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Jake Noble
Verified Expert in Engineering
Software Developer
Derby, United Kingdom
Toptal member since June 23, 2015
Bio
Jake is an experienced and versatile web developer with 20+ years of hands-on experience in PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript. He has a strong track record of delivering high-quality web solutions, whether building new applications from the ground up or diving into complex legacy projects. Jake brings a pragmatic and detail-oriented approach to every engagement, with a focus on clean architecture, maintainability, and client satisfaction.
Portfolio
Toptal Clients
REST APIs, Vue 2, MySQL, Laravel, PHP 7, Front-end Development, Amazon EC2...
Toptal
JavaScript, PHP, Node.js, Python, CSS, HTML, MySQL, Flutter
Social Horsepower |
PHP, PHP 7, Vue 2, Symphony, FullCalendar, Back-end, Data Structures, Bootstrap...
Experience
- JavaScript - 15 years
- HTML - 15 years
- PHP - 15 years
- MySQL - 15 years
- jQuery - 8 years
- XPath - 5 years
- Symfony - 5 years
- Symfony 3 - 3 years
Preferred Environment
Symfony, MySQL, MacOS, Visual Studio Code (VS Code)
The most amazing...
...project I've worked on involved creating an API back end in Symfony 6 after migrating 200+ entities from Zend and then plugging the API into a Vue front end.
Work Experience
Web App Developer
2020 - PRESENT
Toptal Clients
- Picked up a half-finished REST API built in Laravel from another developer and completed the API for use with a Vue back end built by another developer.
- Communicated with the client on requirements and issues via video and Slack.
- Finalized the deployment process via Laravel Forge and Digital Ocean.
Technologies: REST APIs, Vue 2, MySQL, Laravel, PHP 7, Front-end Development, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Full-stack, MVC Frameworks, APIs, HTML5, HTML4, Web App Deployment, Zend Framework, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), GraphQL, SQL, VoIP, Twilio, Lumen, DigitalOcean, WebSockets, Node.js, Web Development, PostgreSQL, Websites, AWS Amplify, AWS Lambda, Vue, TypeScript, API Integration, OAuth, Shopify API, Shopify, Fillable PDFs, PDF, Back-end, Bootstrap, GitHub, Relational Databases, RESTful Development, NoSQL, Database Design, Squid, Linux RHEL/CentOS, Networking, IT Networking, Ubuntu Linux, Data Processing, Servers, Web Hosting, Photo Uploads, Blade, Stripe, Blade Templates, REST, PHP 8, Data Scraping, Scrapy, CentOS 6, Postfix, NGINX, PHP 5, MAMP, Composer, PhpStorm, Code Review, Laravel Spark, Backbone.js, Memcached, Redis, Marionette.js, Full-stack Development, Auth0, Mobile Development, Front-end, Flutter, Stripe Connect, Stripe Terminal, Stripe Connect API, Web Scraping, DevOps, SSL, Microsoft SQL Server, Bug Fixes, Firebase, Firebase Security Rules, iOS, React, Dart, Android
Full-stack Developer | Architect
2023 - 2025
Toptal
- Developed a Symfony web app that allowed users to obtain cleaning quotes based on several criteria. One such criterion involved using the Google Maps API to determine the distance from the client to the closest HQ for the cleaning company and factor this into the quote.
- Added an admin dashboard and functionality.
- Handled deployment, testing, and continuous integration.
Technologies: JavaScript, PHP, Node.js, Python, CSS, HTML, MySQL, Flutter
Senior PHP Symphony Developer
2022 - 2022
Social Horsepower |
- Migrated 200+ old Zend framework entities to Symfony 6 and Doctrine 2 ORM, using domain-driven design.
- Implemented existing CSS and HTML into Vue templates and wrote Vue components to create JavaScript functionality.
- Wrote API's back ends for several Symfony 6 entities using domain-driven design.
- Consumed those API endpoints using Vue to render social media post data to the end user.
- Rolled out the Vue version of FullCalendar to allow social media posts to be deleted, approved, rejected, and scheduled.
- Wrote a scraper using Apify's Puppeteer and a PHP queue system to scrape data from LinkedIn and Sales Navigator within LinkedIn.
Technologies: PHP, PHP 7, Vue 2, Symphony, FullCalendar, Back-end, Data Structures, Bootstrap, GitHub, Relational Databases, RESTful Development, Large Data Sets, Database Design, Data Processing, Servers, REST, PhpStorm, Web Scraping
Symphony Developer
2022 - 2022
Universite Cote d'Azur |
- Fixed bugs left by a previous developer after a server upgrade.
