$ whoami → available for work

Ijaz Ali.

I build scalable backends with PHP & Laravel.

Backend developer focused on clean architecture, reliable APIs, and code that other engineers can actually maintain. I care about the boring parts — tests, migrations, queue workers, observability — because that's what keeps systems running at 3 AM.

~ ijaz/About.php
1<?php
2
3namespace App\Portfolio;
4
5class Developer
6{
7  public function stack(): array
8  {
9    return [
10     'lang' => 'PHP 8.3',
11     'framework' => 'Laravel',
12     'db' => ['MySQL', 'PostgreSQL'],
13     'cache' => 'Redis',
14     'tests' => true,
15    ];
16  }
17}
PHOTO PLACEHOLDER

About me.

I'm a backend developer working primarily with PHP and Laravel. My focus is on building APIs, integrating third-party services, and turning messy requirements into clean, testable code.

I prefer working on the parts of the stack that most people don't see — database schema design, queue jobs, authentication flows, and the kind of edge-case handling that prevents production fires.

When I'm not coding, I'm usually reading about distributed systems, watching Laravel ecosystem updates, or refactoring something nobody asked me to refactor.

location: Remote / Pakistan
focus: Backend & APIs
years: edit
status: Open to work

Tech stack & tools.

Tools I use day-to-day, grouped by layer. Highlighted in cyan are the ones I'm strongest in.

Languages

PHP 8.x JavaScript TypeScript SQL Bash Python (basic)

🏗️Frameworks

Laravel Livewire Lumen CodeIgniter Symfony (components) Inertia.js Filament

💾Databases

MySQL PostgreSQL Redis MongoDB SQLite Eloquent ORM

🔌APIs & Auth

REST Laravel Sanctum Passport (OAuth2) JWT GraphQL Webhooks Stripe / PayPal

🐳DevOps & Cloud

Docker AWS (EC2, S3, RDS) DigitalOcean Laravel Forge Vapor Nginx CI/CD (GitHub Actions)

🧪Testing & Tools

PHPUnit Pest Git Composer Postman Xdebug PHPStan / Larastan Sentry

What I build.

The kinds of work I get hired for, and the kinds of work I do best.

_01

Laravel Application Development

End-to-end Laravel apps — from schema design through deployment. Multi-tenant, role-based, queue-driven. Built to scale beyond the first 1,000 users.

_02

REST & GraphQL APIs

Versioned, documented, properly authenticated APIs. Sanctum, Passport, or JWT depending on what fits. OpenAPI docs included.

_03

Third-party Integrations

Stripe, PayPal, Twilio, SendGrid, Mailgun, OpenAI, social auth — webhooks handled with idempotency and retry logic so they don't silently fail.

_04

Performance & Refactoring

Slow Laravel app? N+1 queries, missing indexes, bloated controllers, cache nowhere to be found. I find what's hurting and fix it without breaking what works.

_05

Database Design & Migration

Schema design from scratch, or migrations from legacy systems (CodeIgniter → Laravel, raw PHP → Laravel). Zero-downtime cutovers when possible.

_06

DevOps & Deployment

Dockerized environments, CI/CD pipelines, Forge/Vapor deployments, queue workers, monitoring. Make production boring again.

Selected work.

A sample of projects I've built. NDAs prevent linking to live code on most of these.

⚠ Placeholder project descriptions — edit each card with your actual project name, scope, and stack before going live.
Placeholder
💳

Multi-tenant SaaS Billing Platform

Subscription billing system with tiered plans, prorated upgrades, dunning logic, and Stripe + PayPal integration. Webhooks idempotent and replay-safe.

LaravelMySQLRedisStripeHorizon
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🛒

E-commerce REST API

Headless commerce API powering web + mobile clients. Cart, checkout, inventory, order workflows, and admin endpoints. Documented with OpenAPI.

LaravelPostgreSQLSanctumDocker
Placeholder
🔔

Real-time Notification Service

Multi-channel notifications (in-app, email, SMS, push) with user preferences, throttling, and delivery tracking. Built on Laravel queues + Redis pub/sub.

LaravelRedisPusherTwilioSendGrid
Placeholder
📊

Inventory & Stock Management

Internal tool for a retail business managing stock across multiple warehouses. Barcode scanning, low-stock alerts, supplier orders, and audit logs.

LaravelLivewireMySQLFilament
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💼

Job Board Marketplace

Two-sided marketplace with employer dashboards, applicant tracking, Stripe-powered featured listings, and full-text search via Meilisearch.

LaravelInertiaVueMeilisearchStripe
Placeholder
🤖

AI-powered CRM Integration

Custom CRM integrated with OpenAI for lead scoring, follow-up email drafting, and conversation summarization. Async processing via queues.

LaravelOpenAI APIPostgreSQLHorizon

Work history.

Where I've worked and what I built there. Edit with real roles

2023 — Present

Senior Backend Developer Placeholder

Company Name · Remote

Replace this with a real role description. Lead backend development on [product/service], owning architecture decisions, code review, and mentorship of junior developers.

2021 — 2023

Laravel Developer Placeholder

Company Name · On-site / Hybrid

Replace this with a real role description. Built [type of system] from scratch — migrated legacy CodeIgniter app to Laravel, set up CI/CD, introduced testing culture.

2019 — 2021

Junior PHP Developer Placeholder

Company Name · On-site

Replace this with a real role description. Worked across full stack on internal tools and client projects. First exposure to Laravel and modern PHP practices.

Let's build something solid.

Available for full-time roles, contract work, and freelance Laravel projects. I usually respond within 24 hours on weekdays.