Senior Backend Engineer | Python • FastAPI • AI Integration • APIs • PHP/Laravel
Cape Town, South Africa
I’m a Senior Backend Engineer with 10+ years of professional software development experience building APIs, backend systems, database-driven applications and production software.
My commercial engineering background is primarily across PHP/Laravel, SQL, REST APIs, Docker, Kubernetes and production backend systems, while my current hands-on engineering work focuses on Python, FastAPI, AI integration, distributed processing and modern backend architecture.
Python • FastAPI • Pydantic • Go • Docker • GitHub Actions • AI Integration
Multi-service backend system combining a Python/FastAPI ingestion API with a concurrent Go processing service. Includes bounded concurrency, service-to-service HTTP communication, deterministic mock AI enrichment, optional OpenAI-compatible integration, automated Python/Go tests, Docker Compose and end-to-end CI.
Laravel 12 • PHP 8.2+ • PostgreSQL • Docker • Security Hardening • Testing • CI
Modernisation and security-hardening of a legacy Laravel community forum, including framework/dependency upgrades, authorization improvements, mutation safety, regression testing, Vite/Bootstrap modernization, Docker deployment and Neon PostgreSQL.
Demo login: john@doe.com / password
Laravel 10 • PHP 8.1+ • RBAC • Policies • PostgreSQL • Docker • Testing • CI
Laravel RBAC application demonstrating roles/permissions, policy-based authorization, admin and manager user flows, device-login tracking, external-service failure handling, automated verification and a live Render/Neon deployment.
Admin demo login: admin@me.com / admin
Independent Software Engineering — Jan 2026 to Present
Building production-oriented backend projects focused on:
- Python and FastAPI backend services
- REST API design and service integration
- AI-enabled backend workflows
- Concurrent and distributed processing
- Docker and containerised development
- Automated testing and CI/CD
- Reliability, failure handling and debugging
- Backend architecture and system design
Backend & Languages
Python • FastAPI • PHP • Laravel • Go • JavaScript • SQL
APIs & Architecture
REST APIs • API Design • Microservices • Service Integration • Backend Architecture • Distributed Processing
Databases
MySQL • PostgreSQL • Redis • MongoDB • SQL Optimisation • Indexing • Relational Database Design
Infrastructure & DevOps
Docker • Docker Compose • Kubernetes • GitHub Actions • CI/CD • Git • Linux
Testing & Engineering
Pytest • Go Testing • PHPUnit • API Testing • Debugging • Performance Optimisation • Technical Troubleshooting
Current / next engineering focus: Python/FastAPI, AI integration, distributed processing, reliability and observability.
Next areas: RAG/retrieval systems and agent/tool-driven workflows.
My professional experience includes backend engineering across high-volume e-commerce, production REST APIs, financial systems, database performance optimisation, client software platforms, legacy production codebases, Docker/Kubernetes environments and Agile engineering teams.
I previously founded and operated an independent software development practice delivering backend systems, APIs, database-driven applications and web platforms for South African and international clients.
CS50 — Introduction to Computer Science
Harvard University / edX · 2016