
Biniam Kassahun
Verified Expert in Engineering
Back-end Developer
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Toptal member since November 1, 2022
Biniam is a senior back-end engineer with deep expertise in Python, Node.js, and PHP. He specializes in architecting high-performance APIs and real-time WebSocket services that drive user productivity and business efficiency. With a proven track record of guiding projects from concept through delivery, Biniam consistently delivers scalable, secure, and maintainable solutions that form the backbone of modern applications.
Portfolio
Experience
- Python - 8 years
- Laravel - 7 years
- PHP - 7 years
- TypeScript - 6 years
- FastAPI - 4 years
- Node.js - 4 years
- MongoDB - 4 years
- NestJS - 2 years
Preferred Environment
Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Cursor AI, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Linux, Python, TypeScript, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Docker
The most amazing...
...product I've built is a cloud-based high-throughput audio and video fingerprinting platform for ad agencies to track ad viewing time on TV and radio.
Work Experience
Senior Back-end Developer
Padilla & Associates, Inc.
- Architected and rebuilt the legacy platform using the Yii 2 framework, designed a modular and scalable back end, and successfully migrated core features.
- Contributed over 4,300 hours modernizing and maintaining a complex legacy system; led the design and full implementation of a new back-end architecture to enhance performance, scalability, and long-term maintainability.
- Developed and maintained legacy and modern web applications using PHP, MySQL, and jQuery, delivering key features and improvements.
- Identified and fixed system bottlenecks through advanced troubleshooting, query optimization, and the introduction of effective caching strategies.
Software Engineer
Gluon Technologies
- Engineered large-scale, high-performance systems like Media Analytica (Analytics.et), designed for heavy computation, fast data processing, and scalability—handling millions of records with resilient cloud architecture.
- Built and maintained back-end systems using NestJS, Laravel, FastAPI, and front-end apps with Next.js, leveraging modern AI-assisted tools like Cursor IDE and GitHub Copilot to accelerate development, enforce code quality, and improve team velocity.
- Developed robust, industry-grade back-end APIs with authentication, role-based access control, versioning, rate limiting, and security best practices, ensuring scalability, maintainability, and compliance with modern engineering standards.
- Designed a distributed media analytics platform with microservices for real-time audio fingerprinting, matching, and ad tracking across TV and radio. Included stream ingestion, fingerprinting, user and channel management, and billing services.
Software Developer
NWICode
- Developed and deployed a fully-responsive mobile application using Ionic 4, leveraging HTML, CSS, and TypeScript to ensure a seamless, user-friendly experience across devices.
- Designed and implemented a robust calendar management and notification system with real-time updates and reminders, integrated into both the mobile app and back end.
- Integrated Stripe for seamless payment and subscription processing, enabling recurring billing and improving the company’s revenue streams.
- Refactored and optimized the existing PHP back end, Dockerized the environment for smoother deployments, and deployed on Amazon EC2, resulting in significant improvements in speed, scalability, and maintainability.
- Developed REST APIs and interactive data visualizations using Chart.js, delivering insightful analytics features while following modern DevOps best practices for continuous integration and deployment.
Tech and Innovation Team Lead
Great Commission Ministry of Ethiopia
- Architected a highly scalable, event-driven system using Node.js, leveraging RabbitMQ for asynchronous message queuing. This design ensured high throughput and resilience, capable of processing millions of messages without failure.
- Engineered a comprehensive member management module, functioning as a central CRM. This included features for digital membership requests, detailed user profiles, and automated membership card generation.
- Built an integrated, multi-channel communication hub allowing administrators to send bulk and scheduled announcements via SMS, Telegram, and WhatsApp, dramatically improving engagement and outreach efficiency.
- Designed and scaled Turumba, a SaaS instant messaging automation tool that processed millions of messages with timezone-aware scheduling and drip-feeding capabilities.
Software Engineer
Agelgel Technologies
- Developed a cloud-based SMS gateway called Negarit that served hundreds of thousands of users and millions of SMS.
- Designed and developed over 10 software solutions for NGOs and governmental organizations.
- Developed a back-end API using Laravel as a web framework.
- Created an admin web portal using the Angular web framework.
Experience
Media Analytica
Negarit SMS
Turumba
https://turumba.net/• Menu-based navigation on contents
• Drip message
• Scheduled group messaging
• Mentor-based conversation room
Hulentenawi
https://hulentenawi.com/The platform is built for Android, iOS, and web users to enroll in any of the courses provided by their organization.
BGI Website
https://bgiethiopia.comHoPR Web and Mobile System
https://pub.hopr.gov.et/Guzo Transport
I was in charge of building a Telegram bot that users could use to book and purchase seats. I provided the API for the front-end development teams.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Addis Ababa University - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Certifications
Introduction to TensorFlow for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning
Coursera
Convolutional Neural Networks
Coursera
Skills
Libraries/APIs
Node.js, React, Telegram Bot API, REST APIs, Back-end APIs, TensorFlow Deep Learning Library (TFLearn), FFmpeg, Stripe, jQuery, Chart.js, TensorFlow, SQLAlchemy, WebRTC
Tools
RabbitMQ, Docker Compose, GitHub, PhpStorm, PyCharm, WebStorm, Mongoose, Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS), Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS), NGINX, Adobe, IBM Content Manager, Jira, Prisma, Redux Toolkit
Languages
Python, PHP, TypeScript, HTML, JavaScript, SQL, Java, GraphQL, HTML5, Python 3, CSS3, CSS, C++
Frameworks
Laravel, Angular, Django, NestJS, Express.js, Next.js, Flask, Flutter, Ionic 4, Yii 2, Jasmine, Redux, AngularJS, Tailwind CSS, Jest
Paradigms
Microservices, DevOps, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), REST, Back-end Architecture, Microservices Architecture
Platforms
Docker, DigitalOcean, Amazon Web Services (AWS), AWS Lambda, Amazon EC2, Linux, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), MacOS, Ubuntu, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Patreon, Vertex AI, Firebase
Storage
MySQL, MongoDB, RDBMS, Redis, PostgreSQL, NoSQL, Data Pipelines, SQLite, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Database Management, Cloud Firestore
Other
Back-end, APIs, Front-end, SOLID Principles, API Integration, Telegram Bots, Data Structures, Architecture, Cursor AI, FastAPI, SaaS, Full-stack, CI/CD Pipelines, WebSockets, Amazon RDS, Back-end Development, DocumentDB, Full-stack Development, Data Processing, Document Parsing, Software Architecture, RESTFul APIs, Content Management Systems (CMS), Bots, Data Engineering, Technical Leadership, Neural Networks, Machine Learning, Apollo, Librosa, OpenAI, Containerization, GitHub Copilot Chat, Web Content Management System (WCMS), ChromaDB, Large Language Models (LLMs), GitHub Actions, SDKs
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