Marko Bender, Developer in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia
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Marko Bender

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Developer

Location
Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia
Toptal Member Since
January 8, 2020

Besides being a team player who excels in end-to-end projects, Marko is an engineer who’s passionate about new technologies, data, and the cloud. At Microsoft, he worked with the SQL Server and Azure SQL Database Managed Instance. Recently, Marko has gotten into freelancing and signed onto a project where he developed a real estate search engine.

Portfolio

Pearl of the North HF (5611151680)
Software Development, Full-stack, Chatbots, Artificial Intelligence (AI), GPT...
Fonoa
C#, C#.NET, C# Operators, .NET, .NET 3, .NET 5, .NET 7, .NET 6, .NET Core...
Logikraft
C#, C#.NET, .NET, .NET Core, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)...

Experience

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Git, TFS, Slack, Teams, Visual Studio, Windows, Visual Studio .NET, Google Cloud, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN)

The most amazing...

...thing I've developed was a bot that handled production management work that was previously done by my peers and saved hundreds of hours of work.

Work Experience

Software Engineer

2023 - PRESENT
Pearl of the North HF (5611151680)
  • Built a chatbot using GPT APIs and a custom knowledge base.
  • Built the custom knowledge base by leveraging OpenAIs embedding API and Pinecone vector database.
  • Designed mechanisms to prevent exploitation and DDoS attacks.
Technologies: Software Development, Full-stack, Chatbots, Artificial Intelligence (AI), GPT, OpenAI GPT-3 API, OpenAI GPT-4 API, Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3), Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Vector Data, Vectors, Agile, Agile Software Development, AI Design, Algorithms, ANSI SQL, SQL, Redis, Redis Cache, GitHub, Heroku, Chatbot Conversation Design, Microservices, RESTful Microservices, Microservices Architecture, PostgreSQL, HTML, HTML5, React, Redux, APIs, Integration, API Integration, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), CSS, Scrum, T-SQL (Transact-SQL), Web Development, JSON, API Development, Back-end Architecture, Continuous Deployment, Cross-platform, Cross-platform App Development, System Architecture, Hosting, Data Science, Integration Testing, Unit Testing, RDBMS, Technical Consulting, Software Design, Machine Learning, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Back-end, Cloud, Data Engineering, Full-stack Development, REST, Third-party APIs, Web Applications, CI/CD Pipelines, Git, Automation, Database Architecture, Data Analysis, Data Architecture, Engineering, Applications, Cloud Architecture, Performance, Social Media APIs, Business Services, Systems Analysis, Messaging, Large Language Models (LLMs), OpenAI, Vector Databases, Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), Chatbot, Software Engineering, Application Platform

Senior Software Engineer

2020 - 2023
Fonoa
  • Used the following technology for the project: .NET Core, C#, Go, Azure, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, and GCP.
  • Contributed to a fast-paced fintech startup specializing in tax automation for major internet companies, including Uber, Booking, Remote, Bolt, and Netflix.
  • Collaborated closely with engineering teams from top-tier clients, fostering an environment of continuous learning and innovation.
  • Developed a scalable, real-time system that enabled clients to easily and precisely report financial transactions to country-specific tax authorities.
  • Upheld high standards of responsibility and diligence, recognizing the potential for a significant impact on customers due to financial data sensitivity and the importance of maintaining system stability.
  • Implemented a complex integration with the Egyptian tax authority, showcasing adaptability and problem-solving skills.
  • Introduced a novel digital signing algorithm that secured a competitive market advantage by ensuring customer data confidentiality and eliminating third-party sharing.
  • Advocated for improved processes and automation of frequently performed tasks, increasing team efficiency by reducing time spent on repetitive manual work.
  • Persistently drove progress and integrated best practices from Microsoft's approach to enhancing the startup's daily operations and overall performance.
Technologies: C#, C#.NET, C# Operators, .NET, .NET 3, .NET 5, .NET 7, .NET 6, .NET Core, Agile, Scrum, GoLand, Go, Git, GitHub, GitHub API, API Integration, Data Integration, Agile Software Development, Slack, PagerDuty, Docker, Terraform, Kubernetes, Azure, Azure SQL, Google Cloud, Google Cloud SQL, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Datadog, API Design, gRPC, Middleware, Messaging, Software Design, Redis, Hibernate, Data Feeds, Continuous Integration (CI), Back-end Development, Back-end Architecture, Scalability, Performance, SOAP, Applications, Incident Management, System Administration, Technical Consulting, ANSI SQL, Regular Expressions, Serverless, RDBMS, Serverless Architecture, API/Services Architecture, Windows 10, Redux, Integration Testing, Algorithms, SQL, Python, Visual Studio, APIs, Data Scraping, Microservices, RESTful Microservices, Microservices Architecture, REST, RESTful Services, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), T-SQL (Transact-SQL), Visual Studio .NET, XML, Azure SQL Databases, Data Migration, Front-end, Front-end Development, JSON, MySQL, Scalable Architecture, SQL Server 2016, API Development, Azure Functions, Serverless Framework, Continuous Deployment, Back-end, Database Integration, Payment APIs, DLL, Hosting, Integration, Data Encryption, ASP.NET, ASP.NET Core, Redis Cache, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Engineering, Message Bus, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Mapping, Microsoft Azure, Azure PaaS, Third-party Libraries, Platform as a Service (PaaS), ASP.NET Core MVC

