Sorin is available for hire

Sorin Trimbitas

Verified Expert in Engineering

PHP and Laravel Developer

Pitești, Argeș, Romania

Toptal member since January 24, 2020

Expertise

Software Development Full-stack Back-end Developers PHP Automation Arduino Integration GPT-4 LAMP MySQL SQL Ubuntu Linux eBay API

Bio

Sorin is a software developer who enjoys challenges, from automation to security challenges. Highly motivated by exciting projects, Sorin does his best to come up with solutions that work. Coming with a DIY/breaker mindset helps him spot edge cases.

Portfolio

Freelance

Open Banking APIs, APIs, Shipping, Payment APIs, MySQL, Laravel, PHP, Apache2...

Amalfi Internet Ventures PTE LTD

Natural Language Processing (NLP), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Architecture...

National Marketing Services, Ltd

Python, Data Scraping, Web Scraping, JavaScript, Selenium, CAPTCHA, Security

Experience

MySQL - 15 years
PHP - 15 years
Laravel - 7 years
Arduino - 6 years
Code Review - 6 years
Web App Security - 3 years
Security - 2 years
Server Security - 2 years

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

PHP, Git, PhpStorm, Linux, Bootstrap, OWASP, Laravel

The most amazing...

...thing I've created was a whole lab to teach people how to code securely.

Work Experience

Full-stack Developer (Freelance)

2017 - PRESENT

Freelance

Built a management system for prepaid Visa debit cards from scratch. I worked here with a lot of APIs, from card generation to exchange rates (via Visa API), to fintech APIs, shipping APIs, KYC check providers, and SMS APIs.
Implemented an event and ticketing management system for a Caribbean company.
Worked on nine projects for Toptal clients, ranging from small clients to enterprises.
Collaborated on various other projects using a LAMP stack, mostly back ends, and scripts.

Technologies: Open Banking APIs, APIs, Shipping, Payment APIs, MySQL, Laravel, PHP, Apache2, Moodle, Arduino, Web App Security, Server Security, Web Security, Penetration Testing, REST API Clients, Google Maps API, Scraping, PDF Scraping, Web Scraping, Code Review, Source Code Review, Refactoring, REST APIs, REST, Architecture, Back-end, Inventory Management, Raspberry Pi, SendGrid API, Bootstrap, Bootstrap 3, Raspberry Pi 3 GPIO, Metasploit, MQTT, NodeMCU, ESP8266, CentOS, NMap, OWASP Top 10, OWASP, RFID, Documentation, Near-field Communication (NFC), PHP 8

Full-stack Developer (via Toptal)

2024 - 2024

Amalfi Internet Ventures PTE LTD

Developed an MVP that moves the user through a wizard to gather basic business information, creates a business plan, and presents it to the user in an editable context for tweaking before generating a fully-fledged PDF report.
Set up the necessary infrastructure to run the software.
Optimized the system to use a minimal number of calls to OpenAI APIs while keeping the context of the business plan.

Technologies: Natural Language Processing (NLP), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Architecture, Full-stack Development, Proof of Concept (POC), Deployment, APIs, Python, OpenAI

Web/Data Scraping Developer

2023 - 2023

National Marketing Services, Ltd

Fixed an existing scraper to break Google's reCAPTCHA service.
Optimized the scraper for faster running, as part of my role.
Added new functionality to the existing scraper to meet the client's needs.

Technologies: Python, Data Scraping, Web Scraping, JavaScript, Selenium, CAPTCHA, Security

Full-stack Developer

2023 - 2023

OxSimStartup

Developed an MVP to present the general idea to the investors.
Used OpenAI models to simulate an interview process.
Developed a small framework to handle all the needs related to interviews, from subjects to questions and predefined interviews.

Technologies: Full-stack, ChatGPT, Integration, Deployment, Architecture, Cloud, Full-stack Development, JavaScript, OpenAI GPT-4 API, OpenAI, PHP, Laravel, SaaS, Stripe API

Full-stack Developer

2023 - 2023

Nicefy

Architected the infrastructure and the application to process emails robustly.
Implemented the back-end and the front-end code to achieve the needs of the MVP.
Configured hosting (DevOps) and set up a robust pipeline for automatic code deployment and alerts in case of app errors.