- Migrated the project from Symfony 3 to 6 and added version control for future developers, as there was none before.
- Communicated with the client about the project's bugs, what was wrong, my proposed solution, and the actual solution.
Technologies: Symphony, PHP, Databases, Back-end, Bootstrap, GitHub, Relational Databases, RESTful Development, Database Design, Servers, Web Hosting, PHP 5
Senior Full-stack Developer
2021 - 2022
New Hotel Collection Smoky Mountains |
- Created a new rewards system for hotel guests based on a CSV export from a third-party system. The CSV would be imported and synced with existing data to show guests their current rewards status.
- Worked alone on this project with a non-technical client, collaborating to scope out the project and successfully deliver it to the client.
- Oversaw project deployment staging and live servers using Laravel Forge.
Technologies: PHP, JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, MySQL, Back-end, Data Structures, Bootstrap, GitHub, Relational Databases, RESTful Development, Database Design, Data Processing, Servers, Photo Uploads, REST
Developer
2021 - 2022
Effective Arbitrage
- Wrote a bespoke application in Symfony 5 to obtain top-selling items from Amazon and find matching products on eBay. The idea is that eBay items will be bought and sold on Amazon for profit.
- Used https://keepa.com/ to obtain Amazon's top product search results and then eBay's API to find the same products on eBay.
- Deployed to a live site for staff to use the site, review products, and then add them to Amazon. This included building the UI using an off-the-shelf admin Bootstrap theme.
Technologies: Web Crawlers, REST APIs, Architecture, Amazon API, eBay API, Full-stack, MVC Frameworks, APIs, HTML5, HTML4, Web App Deployment, PHP 7, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), SQL, Web Development, Websites, Back-end, Bootstrap, GitHub, Relational Databases, RESTful Development, Database Design, Data Processing, Servers, Web Hosting, REST, Data Scraping, PhpStorm
LAMP Developer
2021 - 2022
High Rise Talent Consulting Inc
- Developed an existing Laravel application to meet the client's and end user's requirements for the implementation management web application.
- Worked with a Vue developer to connect the application's front end and back end to deliver the web application.
- Continued to work with the client on end-user feedback to fix bugs and implement new features.
- Oversaw seamless deployment from GitHub to Laravel Forge for both live and staging servers.
Technologies: PHP, LAMP, Apache, Linux, MySQL, Full-stack, MVC Frameworks, APIs, HTML5, HTML4, Web App Deployment, PHP 7, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), SQL, Web Development, Websites, Vue, PDF, Back-end, Data Structures, Bootstrap, GitHub, Relational Databases, RESTful Development, Database Design, Data Processing, Servers, Photo Uploads, Blade, REST
Director and Web Developer
2012 - 2022
Yolk Creative
- Wrote website proposals to win client work based on requirements from small/medium businesses and councils.
- Set up hosting infrastructure using PHP 5, MySQL, and Varnish cache to get the most from a single VPS without overloading Apache.
- Set up backup routines for each VPS to take off-site backups of data and files and place them on Amazon S3.
- Configured Amazon CloudFront for all websites and 'minification' of all JavaScript and CSS to improve page load speed.
- Wrote a bespoke golfing application that allows players to save their golf rounds on a course. This then produces a variety of graphs and other graphics so that coaches can review a player's performance.
- Implemented image processing using EC2 instances on AWS to offload the heavy lifting of image processing away from a VPS and onto its own dedicated (faster and cheaper) resource.
Technologies: PHP, CSS, JavaScript, HTML, jQuery, XPath, XML, MySQL, Front-end Development, Google Maps, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon CloudFront CDN, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Varnish, Full-stack, MVC Frameworks, APIs, HTML5, HTML4, PHPUnit, Web App Deployment, PHP 7, Zend Framework, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), SQL, Web Development, Websites, WordPress, Back-end, Bootstrap, GitHub, Relational Databases, RESTful Development, Database Design, Data Processing, Servers, Web Hosting, Photo Uploads, CodeIgniter, REST, PHP 5, PhpStorm
Twilio Integration
2021 - 2021
Leap Network Inc
- Rolled out a video calling feature to LEAP's web-based support system using the Twilio API to enable communication between support staff and end users.
- Used the Twilio API also to enable audio calls between support staff and end users.
- Wrote a chat web application using the Twilio SMS API that allows users to exchange text messages with the support staff, that can reply via a chat dialogue on their work machine.
- Implemented WebSockets for the above Twilio SMS chat solution to give the support staff real-time updates from the end user.
