Senior Software Engineer | Laravel, PHP, APIs, DevOps, OJS & AI Integration

I’m Abraham Sisay, a Senior Software Engineer with 5+ years of experience designing, developing, deploying, and maintaining production software systems.

My core expertise is in Laravel, PHP, MySQL, REST APIs, Linux server administration, DevOps, Open Journal Systems (OJS), cloud infrastructure, and AI-powered application development.

I work with businesses, startups, universities, publishers, and organizations that need reliable software built for real production use — not just prototypes.

My experience includes building and maintaining:

• Multi-vendor e-commerce platforms
• Custom Laravel and PHP applications
• REST APIs and third-party integrations
• Payment and seller payout systems
• Logistics and ride-hailing backend systems
• Admin dashboards and business management systems
• Mobile application backends
• Open Journal Systems (OJS) platforms
• AI and LLM-powered application features
• Linux VPS and cloud infrastructure

I have architected and led the development of Gojo Shop, a production multi-vendor e-commerce platform with seller management, customer management, order processing, payment workflows, seller withdrawals, REST APIs, Firebase notifications, and administrative tools.

I have also developed production backend systems for logistics and ride-hailing applications, including real-time order tracking, driver assignment, route management, and mobile API integrations.

For academic publishing, I have hands-on experience with Open Journal Systems (OJS), including installation, journal configuration, editorial and peer-review workflows, plugin integration, theme customization, migration, upgrades, server setup, and long-term maintenance.

On the infrastructure side, I work with Linux, Nginx, Apache, Docker, AWS EC2, Cloudflare, SSL/TLS, DNS, Fail2Ban, UFW, MySQL/MariaDB, and production deployment workflows.

I also integrate AI into real applications using OpenAI and Anthropic APIs. My experience includes building AI-powered reporting and intelligence features inside Laravel systems.

I regularly use tools such as Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, and GitHub Copilot to accelerate development while carefully reviewing architecture, authentication, authorization, payment logic, security, and generated code before deployment.

I can help you with:

• Building a new Laravel/PHP application
• Extending or fixing an existing system
• Designing and integrating REST APIs
• Developing backend systems for mobile apps
• Setting up or migrating production servers
• OJS installation, customization, and migration
• AI/LLM integrations
• Performance and security improvements
• Long-term technical maintenance and support

I value clear communication, maintainable code, secure architecture, realistic timelines, and production-ready delivery.

If you need someone who can work across both application development and infrastructure, I can take responsibility from initial technical planning through development, deployment, and ongoing maintenance.

Work Terms

I am available for hourly, fixed-price, milestone-based, and ongoing development engagements.

Communication:
I prefer clear and direct communication throughout the project. Before development begins, I review the requirements, expected deliverables, technical constraints, and timeline so both sides have a clear understanding of the work.

Project Process:
For most projects, I follow a structured workflow:

1. Review requirements and existing systems
2. Define scope, deliverables, and milestones
3. Design the technical approach
4. Develop and test the requested functionality
5. Provide progress updates during development
6. Deploy or deliver the completed work
7. Resolve agreed post-delivery issues

Payments:
For larger fixed-price projects, I prefer milestone-based payments tied to clearly defined deliverables.

For smaller tasks, troubleshooting, maintenance, consultation, and ongoing development, hourly billing is suitable.

Scope Changes:
Requests outside the originally agreed scope may require an updated budget, timeline, or additional milestone. I will communicate this before performing additional work.

Confidentiality:
Client source code, credentials, business information, server information, databases, and project documentation are treated as confidential and are not shared with third parties.

Access & Security:
When server, hosting, repository, API, or database access is required, I use the provided access only for the agreed project work. I follow secure development and deployment practices, particularly for authentication, authorization, payments, and production systems.

Support:
Reasonable bug fixes related directly to the delivered work are handled after delivery. New features or unrelated changes are treated as additional work.

Availability:
I am available for both short-term assignments and ongoing technical partnerships,
My goal is to provide reliable, maintainable, production-ready work with clear communication and well-defined responsibilities.