Umair Khan, Developer in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
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Umair Khan

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Bio

Umair is a Python developer and entrepreneur. He has over 15 years of experience writing software, has founded three companies, and is passionate about solving performance-related problems. He built an open-source alternative to Slack, authored BitMate software that made the BitTorrent protocol accessible to low-bandwidth nodes, and created an application that automates drop shipping.

Portfolio

Sema
Python, Django, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Full-stack, Technical Leadership...
626 Holdings LLC
Python, Node.js, SQL, APIs, JavaScript, InfluxDB, Large Language Models (LLMs)...
PixieBrix
Python 3, Django, Django REST Framework, React, TypeScript 3, PostgreSQL...

Experience

  • JavaScript - 13 years
  • Python - 12 years
  • PostgreSQL - 5 years
  • Celery - 5 years
  • Django - 5 years
  • Docker - 5 years
  • Django REST Framework - 4 years
  • Scraping - 4 years

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Vim Text Editor, Linux, Docker

The most amazing...

...project I have worked on is BitMate: a low-bandwidth client for the popular BitTorrent protocol. It has been featured on websites such as GigaOm.

Work Experience

Full-stack Engineer

2025 - 2025
Sema
  • Implemented a Jira project integration. I added code to retrieve Jira projects and save them to the database.
  • Mapped Jira projects to the code repository groups for further processing by the AI.
  • Introduced email messages to be sent to the users with insights and anomalies.
Technologies: Python, Django, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Full-stack, Technical Leadership, Data Pipelines, Leadership, Software Architecture, Dashboards, Web Dashboards, Dashboard Development, GitHub, SonarCloud, Veracode, WhiteSource, Code Review

Full-stack Developer

2021 - 2024
626 Holdings LLC
  • Developed a chatbot enabling engineers to interact with medical imaging machines.
  • Built the front end using React and the back end with Python.
  • Created an HTML proxy in FastAPI to make the medical imaging machine's web interface accessible via the web app.
  • Integrated real-time data-gathering functionalities from medical imaging machines.
Technologies: Python, Node.js, SQL, APIs, JavaScript, InfluxDB, Large Language Models (LLMs), ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Queries, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Gemini, OpenAI, FastAPI, Machine Learning, ChatGPT API, CSS, Full-stack, TypeScript, Front-end, HTML, HTTP, Material UI, DevOps, API Integration, Asyncio, Cython, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Amazon Web Services (AWS), API Development, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), CI/CD Pipelines, Code Review, Dashboard Development, Dashboards, Architecture, Query Optimization, Database Optimization, Back-end Development, Microservices, REST APIs, Proxies, Application Architecture, Solution Architecture, AI Chatbots, Scalability

Full-stack Python Contractor

2021 - 2021
PixieBrix
  • Updated the API views to use proper DRF base classes to reduce code size.
  • Incoporated OpenAPI schema generation. API documentation was made available via a webpage. OpenAPI YAML file was used to generate TypeScript type definitions.
  • Implemented link header pagination in the project.
  • Developed API versioning. This allowed us to move only a subset of API endpoints to their paginated versions.
  • Built API throttling. The requirement was to have different rate limits for different endpoints.
  • Increased code coverage to over 90%. We used mocks, factory boy, and others to write tests that covered permissions and business logic.
Technologies: Python 3, Django, Django REST Framework, React, TypeScript 3, PostgreSQL, Webpack, Unit Testing, APIs, Full-stack, ESLint, Queuing Systems, Startups, CSS, TypeScript, Front-end, HTML, HTTP, DevOps, API Integration, Cython, Amazon Web Services (AWS), API Development, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), CI/CD Pipelines, Code Review, Query Optimization, Database Optimization, Back-end Development, REST APIs, Scalability

CEO

2019 - 2021
Fecundity
  • Scaled the team from two to 28 employees within a year.
  • Oversaw the development of large-scale scraping software, the back end of event management software, and a progressive web app.
  • Created infrastructure for running the business such as the accounts, HR, and operations department.
  • Create API backend in Python/Django. This backend served web application, PWA, and native mobile apps of the client.
  • Worked on the ETL of data from the legacy MongoDB to the new PostgreSQL DB.
Technologies: Python, Docker, PostgreSQL, React, RabbitMQ, Celery, Django REST Framework, Django, Git, Back-end, Python 3, Vim Text Editor, Linux, Scraping, Memcached, JavaScript, Relational Databases, SQL, Technical Leadership, Management, REST, APIs, Databases, Queuing Systems, Selenium, Browser Automation, CSS, Full-stack, HTML, HTTP, DevOps, Geolocation, API Integration, Multithreading, Cython, Code Review, Architecture, Database Optimization, Back-end Development, Microservices, REST APIs, Web Scraping, Proxies, Application Architecture, Distributed Systems, Solution Architecture, Database Caching, Scalability

