Usama Hafeez
Full-stack Developer
Location
Islamabad, Pakistan
Toptal Member Since
September 6, 2018
Usama wrote his first program at the age of eight, and since then, he's been obsessed with computers. He is a Laravel specialist with a decade of experience coding web apps using Laravel, CodeIgniter, Symfony, and plain-old PHP. He also specializes in optimizing code and improving database performance. All in all, Usama is a practical perfectionist who obsesses about the details to ensure that his clients are thrilled with the end product.
Usama is available for hire
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Motional
Laravel, PHP, Vue, Eloquent, Optimization, Object-oriented Programming (OOP)
Hustleboard
Zendesk API, Salesforce API, MySQL, Amazon Product Advertising API...
Sideline Learning
PHP, Laravel, Multitenancy, Test-driven Development (TDD), APIs, Eloquent, SQL...
Experience
PHP - 12 yearsLaravel - 7 yearsJavaScript - 6 yearsOptimization - 6 yearsCodeIgniter - 5 yearsEloquent - 5 yearsVue - 4 yearsTest-driven Development (TDD) - 3 yearsLocation
Availability
Part-time
Preferred Environment
Git, Laravel, PhpStorm, Vue, Emmet
The most amazing...
...moment was when I discovered Vue and realized hundreds of lines of jQuery were no longer needed to build awesome, dynamic front ends!
Work Experience
2022 - PRESENT
Full-stack Developer
Motional
- Optimized database queries to reduce query times by as much as 99%. Implemented indexes at strategic points to reduce the server bill and increase scalability.
- Implemented new features ranging from server-side value additions to interactive front-end functionalities using Vue, Inertia, and Vite.
- Implemented enhancements to Laravel Nova using actions.
- Used Refine and Vue to duplicate filters and charts and create reports from them while keeping good performance in mind.
Technologies: Laravel, PHP, Vue, Eloquent, Optimization, Object-oriented Programming (OOP)
2021 - 2022
Web Application Developer
Hustleboard
- Connected several APIs to their dashboard, including Amazon Advertising, Amazon Seller Central, Zendesk, and Salesforce.
- Implemented best practices in the custom-PHP app, including migrations, environment management tools, etc. Advised ways to secure the app and improve its performance.
- Linked various metrics with the existing dashboard and collaborated with the company's clients to best implement their requirements.
Technologies: Zendesk API, Salesforce API, MySQL, Amazon Product Advertising API, Amazon Seller Central, Amazon API, OAuth, PHP, SQL, Optimization, Web App Security, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), REST APIs, REST
2020 - 2021
Full-stack Laravel Developer
Sideline Learning
- Coded using test-driven development (TDD) for their multi-tenant web app in Laravel.
- Integrated background checks via a third-party API and created database design and process flow for this.
- Set up tests using MySQL (SQLite driver not being present). Used strategy of rolling back transactions after each test to save running time on MySQL instead of running migrations repeatedly.
Technologies: PHP, Laravel, Multitenancy, Test-driven Development (TDD), APIs, Eloquent, SQL, MySQL, Optimization, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), REST APIs, REST
2020 - 2021
Senior Web Developer
Dentulu
- Moved uploads to automatically go to AWS S3 across the big application and retrieved from there. Created a system to enable other developers to easily extend this for the quickly growing app.
- Enhanced database processes to use more modern methods.
- Discovered security issues in various areas and closed them using modern best practices.
- Integrated APIs to work with the flow of the application.
- Optimized the PHP code for speed and a better design using best practices. Created processes for others to follow.
- Implemented a store system with functionality for multiple vendors, shops, and offices.
- Conducted the implementation of a very customizable affiliate system.
- Handled the implementation of a subscription system for tokens to be used for purchases and refund functionality.
Technologies: PHP, CodeIgniter, DoseSpot, HTML, CSS, Sentry, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Security, Optimization, JavaScript, Database Design, APIs, CSV File Processing, Stripe API, Affiliate Tracking, eCommerce, Paid Memberships Pro (PMPro), SQL, MySQL, Web App Security, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), REST APIs, REST, Google Geocoding API
2019 - 2020
PHP Web App Developer
Loopr (via Toptal)
- Improved performance by 10 times by improving the code and optimizing the database.
- Fixed many bugs and issues that improved revenue, reach, and brand image.
- Updated the database structure, added indexes to enhance query performance, improved coding practices, removed a huge amount of existing redundancies, and tried to implement best practices whenever possible.
- Planned and implemented new features to move the business forward.
- Adapted to best practices and structured future tasks.
- Moved the application to a new web design and used webpack to bundle JavaScript and CSS.
- Identified and fixed critical security vulnerabilities.
Technologies: Webpack, Google Maps API, JavaScript, PHP, CodeIgniter, SQL, MySQL, Optimization, Web App Security
2018 - 2019
Senior Developer
An Automobile Purchase Company
- Helped transition a legacy PHP web application to Laravel.
- Coded tens of new features and suggested many new ideas.
- Fixed security issues and vulnerabilities in the code.
- Optimized SQL queries and improved code performance.
- Implemented an automatic error detection system with localized logging to Cloudwatch.
Technologies: Sentry, jQuery, JavaScript, Amazon CloudWatch, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), October CMS, Laravel, PHP, Eloquent, SQL, MySQL, Optimization, Web App Security, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), REST APIs, REST, Google Geocoding API
2010 - 2018
Freelance Web Developer
GraphicalX
- Created a Laravel-based platform for a client to monitor their ad performance and corresponding revenues.