Technologies: IMAP, POP3, Artificial Intelligence (AI), APIs, Back-end, OpenAI GPT-4 API, OpenAI GPT-3 API, Large Language Models (LLMs), Laravel, PHP, Gmail API, SMTP, MySQL, Software Development

Full-stack Developer

2023 - 2023

Saif Taleb

Developed an MVP mindmap generator based on a business idea.
Integrated OpenAI APIs to achieve the best suggestions.
Set up the hosting environment and the auto-deployment of the project in a clean and robust pipeline.
Designed the whole architecture to make the system as robust as possible.

Technologies: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Visualization, APIs, Integration, ChatGPT, Architecture, Large Language Models (LLMs), OpenAI GPT-4 API, OpenAI GPT-3 API, Laravel, PHP, MySQL, Ubuntu Server, Linux, Software Development

Server Security Expert

2023 - 2023

Jake and Company, LLC

Found security breaches in the front end.
Discovered security breaches in the back end.
Provided solutions on how to fix the security breaches.

Technologies: Laravel, IT Security, Linux, Ubuntu, MySQL, Web Security, PHP, Laravel Forge, Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Assessment, Web App Security

Back-end Developer

2023 - 2023

Austin Westover

Developed an app that nicely rephrase emails from sensitive people.
Planned the infrastructure to keep the service secure.
Integrated the system with several other systems via their APIs.

Technologies: IMAP, POP3, Artificial Intelligence (AI), APIs, Back-end, Laravel, Ubuntu, PHP, OpenAI GPT-4 API, OpenAI GPT-3 API, Sentry, Software Development

Web Scraping Expert

2023 - 2023

Excede Ltd

Did research to find sources for building the marketing list.
Communicated with the client to be sure of what was truly needed.
Developed scrapers to build a list of contacts for marketing purposes.

Technologies: Web Scraping, Data Scraping, Scraping, Python, PHP

PHP Specialist

2023 - 2023

Peachtree City Foamcraft, Inc.

Converted their PHP 5 to PHP 8 codebase so the server upgrades could take place.
Migrated from mail to property auth mailing system that reaches inbox.
Secured their codebase as they had SQL injection still present, and they got hacked periodically.

Technologies: PHP, HTML, JavaScript, MySQL, CSS, Software Development

Scraping Expert

2023 - 2023

Erebos Technologies LLC

Researched the market for relevant data (confidential reports).
Worked closely with the stakeholders to understand their needs.
Developed a small framework to gather data and created various reports with it to highlight what was required.

Technologies: Data Scraping, Strategy, Web Scraping, Proxy Servers, Python, PHP

PHP Developer

2021 - 2023

SolarPorts Development

Developed a system that can let you create plans for the installation of solar panels via Google Maps Overlays. Handled the PDF generation of contract agreements, plans, and so on.
Installed and secured the server to run the system.
Helped to manage the project via Trello and daily and weekly meetings.

Technologies: PHP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, WordPress, Apache, Apache2, MySQL, Laravel, Google Maps API, PDFtk, PDFLib, PDF.js, PDF, Web Security, Software Development

Freelance

2005 - 2018

Freelancer Platform

Worked on a wide range of projects (over 400 projects and 260 reviews in December 2019). Projects ranged from web scrapers to home automation and complex back-end systems.
Developed Arduino projects, ranging from simple ones to complete greenhouse management with watering, airflow, and temperature control.
Built over 100 web scrapers that were fun to write, from simple ones to CAPTCHA-bypassing ones.