Python Contractor

2018 - 2021
Dropified
  • Developed a Python Django application that automates the dropshipping business.
  • Used Python Celery to write asynchronous tasks. We used a Redis broker.
  • Tracked bugs and user stories using Jira software.
Technologies: Python, JavaScript, Docker, Celery, Django, PostgreSQL, Back-end, Python 3, Django REST Framework, Vim Text Editor, Linux, Scraping, Git, Memcached, jQuery, Relational Databases, SQL, Redis, APIs, Databases, Queuing Systems, Startups, eCommerce, Chrome Extensions, CSS, Full-stack, HTML, HTTP, API Integration, Multithreading, Cython, Multiprocessing, API Development, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), CI/CD Pipelines, Shopify, Code Review, Architecture, Database Optimization, Data Scraping, Back-end Development, Microservices, REST APIs, Payment APIs, Web Scraping, Proxies, Distributed Systems, Database Caching, Scalability

CEO

2016 - 2019
Droozal
  • Managed the first independent office while running Droozal.
  • Developed a Python/Django software to automate the printing of business cards.
  • Used Docker to manage the servers in development and production environments.
Technologies: Python, Django, PostgreSQL, Python 3, Vim Text Editor, Linux, Docker, Git, Memcached, JavaScript, Back-end, jQuery, Relational Databases, SQL, Technical Leadership, Management, REST, APIs, Databases, HTML, HTTP, Cython, Back-end Development, REST APIs

Python Contractor

2016 - 2018
Zulip
  • Contributed to a very successful open-source project.
  • Mentored high school students for Zulip in Google Code-in.
  • Mentored university students for Zulip in Google Summer of Code.
  • Developed the Python back end. The technology stack included Django, Tornado, and PostgreSQL.
  • Built the front end localization. I used the i18next library to manage the translations.
Technologies: Python, PostgreSQL, Tornado, Celery, WebSockets, Back-end, Python 3, Vim Text Editor, Linux, Git, Memcached, JavaScript, jQuery, Relational Databases, SQL, APIs, UI Automation, Automated UI Testing, Databases, CSS, Full-stack, HTML, HTTP, Real-time Systems, Multithreading, Cython, Amazon Web Services (AWS), API Development, Code Review, Back-end Development, REST APIs, Automation

Software Contractor

2014 - 2016
BuzzFeed
  • Assisted in the development of a very performant machine learning software.
  • Automated server configuration and management using Chef.
  • Interfaced C++ with Python to call code written in C++ from Python.
Technologies: Python, C++, Memcached, Vim Text Editor, Linux, Git, Back-end, Relational Databases, SQL, Databases, Cython, Code Review, Back-end Development, Scalability

Python Developer

2011 - 2014
Freelance
  • Assisted on a localization software. This software was responsible for managing a distributed team of translators and their work.
  • Used Git for collaboration within a team of developers.
  • Learned how to do test driven development using Python unit tests and mock-ups.
Technologies: Python, MySQL, Git, Google App Engine, Vim Text Editor, Linux, JavaScript, Back-end, jQuery, Relational Databases, SQL, Databases, HTML, HTTP, Cython, API Development, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Google Cloud Datastore, Back-end Development, REST APIs

Founder and Lead Developer

2011 - 2012
Blend.pk
  • Launched Pakistan's first job search engine. The concept was similar to Indeed.com.
  • Created spiders to scrape job listing from different job portals in Pakistan.
  • Implemented the Levenshtein distance algorithm to guard against incorrect spelling in user searches.
Technologies: Python, Google App Engine, Scraping, Vim Text Editor, Linux, Git, Back-end, Databases, HTML, HTTP, API Development, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), NoSQL, Database Optimization, Data Scraping, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Google Cloud Datastore, Back-end Development, Web Scraping, Application Architecture, Scalability

Research Assistant

2009 - 2010
LUMS
  • Authored BitMate software which made the BitTorrent protocol fair to the low-bandwidth nodes.
  • Published a paper in HotNets. It is considered a very prestigious conference.
  • Completed research in the field of peer-to-peer software technology.
Technologies: Python

Software Developer

2005 - 2008
VST
  • Developed a medical record management software in VB.Net.
  • Became a team lead and managed a team of three developers and two QAs.
  • Developed a school management software in C#.Net. I was also involved in requirements gathering for this project.
Technologies: JavaScript, Back-end, Relational Databases, SQL, Databases, Microsoft SQL Server

Experience

BitMate

A low-bandwidth client for the popular BitTorrent protocol. I was the main author of this software. This software made the tit-for-tat protocol of BitTorrent fair for regions with low bandwidth. It has been featured on big websites such as GigaOm.