- Set up the above client's app with various APIs to automate data gathering and reports and gradually expanded the app to manage their entire income and expenses.
- Developed a review management system in Laravel that helped the client manage reviews for their products and create blocklists, reports, and much more.
- Built an online league management system using Laravel 5.4.
- Created a one-of-a-kind coaching platform for a Swiss client in Laravel.
- Wrote several scripts to analyze electricity and gas data of the US, process gigabytes of data, and record it efficiently.
- Developed various programs and applications for clients in the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia.
Technologies: APIs, Vue, jQuery, JavaScript, MySQL, PHP, CodeIgniter, Laravel, REST APIs, Eloquent, SQL, REST
2010 - 2012
Founder | Developer
Jawab.pk
- Developed an idea from concept to launch for a region-based Q&A website.
- Created an entire application on Symfony 1.4 using Doctrine as the ORM.
- Managed a VPS server, the environment, and security, initially using Lighttpd and Apache later.
- Built a community from scratch, added moderators and additional features, and improved the SEO as it grew.
Technologies: jQuery, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, Bash, Virtual Private Servers, MySQL, Doctrine, Symfony, PHP, Laravel, Eloquent, SQL, Object-oriented Programming (OOP)
2009 - 2010
Web Developer
Zigron
- Led the development of their employee performance review system.
- Developed an interactive area that helped peers and managers give 360° reviews using AJAX without refreshing the page.
- Generated ideas and suggested new features that would make the app make valuable to potential clients.
- Created automated reports with actionable analytics that would help organizations within the app to make important decisions about HR.
- Optimized the loading times and memory usage within the app.
Technologies: Twitter API, OpenID, Google APIs, XML, JSON, JavaScript, Ajax, CSS, HTML, jQuery, Doctrine, Propel, MySQL, PHP, Symfony, SQL
2008 - 2008
Intern Web Developer
Jint Tech
- Wrote a script in PowerShell Script to gather data and save it in an XML file.
- Created a database schema and stored the required data.
Technologies: XML, ECMAScript (ES6), Power Shell Commands
Experience
An Online Sports League Management System
I used Laravel 5.4 to create a league management system catering to a number of sports. It enabled the user to create leagues, matches, reports on performances, post results, and automatically generate team and result pages.
I architected the entire solution and created the entire back end and front end using Laravel, MySQL, and Vue.
I architected the entire solution and created the entire back end and front end using Laravel, MySQL, and Vue.
DataCentral: Advertisement Costs and Revenue Management System
I created this platform in Laravel to monitor the costs and revenues of advertisements for campaigns and landing pages. This included calculating the confidence for landing pages effectiveness, generating reports of profit (daily, weekly, monthly, and annually), and fetching data (cost, revenue, visits, impressions) from various APIs.
Review Management System
I created this internal software in Laravel 5.3 for a company that needed a place where they could list their products and campaigns and a public interface for people to sign up for samples. This also involved creating blacklists for users that didn't follow guidelines, reports for campaigns and users, and various user roles.
Jawab.pk
https://jawab.pkIn 2010, when I was working at my job, I came up with an idea about creating a web app localized to a region that would let people ask and answer questions that are common problems in the area. I worked on this from conception to implementation while also building a community and letting it self-moderate.
RockMe | Online Coaching App
This is an online coaching app for global mobility professionals and expats. It is one of a kind and is still under closed alpha development.
I created this app in CodeIgniter following test-driven development methodology. It has multiple user roles and allows the coach to carefully monitor each user's performance.
I created this app in CodeIgniter following test-driven development methodology. It has multiple user roles and allows the coach to carefully monitor each user's performance.
Skills
Languages
SQL, JavaScript, PHP, HTML, HTML5, PHP 7, PHP 5, TypeScript, Regex, XML, ECMAScript (ES6), Bash, CSS
Frameworks
CodeIgniter, Eloquent, Laravel, Bootstrap, Mockery, Symfony
Libraries/APIs
REST APIs, jQuery, Node.js, Stripe API, Vue, Vue 2, Propel, Doctrine, OpenID, PayPal API, Google APIs, Twitter API, Google Maps API, Laravel Voyager, Shopify API, Zendesk API, Salesforce API, Amazon Product Advertising API, Amazon API, Emmet, Google Geocoding API, React
Tools
PhpStorm, Git, Subversion (SVN), cURL Command Line Tool, Apache, Amazon CloudWatch, Sentry, Webpack
Paradigms
Object-oriented Programming (OOP), REST, Unit Testing, Test-driven Development (TDD), Database Design
Platforms
LAMP, Linux, October CMS, DoseSpot, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Docker
Storage
JSON, MySQL, Databases, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), PostgreSQL, MongoDB
Other
Web App Security, Blade, Ajax, APIs, Scraping, Optimization, API Integration, Inertia.js, Troubleshooting, PHP 8, Web Development, Front-end, Regular Expressions, Full-stack, Web Scraping, Power Shell Commands, Virtual Private Servers, Multitenancy, Computer Engineering, CSV File Processing, Affiliate Tracking, eCommerce, Paid Memberships Pro (PMPro), Amazon Seller Central, OAuth, SMTP
Industry Expertise
Security
Education
2005 - 2009
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering
Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology - Topi, Pakistan
Certifications
MARCH 2023 - PRESENT
Toptal Node.js Accelerator Graduate
Toptal, LLC
FEBRUARY 2020 - PRESENT
Machine Learning
Stanford University via Coursera