Technologies: PayPal API, eBay API, Facebook API, Google APIs, Arduino, JavaScript, C, PHP, Web App Security, IoT Security, Apache2, Apache, Linux, Ubuntu Linux, Web Scraping, Ubuntu, jQuery, Sqlmap, Burp Suite, HTML, HTML5, HTML5 APIs, CSS, LAMP, LAMP Server, SQL, Google API, Git, Subversion (SVN), Ubuntu Server, MySQL Server, IT Security, Back-end, Inventory Management, Raspberry Pi, SendGrid API, Bootstrap, Bootstrap 3, Raspberry Pi 3 GPIO, Metasploit, MQTT, NodeMCU, ESP8266, CentOS, NMap, OWASP Top 10, OWASP, Bioinformatics, Genomics, Biotechnology, Computational Biology

PHP Developer

2012 - 2013

Web Reservations International/Hostelworld.com

Handled code review, fixes, code maintenance, and basic security.
Suggested improving the existing codebase and building a plan for doing it.
Managed to coordinate with a small team of developers to improve our conditions, thereby being more transparent on what we do.

Technologies: Zend Framework, PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, Back-end

Freelance PHP Developer

2011 - 2011

BRISK CODE SRL

Contributed to the ad platform on security, optimizations, translation from one framework to another, and writing features.
Trained the developer team to use subversion instead of doing manual code backups and other procedures.
Managed to optimize the platform by over 30% in loading time for the visitor.

Technologies: Kohana, CodeIgniter, PHP, Subversion (SVN), Web App Security, Back-end, Metasploit

Freelance PHP Developer

2010 - 2011

Best Of ARTISANS

Fixed security and infrastructure issues they had from the previous team.
Made the website scalable for traffic coming from advertising on France national TV.
Optimized the system to bring it fast to an acceptable loading time and resource usage.

Technologies: PHP, HTML, CSS, LAMP, MySQL, Back-end, Metasploit

Freelance PHP Developer

2009 - 2010

SC ITNT SRL

Contributed to an event management platform, from planning to coordinating with the other developers and writing most of the web app backbones.
Designed and implemented a URL shortening service.
Helped with the team training on various web technologies.

Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Kohana, PHP, Back-end

Co-founder and PHP Developer

2006 - 2010

SC Future Today SRL

Designed and implemented several presentational websites for the communes of Brasov county.
Managed two developers for the outsourced projects of the company.
Learned a lot about the dos and don'ts of running a business.

Technologies: WordPress, PHP, Raspberry Pi

PHP Developer

2008 - 2009

Olive Studio

Worked for an external client (Borsen.dk) as a remote team leader.
Implemented a car review system in Tuksi CMS for a Danish client.
Designed and implemented a shop for eye lenses using Magento.

Technologies: Magento, JavaScript, PHP, CMS Made Simple (CMSMS), Back-end

InterSystems Cache Developer

2007 - 2008

SC. Eco Copy & Print SRL

Created the 1st version of Meridiana Transfer, a payment system similar to Western Union.
Learned a lot about commercial software from my colleagues.
Worked on a package-distributor system but small bits of it, mostly barcode reading and processing inside the app.

Technologies: CSP, Databases, InterSystems Caché, Back-end

FoxPro Developer

2005 - 2006

EcoSoft SRL

Helped the main developer write modules for an existing sales system.
Developed a module that reads the barcode from a serial port via a device.
Developed a module that unloaded barcodes scanned (and their quantities) via a portable device (inventory management).

Technologies: Visual FoxPro, Back-end

Experience

PlantaeDB

https://plantaedb.com/

PlantaeDB is a comprehensive database for the Kingdom Plantae and it has a Laravel-based back end with a Bootstrap v5.0 front end, where I'm the one behind the platform—from back to front end, DevOps, and others.

phpMyAdmin Discovery

https://github.com/nekhbet/phpmyadmin-discovery

Sometimes, quite often, people install phpMyAdmin by just downloading it from phpmyadmin.net/downloads/ and unarchiving it in the root directory for easy access.

Combined with a Google dork/logs/app in debug mode, this can show you a MySQL username and prove fatal.

Use phpMyAdmin Discovery to scan your domains; if you find such a folder, rename it to a more hard-to-guess name. An example of a folder name could be pma123411234342.

It needs php-curl extension—sudo apt install php-curl—f you have aptitude installed (Debian/Ubuntu/other flavors).