Zulip: Open-source Group Messaging Software

https://zulip.com
An open-source alternative to the popular Slack. I was the back-end developer for Zulip. I also worked on the real-time push notifications to the front end using the Tornado server and WebSockets. I also had the pleasure of mentoring students and open-source contributors while working for Zulip.

Twitter Live Feed

https://github.com/Prixite/twitter-livefeed
A Python Tornado-based application that pushes tweets to the Angular front end via WebSockets. I created this project to learn about WebSockets, and push notifications, and real-time updates.

Back-end Template

https://github.com/Prixite/backend-template
I created this tool to serve as the back-end template for my projects. It includes all the scaffolding necessary to start a production-grade application. It's a Django application and includes token-based authentication. The permissions are back-end delivered by unit tests.

React/Flask Template

https://github.com/Prixite/react-flask-demo
A React and Flask application that serves as a template for my projects. You will observe a few interesting concepts in this template, such as that everything is tied up as microservices through Docker and Linters are integrated.

flashclass

http://flashclass.io
The adaptive learning platform for busy people. It uses AI to generate customized sessions for learning software development. It's not an LMS. flashclass gives options to users to choose the mode of learning. People can use audio, video, text, and many more learning methods. flashclass also builds personality profile of the user and then adapts the learning cognitive load according to the personality of the user.

Neurofrog

https://neurofrog.com/
Neurofrog is a New Zealand-based company dedicated to enhancing early childhood development through neuroscience-inspired parenting solutions. Their mission is to empower parents during the critical first 1,000 days of a child's life by providing personalized support and guidance.

• Oversaw the development of a mobile application using React Native.
• Developed a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) system for answering user queries utilizing PineCone and OpenAI GPT-4.
• Built a web scraping pipeline to populate a vector database with relevant information.

Simplisafe - Senior Full-stack Developer

http://www.simplisafe.com
A real-time outdoor home surveillance system that used AI to detect threats. I worked as a back-end-focused full-stack developer. I maintained the API infrastructure in FastAPI. I worked on the deployment infrastructure. I wrote tests. This was a highly complex application, and the back end had to process millions of events during a day.

Education

2008 - 2010

Master's Degree in Computer Science

LUMS - Lahore, Pakistan

2001 - 2005

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

FAST-NU - Lahore, Pakistan

Skills

Libraries/APIs

jQuery, Django ORM, OpenAI API, Asyncio, API Development, REST APIs, Node.js, React, SQLAlchemy, X (formerly Twitter) API, Flask-RESTful

Tools

Vim Text Editor, Git, Celery, RabbitMQ, NGINX, Webpack, ChatGPT, AWS CloudFormation, GitHub, SonarCloud

Languages

Python, JavaScript, Python 3, SQL, CSS, HTML, TypeScript, C++, TypeScript 3

Frameworks

Django, Django REST Framework, Flask, Selenium, AngularJS, Next.js, Material UI

Paradigms

REST, Unit Testing, DevOps, Real-time Systems, Microservices, Application Architecture, Management, Automation, Lambda Architecture

Platforms

Linux, Docker, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Shopify, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Google App Engine, AWS Lambda

Storage

Memcached, PostgreSQL, Relational Databases, Redis, Databases, MongoDB, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Data Pipelines, NoSQL, Database Caching, MySQL, Google Cloud Datastore, InfluxDB, Microsoft SQL Server

Other

Scraping, Tornado, WebSockets, Back-end, Gunicorn, APIs, UI Automation, Automated UI Testing, Full-stack, Large Language Models (LLMs), Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), ChatGPT API, Web Scraping, FastAPI, Queuing Systems, Startups, eCommerce, Vectorization, HTTP, API Integration, Multithreading, Cython, Multiprocessing, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), CI/CD Pipelines, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Code Review, Dashboard Development, Dashboards, Architecture, Query Optimization, Database Optimization, Data Scraping, Back-end Development, Payment APIs, Single Sign-on (SSO), Distributed Systems, Solution Architecture, AI Chatbots, Scalability, Technical Leadership, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Vector Databases, Machine Learning, Browser Automation, Front-end, Geolocation, Supabase, Proxies, Big Data, ESLint, Lambda Functions, Natural Language Queries, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Gemini, OpenAI, Chrome Extensions, Leadership, Software Architecture, Web Dashboards, Veracode, WhiteSource

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