Technologies: PHP, JavaScript, Symfony, Symfony 3, jQuery, Twilio API, Stripe API, MySQL, Sync, Back-end, Bootstrap, GitHub, Relational Databases, RESTful Development, Database Design, Data Processing, Servers, Web Hosting, Photo Uploads, SMS, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), Messaging, Multimedia, PhpStorm
Full-stack Developer and Architect
2020 - 2021
Besar Hajdini
- Wrote a Symfony web application to vastly improve the speed at which sales staff generates quotes for potential sales.
- Enabled the web application to calculate a job's cost based on the type and number of sites and the distance to the site from the company's HQs.
- Oversaw project deployment staging and live servers using Laravel Forge.
Technologies: JavaScript, PHP, Node.js, Python, CSS, HTML, MySQL, Back-end, GitHub, Relational Databases, RESTful Development, Database Design, Data Processing, Servers, Web Hosting
Director and Web Developer
2010 - 2012
BinaryFold4
- Served as a finance director for a small web agency of five staff members.
- Wrote bespoke software to integrate with Xero accounting software and Gecko dashboard to showcase the business' performance more easily.
- Wrote numerous plugins and add-ons for the open source CMS Concrete5 including social media extensions, user login, and user management.
- Produced an RSS extension in Concrete5 that allowed any RSS feed to be consumed and converted into a page within a council's website, allowing them to reuse news from their sister sites.
- Wrote a Zend Framework application for a housing portal that used Rightmove's BLM file format (as well as others) to import thousands of properties each day into their web directory.
- Wrote a Zend Framework application for a client to manage and list thousands of nightclubs worldwide.
Technologies: PHP, CSS, JavaScript, HTML, jQuery, XPath, XML, MySQL, Front-end Development, Full-stack, MVC Frameworks, APIs, HTML5, HTML4, Web App Deployment, PHP 7, Zend Framework, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), SQL, Web Development, Websites, WordPress, Back-end, GitHub, Relational Databases, RESTful Development, Database Design, Servers, Photo Uploads, CodeIgniter
PHP Developer
2008 - 2010
Silktide
- Wrote a PHP spider to crawl sites for all pages and parse out specific data, addresses, telephone numbers, etc.
- Wrote extensions to an in-house CMS written in PHP 4.
- Used XPath extensively to find elements within HTML pages in order to run tests on a site, such as missing alt attributes, broken images, broken links, external links, video, and Flash usage.
- Liaised with clients regarding their technical requirements.
- Defined and wrote a framework to store website test results in XML format. This format was used throughout the application to render a website's results.
Technologies: PHP, CSS, JavaScript, HTML, jQuery, XPath, XML, MySQL, Linux, Front-end Development, Full-stack, MVC Frameworks, APIs, HTML5, HTML4, Web App Deployment, PHP 7, Zend Framework, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), SQL, MediaWiki, cPanel, Web Development, Websites, WordPress, Back-end, GitHub, Relational Databases, RESTful Development, Database Design, Servers, Photo Uploads, CodeIgniter, Web Scraping
Experience
Test Easily
A bespoke web app used for click tracking using Symfony 3, PostgreSQL, Redis, Memcached, and much more.
The web app focused on the speed of reporting for one million clicks and fast redirect speeds of less than 50ms.
The web app focused on the speed of reporting for one million clicks and fast redirect speeds of less than 50ms.
Student Rent Guarantor Application Process
Housing Hand is a UK guarantor for international students wanting to rent student accommodation in the UK. Their website uses a step-by-step process to allow students to sign up and pay for Housing Hand to their guarantor.
I built the web application using Symfony with a custom front end.
I communicated with the client from start to finish about the project's deliverables and ensured those deliverables were met. I was also in charge of deploying the site, its servers, security, and backups.
The site also used DocuSign to allow students to sign their guarantor agreement with Housing Hand online. The DocuSign documents were personalized for each application.
I built the web application using Symfony with a custom front end.
I communicated with the client from start to finish about the project's deliverables and ensured those deliverables were met. I was also in charge of deploying the site, its servers, security, and backups.
The site also used DocuSign to allow students to sign their guarantor agreement with Housing Hand online. The DocuSign documents were personalized for each application.
Blended Learning Universe
Bespoke Symfony 2 project used for searching and managing hundreds of schools and their associated programs.
Main Symfony 2 application: http://www.blendedlearning.org/directory
Features include:
• User login
• User registration
• Profile updates (all via Ajax)
• Directory search, filters, and Google Maps (all via Ajax)
• Export directory searches to CSV
• Auto-generation of a timeline of changes for a school to maintain a record of their updates
• Admin features for searching and maintaining schools, users, programs, etc.
The site's root is in WordPress, done by a previous developer (http://www.blendedlearning.org/).