Parameters:
'-h' shows this help
'-v' verbose, if missing, will show just the folders that will return HTTP code 20X/30X
'–domain=DOMAIN_WITH_PROTOCOL' sets the base path (domain, eventually a path)
Examples:
php phpmyadmin_discovery.php –domain=https://domain.com -v
php phpmyadmin_discovery.php –domain=http://42.42.42.42

Collection Management Platform

https://www.allnumis.com

Allnumis community unites passionate people, providing free collaborative catalogs and tools for managing their personal collections, trade and swap lists, and wish lists.

Whether you like to collect coins, banknotes, community currencies, postal orders, bullion, tokens, medals, postcards, phone cards, stamps, or pins, on Allnumis you can learn more about them or you can share your knowledge with other collectors.

Plants Management System

https://plants.taglog.app

TagLog is an application along with a website (https://plants.taglog.app) that allows you to easily track changes (planting, fruiting, treatments, observations) about your plants, no matter if they are in your garden, orchard, or even your balcony.

Features:
• Use NFC tags or generate QR codes to use them as unique identifiers to your plants
• Scan the code easily to get all info about a plant
• Manage the places where you have the plants
• Manage your plants and log data about planting, harvesting, maintenance, treatments, and so on, including text, data, and images
• No ads
• Automatically synchronizes between devices
• All the data is stored in the cloud, backed up daily

Education

2022 - 2024

Master's Degree in Bioinformatics

University of Bucharest - Bucharest, Romania

2004 - 2008

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu - Sibiu, Romania

Certifications

JANUARY 2022 - PRESENT

eJPT Junior Penetration Tester

eLearnSecurity

MAY 2020 - MAY 2023

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

Amazon Web Services Training and Certification

AUGUST 2019 - PRESENT

Introduction to TensorFlow for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning

Coursera

JULY 2015 - PRESENT

Finding Hidden Messages in DNA (Bioinformatics I)

Coursera

DECEMBER 2012 - PRESENT

Gamification

Coursera

Skills

Libraries/APIs

jQuery, Google API, eBay API, REST APIs, SendGrid API, Google Maps API, Google APIs, Facebook API, PayPal API, HTML5 APIs, TensorFlow, PDFLib, Gmail API, Stripe API

Tools

PhpStorm, MQTT, Sqlmap, Metasploit, NMap, PuTTY, FileZilla, Git, Subversion (SVN), InterSystems Caché, Moodle, Apache, PDFtk, Sentry, ChatGPT, Sudo, GIS

Languages

HTML, PHP 7, PHP, SQL, PHP 8, Visual FoxPro, CSP, C, JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, Python

Frameworks

Kohana, Laravel, CodeIgniter, Zend Framework, Bootstrap, Bootstrap 3, Selenium

Paradigms

Automation, REST, Gamification, Refactoring, Penetration Testing

Platforms

Arduino, LAMP, Ubuntu, Ubuntu Linux, Apache2, Burp Suite, Raspberry Pi, Raspberry Pi 3 GPIO, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Linux, Magento, WordPress, CentOS, PDF.js

Storage

MySQL Server, MySQL, Databases, LAMP Server, Sphinx Search Engine

Industry Expertise

Bioinformatics

Other

APIs, Back-end, Software Development, Full-stack Development, API Integration, Back-end Development, Ubuntu Server, Server Security, OWASP Top 10, OWASP, Inventory Management, Documentation, Near-field Communication (NFC), RFID, Integration, OpenAI GPT-4 API, OpenAI GPT-3 API, Scraping, Web Scraping, Architecture, REST API Clients, Security, Payment APIs, Shipping, Open Banking APIs, Computer Science, Web App Security, IoT Security, Code Review, NodeMCU, ESP8266, Hacking, Web Security, PDF Scraping, Source Code Review, CMS Made Simple (CMSMS), IT Security, Biology, Chemistry, Genetics, DNA Sequencing, Psychology, Genomics, Biotechnology, Computational Biology, RNA Sequencing, Data Scraping, Strategy, Proxy Servers, PDF, IMAP, POP3, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Laravel Forge, Vulnerability Assessment, Visualization, Large Language Models (LLMs), SMTP, Full-stack, Deployment, Cloud, OpenAI, SaaS, CAPTCHA, Sphinx, Molecular Biology, Molecular Docking, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Proof of Concept (POC)

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