Senior Back-end Software Engineer

2021 - 2021
Logikraft
  • Worked on technology previously unknown to me, quickly learned it, and successfully completed the project.
  • Worked on a fully functional software solution from start to finish and provided a polished product.
  • Owned architectural decisions by separating numerous components, splitting them into separate assemblies concerning dependencies.
Technologies: C#, C#.NET, .NET, .NET Core, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Visual Studio .NET, APIs, Microsoft Visual Studio, Web Applications, RESTful Services, Software Development, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), PostgreSQL, ASP.NET Web Forms, ASP.NET Identity, Data Visualization, Database Architecture, ChatGPT, Algorithms, Networking, Front-end Development, Databases, SQL Server 2014, Security, Hosting, Sockets, Test-driven Development (TDD), Unit Testing, Agile, Agile Software Development, REST APIs, REST, RESTful Microservices, Networks, ASP.NET, .NET 4, .NET 3, Microservices, Microservices Architecture, Scrum, Azure, Azure SQL, XML, Scalable Application, Scalability, Back-end, Back-end Development, Back-end Architecture, Integration Testing, Integration, API Integration, Data Integration, App Integration, System Architecture, System Design, API/Services Architecture, Middleware, Visual Studio, Full-stack, Full-stack Development, Software Development Management, Automation, B2B, Performance, Solution Architecture, Test-driven Deployment, Systems Analysis, Message Bus, JSON REST APIs

Senior Full-stack Software Engineer

2019 - 2021
Ecom Solutions
  • Implemented a number of new features on an existing system that brought real business value and drove the organization forward.
  • Worked as a true full-stack engineer: I handled things ranging from a fairly complex back-end service ecosystem to the public-facing API, the front-end database, and external integrations and operational issues.
  • Made sure that the system was constantly being polished and improved on all fronts, apart from new work, being engaged in improving the codebase and the processes.
Technologies: .NET, C#, .NET Core, C#.NET, React, Azure SQL, Visual Studio .NET, Amazon, eCommerce, Shopify, APIs, Microsoft Visual Studio, Web Scraping, Selenium, NopCommerce, ASP.NET, ASP.NET Core, Full-stack, Scraping, HTML, ASCII, REST, API Integration, jQuery, Software Architecture, Architecture, REST APIs, Kubernetes, Bootstrap, TypeScript, Active Server Pages (ASP), Software Development, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), Data Engineering, Data Science, OpenAI GPT-3 API, NoSQL, HTML5, ASP.NET Web API, Microsoft Teams, Lambda Functions, Data Encryption, Microservices Architecture, Front-end, Business Services, Back-end, Data Analysis, Data Analytics, Data Structures, Technical Leadership, Solution Architecture, ChatGPT, Algorithms, Networking, Google Cloud, SaaS, RESTful Microservices, Databases, SQL Server 2014, MVC Razor, OpenAI GPT-4 API, Scrapy, Beautiful Soup, B2B, XPath, Social Media APIs, Full-stack Development, eCommerce APIs, Amazon API, Agile, RESTful Services, Shopify API, Shopify Plus, eCommerce Analysis, .NET 3, .NET 6, .NET 7, GitHub, Git, Teams, Data Scraping, Store Scraping, SQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Azure, Azure Blobs, Redux, Messaging, Database Integration, Serverless, Serverless Framework, Serverless Architecture, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Visual Studio, Cross-platform, Cross-platform App Development, System Design, API Design, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), MySQL, Scalable Web Services, Scalable Application, Scalable Architecture, Database Migration, Python 3, Web Architecture, Web Application Architecture, UI Components

