~/chris $ whoami
Hi. My name is Chris, and I do web development.
WordPress and WooCommerce, Shopify, React and Next.js, PHP, modern responsive CSS, security hardening and pen testing — for B2B and DTC teams who need a site that ships, stays fast and doesn’t quietly break. Great fondness for tacos.
~/chris $What I do
Web development for teams that would rather not think about web development.
Six things I get hired for. Each row is a plain answer to the question clients actually ask.
> Can you build our marketing site so our team can edit it?
Web development.
Yes. Custom WordPress themes in PHP, or React and Next.js front ends when the CMS should stay out of the way — built around your content model (custom post types, ACF fields, blocks where they earn it) so marketing ships pages without a developer. Hand-written, responsive CSS; no framework bloat. Fast, accessible and indexable from day one.
wordpress development · php · react · next.js · gatsby · custom themes · acf · responsive css · javascript
> WooCommerce or Shopify — and can you make either one do what we need?
E-commerce.
Both. Storefronts, subscriptions, bundles, custom account dashboards and checkout tweaks on WooCommerce; theme and app work on Shopify. I pick the platform that fits how you sell, not the one I feel like using.
woocommerce · shopify · liquid · subscriptions · product bundles · checkout
> Can the website talk to our POS, CRM or fulfillment system?
Integrations & APIs.
That is most of the job. Square, HubSpot, Stripe, fulfillment and inventory APIs, webhooks, cron jobs — wired so data moves once and nobody re-keys it. Headless builds on Next.js or Gatsby (yes, still) with WPGraphQL when the front end needs to outgrow the CMS.
rest api · graphql · webhooks · square · hubspot · stripe · next.js · gatsby · headless wordpress
> Who keeps this thing updated after launch?
Maintenance.
I do, on a monthly retainer. Core and plugin updates, patching, backups, uptime monitoring and the small feature requests that pile up. You get a person who already knows the codebase, not a ticket queue.
wordpress maintenance · security · updates · monitoring · retainer
> Is our site actually secure, or just updated?
Security & hardening.
Updated is the floor. I harden WordPress and WooCommerce installs — headers, auth, file permissions, plugin audit, WAF and backup strategy — and run authorized penetration tests against your site so you find the holes before someone else does. Cisco Certified Ethical Hacker; I keep sharp on Hack The Box.
Cisco Certified Ethical Hacker · 2025>> [verify on Credly]
wordpress security · site hardening · penetration testing · owasp · cisco ethical hacker · hack the box
> Our site is slow and fails audits. Fixable without a rebuild?
Technical SEO & accessibility.
Usually. Core Web Vitals passes, image and caching strategy, clean heading order, schema, WCAG 2.2 AA remediation — the unglamorous work that keeps you ranking and keeps you out of trouble.
core web vitals · technical seo · wcag 2.2 aa · schema · performance
~/chris $Recent work
Some of my latest projects.
No projects match those filters. >> [clear filters]
~/chris $About
Chris Barry. Web developer, Maine.
For nearly a decade I’ve been the “internet guy” for Same Brain Creative’s clients — the one person who knows their whole stack: the site, the store, the DNS, the plugin that broke on Tuesday. I work out the UX and design the pages, then build them so they load fast, stay secure and don’t fall over. I consult too: audits, second opinions and straight answers before you spend money. WordPress and WooCommerce in PHP, Shopify in Liquid, React and Next.js when the job calls for it (and Gatsby, back when it was alive — the sites still run), all on hand-written responsive CSS. Cisco Certified Ethical Hacker, so what I build also gets hardened and tested.
This isn’t just the career, it’s the hobby — I’d be doing most of it on a Saturday anyway. Avid reader (sci-fi, and the occasional security paper), general tech geek, breaking into boxes on Hack The Box for fun, running a home lab well past the point of necessity, and holding opinions about mechanical keyboards I’ll spare you. I’m the guy friends text when their router dies. Great fondness for tacos.
how I slot in
One developer across a client’s whole web footprint — site, store, integrations, hosting, DNS, email deliverability. No ticket queue, no handoffs, no “that’s a different vendor.”
UX, site structure and responsive page design before any code, or a consult when you just need a straight answer about what you already have.
Custom WordPress and WooCommerce in PHP, Shopify in Liquid, React and Next.js front ends, hand-written responsive CSS. Architected so the marketing team can run it without me.
POS, CRM, payments, fulfillment, analytics. Square, HubSpot, Stripe, REST and GraphQL — data moves once and nobody re-keys it.
Monthly retainers: updates, patching, backups, monitoring, Core Web Vitals, the small requests that pile up. Some clients have been on since the start.
Hardening, plugin audits, WAF and backup strategy, authorized penetration tests. Certified, and practiced on Hack The Box.
Embedded developer for in-house marketing and design teams, shipping templates and features against their design systems. Most of the teams I join keep me on for years.
certifications
~/chris $Start a project
Got a site that needs building, fixing or managing?
Fill this in and I’ll come back with real questions instead of “tell me more.” Brand and marketing projects go through Same Brain Creative.