
Our process has 6 clear steps:
1. Discovery Call (30-60 min, free): Discuss project and assess fit
2. Proposal & Planning (3-5 days): Detailed scope and pricing
3. Kickoff & Architecture (1-2 weeks): Foundation setup
4. Iterative Development (2-week sprints): Building with regular demos
5. Quality Assurance (continuous): Testing throughout
6. Launch & Support: Deployment and handover
See full details about our process →
Every project is different, so we provide custom quotes based on your specific requirements.
Cost depends on:
• Scope and complexity
• Timeline requirements
• Integration needs
• Ongoing support requirements
We'll give you a detailed, fixed-price proposal after understanding your needs during our Discovery Call. No hourly billing surprises.
Book a free strategy call to discuss your project →
If the first sprint doesn't meet the success criteria we define together, you don't pay for that sprint. No arguments. No fine print.
How it works:
1. Before Sprint 1, we define clear success criteria together
2. We build and deliver Sprint 1
3. We review against the success criteria
4. If we miss them, you don't pay
We share the risk with you.
Scope changes happen — and we handle them transparently:
1. Document: Clearly document what's changing and why
2. Assess: Evaluate impact on timeline and budget
3. Approve: Get your explicit approval before proceeding
4. Execute: Implement with the same quality standards
No surprise bills. Clear communication throughout.
Typical payment structure:
• 20-30% upfront (project kickoff)
• Milestone-based payments throughout
• Final payment upon completion
For larger projects, we can discuss custom payment schedules. We accept wire transfers and major credit cards.
It depends on scope:
• Simple MVP: 6-8 weeks
• Mid-complexity application: 3-6 months
• Complex enterprise system: 6-12+ months
We give you a realistic timeline — not an optimistic one to win the deal.
We prefer fixed-scope, milestone-based pricing for most projects. Here's why:
Fixed-scope benefits:
• You know the total investment upfront
• We're accountable for delivering, not just logging hours
• Reduces "scope creep" surprises
We use time & materials only for:
• Ongoing maintenance
• Discovery/research phases
• Projects with genuinely undefined scope
We don't do pure "hourly rate" work — it misaligns incentives.
This is rare because we scope carefully, but here's our approach:
If overrun is OUR fault (we underestimated, made mistakes):
• We absorb the cost
• You pay the agreed amount
If overrun is due to SCOPE CHANGES you requested:
• We document and estimate the change
• You approve before we proceed
• Additional work is billed separately
No surprises. No "we need more money or we stop" situations.
The Discovery Call is a 30-60 minute conversation where we:
1. Understand Your Project:
• What problem are you solving?
• Who are your users?
• What's your timeline and budget?
2. Assess Technical Fit:
• Review any existing systems
• Discuss technology preferences
• Identify technical challenges
3. Answer Your Questions:
• About our process, team, experience
• Pricing and timelines
• Similar projects we've done
4. Honest Assessment:
• Are we a good fit for each other?
• Can we deliver what you need?
• What are the realistic options?
It's a conversation, not a sales pitch. If we're not the right fit, we'll tell you — and often recommend alternatives.
Working With Us
6 questions
You'll work directly with:
• Gautam Thapa (Founder): Strategic discussions and escalations
• Project Lead: Senior engineer managing day-to-day
• Development Team: The engineers building your software
No account managers. Direct communication with the people doing the work.
Talk to us immediately. Most issues can be resolved through communication.
• Quality Issues: We fix it — that's part of the job
• Misalignment: We course-correct in the next sprint
• Fundamental Mismatch: Money-Back Guarantee for first sprint
We'd rather have a difficult conversation early than a failed project later.
• Slack: Day-to-day questions, quick discussions
• Weekly Video Calls: Progress updates, demo reviews
• Email: Formal decisions, contracts
Response times:
• Urgent issues: Same day (often within hours)
• General questions: Within 24 hours
Direct access to your project team — no ticketing system.
Yes. You have full access to your code repository from day one.
• Real-time access to Git repository
• Visibility into all commits and branches
• Access to project management tools
• Code belongs to you immediately
This isn't "we'll give you the code when we're done." You own it throughout.
We offer project-based teams, not "body shop" arrangements.
Difference:
• Body shop: You rent developers. You manage them.
• Project team: We assign a team. We manage delivery.
We prefer project model because we're accountable for outcomes, not just hours worked.
You're never locked in. When the project ends, you receive:
• Complete source code
• Technical documentation
• Deployment runbooks
• Architecture decision records
• Knowledge transfer sessions
We can provide ongoing maintenance or hand off to another vendor.
Security & Compliance
6 questions
Security is built into our development process:
• Secure coding practices (OWASP guidelines)
• Code reviews with security focus
• Dependency vulnerability scanning
• Encryption for data at rest and in transit
• Access controls and audit logging
• Regular security assessments
We don't bolt security on at the end — it's considered from day one.
We build systems that comply with major regulations:
• GDPR: Data privacy for EU users
• HIPAA: Healthcare data protection (for Healthcare clients)
• PCI-DSS: Payment card security (for FinTech clients)
• SOC 2: Security controls (available for enterprise clients)
We understand compliance requirements and build them into the architecture from the start. Specific compliance needs are discussed during Discovery.