Lead Software Engineer

2020 - 2020
Design Management Services
  • Built a modern cloud-based WPF application that integrates well with the old technology (PDF, Excel documents, and VB scripts) legacy systems by having an API layer for them.
  • Built out Azure infrastructure and an installer for the desktop part of the application. Set up an easy and intuitive deployment and update system that ensures all updates are pushed without disturbing the client's work.
  • Took a deep dive into a new industry that was unfamiliar to me before the project. Learned extensively about the industries' terms, processes, and rules, which enabled me to incorporate this new knowledge into the app we were building.
Technologies: Agile, Azure, Azure SQL, Azure SQL Databases, C#, Cloud, Microservices, Entity Framework, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), .NET, .NET Core, Visual Studio .NET, APIs, Microsoft Visual Studio, Web Development, Hardware Drivers, Microsoft Stack, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Active Server Pages (ASP), Software Development, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), Data Engineering, Data Science, OpenAI GPT-3 API, NoSQL, T-SQL (Transact-SQL), Microsoft Excel, Mathematical Finance, Mathematical Programming, Slack App, Leadership, IdentityServer 4, Front-end, Go, Encryption, Vue, AI Design, API Design, CRM APIs, Data Visualization, JSON, Azure Logic Apps, Azure Functions, Technical Leadership, Data Structures, Business to Consumer (B2C), Online Payments, GitHub, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), CI/CD Pipelines, Data Architecture, Solution Architecture, ChatGPT, Payment APIs, Algorithms, Google API, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Databases, SQL Server 2014, Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3), Engineering Management, Team Management, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Software, Software Design, .NET 6, .NET 7, C#.NET, SQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Back-end, REST APIs, REST, RESTful Services, RESTful Microservices, RESTful Development, RESTful Web Services, Microservices Architecture, Database Migration, Cloud Architecture, System Architecture

Full-stack Developer

2018 - 2020
Nadji.rs
  • Developed a real estate search engine in Serbia that gathers listings from all over the web, structures the data, and displays it to users for easier searches.
  • Implemented web scraping, data analysis, and parsing, including parsing unusable HTML documents and creating structured, well parsed, and formatted relational data.
  • Created sophisticated algorithms for finding duplicates by looking at the listing data, description, and images with a high tolerance for noise (different sizes, formats, watermarks, and so on.).
Technologies: .NET Core, .NET, Microsoft SQL Server, MongoDB, Visual Studio .NET, APIs, Microsoft Visual Studio, Data Scraping, CSS, Docker, Software Development, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), Data Engineering, Data Science, OpenAI GPT-3 API, Stable Diffusion, ChatGPT API, API Development, Data Integration, GraphQL, Google Maps API, Scalable Application, Data Migration, Agile Software Development, Database Architecture, Web Platforms, CI/CD Pipelines, ChatGPT, Algorithms, Networking, Databases