Main Symfony 2 application: http://www.blendedlearning.org/directory
Features include:
• User login
• User registration
• Profile updates (all via Ajax)
• Directory search, filters, and Google Maps (all via Ajax)
• Export directory searches to CSV
• Auto-generation of a timeline of changes for a school to maintain a record of their updates
• Admin features for searching and maintaining schools, users, programs, etc.
The site's root is in WordPress, done by a previous developer (http://www.blendedlearning.org/).
Web App Questionnaire
A Laravel web application that I took over from another developer. The site has several forms that store data and then send it to the client's CRM via an API using a custom XML format.
The project was not in a good state when I took it over. Working with the client and the CRM provider, we were able to fix the bugs and add several new features to streamline the capturing of their driver applications.
The project was not in a good state when I took it over. Working with the client and the CRM provider, we were able to fix the bugs and add several new features to streamline the capturing of their driver applications.
BBC Cbeebies Prototype
A local agency won the opportunity to tender for a large BBC project—features for the existing Cbeebies website. This involved two days of working on-site at the BBC's Media Centre in Salford and other companies developing their own ideas over the two days.
The agency I worked for was shortlisted to the last three and invited to take their idea (developed in those two days) through to a complete prototype, which would take several months.
I wrote the entirety of this project's back-end in Symfony 2, which enabled a child to watch a video or play a game on an iPad while a parent could observe them and "push" new content to the child on the iPad. This meant the parent was indirectly feeding the child content from their own device without directly interfering with the child's experience.
The agency I worked for was shortlisted to the last three and invited to take their idea (developed in those two days) through to a complete prototype, which would take several months.
I wrote the entirety of this project's back-end in Symfony 2, which enabled a child to watch a video or play a game on an iPad while a parent could observe them and "push" new content to the child on the iPad. This meant the parent was indirectly feeding the child content from their own device without directly interfering with the child's experience.
Laravel-based API for DNA Metadata Integration (2-year engagement)
Developed a robust Laravel API to import, transform, normalise, and store DNA metadata for cancer patients. The system supported advanced querying through flexible endpoints with customisable search criteria. The project was a multi-institutional collaboration between four hospitals, requiring precise alignment with each organisation’s data standards and protocols. Accuracy, consistency, and interoperability were critical to its success.
Education
2004 - 2007
Bachelor of Science Degree in Management Science and Computer Science
Lancaster University - Lancaster, UK
Skills
Libraries/APIs
REST APIs, Twilio API, Backbone.js, jQuery, Node.js, Vue, Stripe, Marionette.js, Stripe Connect, Stripe Connect API, Vue 2, Facebook API, Google Maps, Amazon API, eBay API, AWS Amplify, Shopify API, Stripe API, React
Tools
FullCalendar, Apache, Varnish, MediaWiki, GitHub, MAMP, Composer, PhpStorm, Amazon CloudFront CDN, Squid, Postfix, NGINX, Auth0, Firebase Security Rules
Languages
PHP 7, PHP, HTML, JavaScript, SQL, PHP 5, Dart, XPath, CSS, XML, HTML5, HTML4, TypeScript, PHP 8, GraphQL, Python
Frameworks
Laravel, Bootstrap, Flutter, Symfony, Symfony 4, Symfony 3, Symfony 2, Knockout (Knockout.js), Zend Framework, Lumen, CodeIgniter, Scrapy, PHPUnit, Laravel Spark
Paradigms
Object-oriented Programming (OOP), RESTful Development, Database Design, REST, Mobile Development, DevOps
Platforms
MacOS, Twilio, DigitalOcean, Amazon Web Services (AWS), LAMP, WordPress, Amazon EC2, Linux, cPanel, AWS Lambda, Shopify, Linux RHEL/CentOS, Ubuntu Linux, CentOS 6, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Firebase, iOS, Android
Storage
PostgreSQL, Relational Databases, Memcached, Redis, MySQL, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Databases, Sync, NoSQL, Microsoft SQL Server
Industry Expertise
Social Media
Other
Web App Deployment, MVC Frameworks, APIs, Web Development, Websites, API Integration, PDF, Back-end, Web Hosting, Photo Uploads, Data Scraping, Full-stack Development, Front-end, Web Scraping, Bug Fixes, Full-stack, Front-end Development, WebSockets, OAuth, Fillable PDFs, Data Structures, Large Data Sets, Data Processing, SMS, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), Messaging, Multimedia, Blade, Blade Templates, Code Review, Stripe Terminal, SSL, Web Crawlers, Architecture, VoIP, Symphony, Networking, IT Networking, Servers
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