Multiple layers of protection:
1. Legal: Our MSA includes strong IP clauses. Everything we build belongs to you.
2. Technical:
• Private repositories
• Access controls (only assigned team members)
• Audit trails on all code changes
3. Operational:
• NDAs available upon request
• Background checks on team members
• Data handling procedures
Your code, your IP — no exceptions.
We don't store your production data on our systems.
• Development: We use anonymized/synthetic test data
• Production: Your data stays on YOUR infrastructure
• Access: We access via secure, audited connections
• Offboarding: We revoke all access upon project completion
If you need us to handle sensitive data during development, we discuss specific security protocols upfront.
We have incident response procedures:
1. Immediate: Contain the issue, notify you within 24 hours
2. Investigation: Root cause analysis
3. Remediation: Fix the vulnerability
4. Prevention: Update processes to prevent recurrence
5. Documentation: Full incident report
For enterprise clients, we can align with your incident response procedures and SLAs.
We include basic security reviews as part of our development process:
Included in All Projects:
• Code security reviews (OWASP guidelines)
• Dependency vulnerability scanning
• Security best practices implementation
• Basic penetration testing
For Comprehensive Security Testing:
We partner with specialized security firms for:
• Full penetration testing
• Security audits and compliance assessments
• Vulnerability assessments
• Third-party security certifications
If your project requires formal security testing, we can coordinate with our security partners or work with your preferred security vendor.
Support & SLA
6 questions
Post-launch support options:
Standard (included for 2 weeks after launch):
• Bug fixes for issues we introduced
• Deployment support
• Basic monitoring setup
Optional Maintenance Packages:
• Monthly retainer for ongoing support
• Priority bug fixes (24-48 hour response)
• Security updates
• Performance monitoring
• Feature enhancements
Support is optional — you can take the code and run it yourself.
Standard response times:
• Critical (system down): 4 hours
• High (major feature broken): 8 hours
• Medium (functionality impaired): 24 hours
• Low (minor issues): 48 hours
For enterprise clients, we can negotiate custom SLAs with faster response times and 24/7 coverage.
Not by default, but available for enterprise clients.
Standard: 10am-9pm IST (overlaps with US/UK/EU business hours)
24/7 Options:
• On-call support for critical systems
• Emergency escalation procedures
• Monitoring and alerting setup
24/7 coverage requires a dedicated support retainer — let's discuss your specific needs.
Emergency protocol:
1. You contact us via dedicated emergency channel
2. On-call engineer responds within SLA timeframe
3. We diagnose and communicate status
4. We fix or implement workaround
5. We do root cause analysis
6. We implement permanent fix if needed
For critical systems, we set up monitoring and alerting so we often know about issues before you do.
Every project includes 2 weeks of post-launch support at no additional cost:
Included Support:
• Bug fixes for issues we introduced
• Deployment assistance
• Performance monitoring setup
• Minor configuration changes
• Technical questions and troubleshooting
NOT Included:
• New features or functionality
• Changes to original requirements
• Issues caused by third-party services
• Training beyond initial handover
After the 2-week period, you can choose:
• Continue with a maintenance retainer
• Handle support internally
• Call us on-demand for specific issues
Multiple channels depending on urgency:
Critical Issues (system down, security breach):
• Call emergency phone number (provided at launch)
• Send emergency email with [URGENT] prefix
• Response: Within 4 hours
Non-Critical Issues:
• Email support address with bug details
• Include: Steps to reproduce, screenshots, error logs
• Response: Within 24-48 hours
For clients on maintenance retainers:
• Dedicated Slack channel for quick questions
• Access to bug tracking system
• Regular check-ins
We'll set up the exact process during project handover based on your needs.
Industries
4 questions
We have deep expertise in:
Primary Focus:
• FinTech & Financial Services (PCI-DSS, real-time transactions)
• SaaS & Technology (multi-tenant, scaling)
• Healthcare & Life Sciences (HIPAA, HL7/FHIR)
We Also Serve:
• E-Commerce
• Logistics & Supply Chain
• Manufacturing
• Education & EdTech
• Energy & Utilities
View all industries and case studies →
For our focus industries, yes:
• FinTech: PCI-DSS, SOX, AML/KYC requirements
• Healthcare: HIPAA, HITECH, HL7/FHIR standards
• Enterprise: SOC 2, GDPR, data privacy
For other industries, we learn your specific requirements during Discovery. We've found that good engineering practices translate across industries — the specific regulations are learnable.
Probably, but let's talk specifics.
Our team's collective experience includes:
• Payment processing systems
• Multi-tenant SaaS platforms
• Healthcare data systems
• E-commerce platforms
• Supply chain management
• Real-time analytics
• AI/ML integrations
During Discovery, we'll share relevant examples and discuss how our experience applies to your project.
Both, but with different expectations:
Startups:
• We build MVPs that can scale
• Typically small to medium projects
• Timeline 2-4 months
• Focus on speed-to-market with quality
Enterprises:
• Complex integrations and compliance
• Typically large-scale projects
• Timeline 6-12+ months
• Focus on reliability and maintainability
We're not the cheapest option for either — we're the quality option. Discuss your project →
Still Have Questions?
Book a free 30-minute strategy call. Get honest answers about whether we're a good fit for your project.
Response within 24 hours • Talk to the founder directly • No commitment required