Software Engineer

2017 - 2019
Microsoft
  • Implemented revolutionary backup-restore solutions for SQL Azure Managed Instance, some of which weren't possible in the cloud before.
  • Developed a set of microservices for automatic cluster provisioning and management.
  • Performed in a dynamic, agile environment with high autonomy and independence, which empowered me to take the initiative and responsibility for my work.
  • Communicated efficiently with external teams from around the globe and various cultural backgrounds.
  • Used TFS and Git for source control and a range of tools for effective work tracking, production monitoring, and communication and synchronization with the team.
Technologies: Azure Service Fabric, Azure SQL Databases, Microsoft SQL Server, Azure, .NET, C#, XML, Windows UI, XML Web Services, Integration, XSD, Third-party APIs, APIs, Microsoft Visual Studio, DLL, Software Development, Chatbots, Data Engineering, Data Science, Scalable Architecture, ChatGPT, Databases, SQL Server 2014, Engineering, Cloud Architecture, System Architecture, Database Migration, Cross-platform App Development, Automation, Chrome Extensions, SQL, .NET Core, .NET 3, C#.NET, Python, TypeScript, REST APIs, REST, RESTful Services, RESTful Development, RESTful Web Services, RESTful Microservices, Azure SQL, T-SQL (Transact-SQL), Web Development, JSON, SOAP, Data Migration, Scalable Application, Cloud, Microservices, Microservices Architecture, API Development, Unit Testing, Integration Testing, Test-driven Development (TDD), Object-oriented Programming (OOP), System Design, Azure Logic Apps, Incident Management, Agile, Algorithms, Software Design, ASP.NET, Data Encryption, Encryption, Redis, Azure App Service, Azure Cloud Services, Azure Blobs, TFS, Scalable Web Services, Cross-platform, System Architecture Design, Architecture, SaaS, RDBMS, Database Testing, Database Integration, Performance, Software Architecture, B2B, Test Automation, CI/CD Pipelines, Continuous Deployment, Continuous Integration (CI), Back-end, Back-end Architecture, Back-end Performance, Back-end Development, Database Management Systems (DBMS), Internet Information Services (IIS)

Freelance Software Developer

2016 - 2017
Independent Work
  • Built an AI solution for tracking and recognizing hand-written digits in a video in Python.
  • Intensively worked with Bootstrap, vanilla JavaScript, and jQuery.
  • Built REST APIs in two environments: Java Spring and Hibernate and .NET and Entity framework.
  • Used relational databases (SQL Server and MySQL) in most of my projects and developed a solid understanding and expertise.
  • Worked with serious clients and developed reliability and trustworthiness in my work.
Technologies: MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Angular, JavaScript, Python, Java, .NET, APIs, Microsoft Visual Studio, WebSockets, Databases, Spring Boot, Spring

Microsoft SQL Azure Managed Instance

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sql-database/sql-database-managed-instance
I developed a fully managed SQL Server instance in the cloud, giving customers more control and isolation than usual database-as-a-service solutions.

As the project was revolutionary in its field, my team and I faced many previously unknown challenges but overcame each of them. I worked on developing backup and restoring features for the service and a set of microservices for automatic cluster provisioning and management.

ISDN Network Server

I worked on a complete software product all the way from start to finish. Engaging with technology previously unknown to me, I quickly onboarded, learned, and delivered a high-quality software product—ensured high quality with stress and performance tests.

Ecom Solutions

https://www.ecomsolutions.io/
I worked on an existing solution that included a fairly complex back end, a web application, integrations with third-party APIs, and a SQL server database. I added new projects and features to the whole system and improved existing code and processes. Working closely with the business side of the startup and having a wide range of responsibilities, I developed a feeling for the relation between engineering work and the business value it would bring.

Design Management Service Project Management Software

http://dms.eco
I developed a modern cloud-based app with a WPF client together with a smooth update system that lets the dynamic updates be pushed without causing any impact to the clients' work. The app takes different kinds of documents as input and parses them to extract useful information that will be stored and used later in the process.

Real Estate Search Engine

I built a web application with a complex back end that pulls data from numerous online sources and displays it to users in a clean UI that enables them to search real estate listings much faster compared to traditional websites. The application maps data in different formats to a relational model, parses the data to make sense, and performs manipulations (e.g., tolerant duplication removal) so it can be displayed to users in a clean, structured way.

Subtitle Translation Using GPT

I built a tool that translates subtitles between any two languages.

The work included:
• Used GPT to do the actual translation
• Batching input into chunks of appropriate size and format for GPT
• Implementing output validation logic and sophisticated retry mechanism using different GPT parameters to achieve a perfect result.

GPT and Midjourney Integration

I built an app that uses GPT to generate prompts around an idea and then feeds these prompts to Midjourney to generate images.

The result is being able to generate 200+ images in a matter of seconds automatically, which is great for cases when a rough idea exists, but additional creativity is needed.

Languages

T-SQL (Transact-SQL), XML, C#, Python, C#.NET, SQL, XSD, HTML, CSS, Active Server Pages (ASP), HTML5, XPath, Python 3, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, GraphQL

Frameworks

Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), .NET, .NET Core, .NET 5, Selenium, ASP.NET, ASP.NET Core, Bootstrap, ASP.NET Web Forms, ASP.NET Web API, ASP.NET Identity, IdentityServer 4, .NET 3, Scrapy, Flask, Spring Boot, Spring, Hibernate, Windows PowerShell, Redux, ASP.NET Core MVC, ASP.NET MVC, MVC Razor, Angular, gRPC, Serverless Framework, .NET 4

Libraries/APIs

REST APIs, Entity Framework, React, API Development, Google Maps API, Google API, Beautiful Soup, Social Media APIs, Sockets, Amazon API, jQuery, Vue, GitHub API, Shopify API

Tools

Visual Studio, Slack, TFS, Git, Visual Studio .NET, Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Teams, Azure Logic Apps, GitHub, ChatGPT, GoLand, Terraform, Shopify Plus, Azure App Service

Paradigms

Microservices, Continuous Deployment, Agile, REST, Data Science, Microservices Architecture, Scalable Application, Agile Software Development, Scrum, B2B, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Continuous Integration (CI), Back-end Architecture, Automation, Hosting, Serverless Architecture, API/Services Architecture, Test-driven Development (TDD), Unit Testing, Web Architecture, Web Application Architecture, Cross-platform, Test-driven Deployment, RESTful Development, Test Automation

Platforms

Windows, Azure, Azure Service Fabric, Windows UI, Amazon, Shopify, NopCommerce, Azure Functions, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Oracle, Azure PaaS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Kubernetes, Docker, PagerDuty, Linux, Heroku, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Application Platform

Storage

Microsoft SQL Server, Azure SQL Databases, MySQL, Databases, SQL Server 2014, Azure SQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, NoSQL, Data Integration, JSON, Database Architecture, Google Cloud, Google Cloud SQL, Datadog, Redis, Database Migration, ANSI SQL, RDBMS, Database Management Systems (DBMS), Redis Cache, SQL Server 2016, Database Integration, Azure Blobs, Azure Cloud Services, Database Testing

Other

Teams, Scraping, Web Scraping, RESTful Microservices, Cloud, Machine Learning, Data Scraping, XML Web Services, Integration, Third-party APIs, eCommerce, APIs, Web Applications, Full-stack, Web Development, ASCII, DLL, WebSockets, Hardware Drivers, API Integration, RESTful Services, Microsoft Stack, Software Architecture, Architecture, Software Development, Chatbots, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), Data Engineering, OpenAI GPT-3 API, Mathematical Finance, Mathematical Programming, Slack App, Lambda Functions, Leadership, Front-end, Data Encryption, Encryption, AI Design, Stable Diffusion, ChatGPT API, API Design, CRM APIs, Business Services, Back-end, Scalable Architecture, Data Visualization, Data Analysis, Data Analytics, Data Migration, Technical Leadership, Data Structures, Business to Consumer (B2C), Web Platforms, Online Payments, CI/CD Pipelines, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Data Architecture, Solution Architecture, Payment APIs, Algorithms, Networking, SaaS, Front-end Development, GPT, OpenAI GPT-4 API, Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3), C# Operators, .NET 7, .NET 6, Vector Data, Middleware, Messaging, Engineering, Engineering Management, Team Management, Cloud Architecture, Software Design, System Architecture, Data Feeds, Back-end Development, Scalability, Performance, SOAP, Applications, Incident Management, System Administration, Networks, Firewalls, Systems Analysis, Security, Cross-platform App Development, Chrome Extensions, Technical Consulting, Regular Expressions, Serverless, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Full-stack Development, Windows 10, eCommerce APIs, Integration Testing, Chatbot Conversation Design, Back-end Performance, Large Language Models (LLMs), OpenAI, Vector Databases, Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), Chatbot, Mapping, Software Engineering, Microsoft Azure, JSON REST APIs, Third-party Libraries, Platform as a Service (PaaS), UI Components, Internet Information Services (IIS), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Vectors, Message Bus, App Integration, System Design, Software Development Management, eCommerce Analysis, Store Scraping, Scalable Web Services, Software, RESTful Web Services, System Architecture Design, Amazon FBA

2013 - 2017

Bachelor's Degree in Software Engineering

University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences - Novi Sad, Serbia

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