Software Developer

Ritesh Koirala

I’m Ritesh Koirala, an entrepreneurial, experiment‑friendly software developer with over two years of experience in full‑stack web development. I like to play with ideas, break things (on purpose), and then rebuild them into practical, reliable solutions.

Contact

Specialties PHP · Laravel · JavaScript · MySQL · AWS

Currently MSc Computer Science student seeking an industrial placement.

Technologies

PHP Laravel Python FastAPI JavaScript React MySQL MongoDB Redis AWS Docker Bootstrap Tailwind Stripe

About

A software developer who combines solid fundamentals with hands‑on experience in real projects.

I am a results‑driven software developer with experience in full‑stack web development, particularly in PHP, Laravel, JavaScript, and MySQL. I enjoy turning requirements into scalable, reliable web applications and improving existing systems for performance and maintainability.

Alongside my professional work, I am building a distributed backend portfolio using Python, FastAPI, Redis, PostgreSQL/MongoDB, Docker, RabbitMQ, and AWS. I'm comfortable working across the stack: building REST and real‑time APIs, managing databases, deploying to AWS and Cloudways, and collaborating with teams using Agile practices.

Currently, I am pursuing an MSc in Computer Science at the University of East London and actively looking for an industrial placement.

Skills

Technologies and tools I use to build and ship web applications.

Programming & Backend Engineering

Building backend services and APIs with solid coding principles and maintainable design.

PHP (primary), Laravel
REST API design and implementation
OOP, modular coding, clean architecture
Data parsing and validation

Databases

Designing reliable, efficient data layers for transactional and analytical workloads.

MYSQl and MongoDB
Schema design and indexing strategies
Transaction logging and consistency
ORM usage and query optimisation

Cloud & DevOps

Packaging, deploying, and automating backend systems in the cloud.

Docker
GitHub Actions for CI/CD pipelines
AWS S3, Lambda, API Gateway, IAM roles

Security & Authentication

Protecting APIs and data with modern security patterns.

JWT token‑based authentication
RBAC (Role‑Based Access Control)
Rate limiting and API access control

Testing & Quality Engineering

Ensuring systems are correct, reliable, and resilient under load.

Unit and integration testing
Load and stress testing

Professional Engineering Practices

Working like a production‑grade engineer in real projects.

Agile development and sprint‑based delivery
Git workflows and structured commits
Documentation, API specs, architecture planning

Experience

Recent roles and how I've been growing as a developer.

Freelance Software Developer

Remote · Sep 2024 – Jan 2025

Designed and developed custom web solutions for global clients using PHP, Laravel, React, Wix, and JavaScript.
Managed deployments on Cloudways, configured domains/hosting, and maintained Git/GitLab repositories.
Handled client communication, time tracking, and post‑launch support for ongoing improvements.

Associate Software Engineer

FEST PVT. LTD. · May 2023 – Jun 2024

Developed and maintained Laravel‑based web applications and APIs with clean, reusable code.
Collaborated with front‑end teams to build responsive UIs and ensure smooth end‑to‑end user flows.
Managed MySQL databases, deployments on AWS/cPanel, and delivered features in Agile sprints using Jira.

Intern, Buddha Technology

Feb 2023 – Apr 2023

Learned and applied the Laravel framework on real client projects under senior developer guidance.
Assisted with debugging, backend improvements, and basic API /database tasks.
Used Jira in Agile sprints to track work, support testing, and contribute to documentation.

Other Professional Experience – Hospitality

WAM Hospitality · Chelsea Stadium · Sep 2025 – Dec 2025

Work as barista, waiter, and runner in a fast‑paced stadium hospitality environment at Chelsea Stadium in London.
Serve guests to a high standard, balancing speed, accuracy, and professionalism during peak event times.
Strengthened soft skills: teamwork, communication, customer service, and handling pressure calmly.

Technician

Fone Link Ltd · Jan 2025 – Present

Diagnose and repair mobile phones, tablets, and other electronic devices, ensuring high-quality and timely turnaround.
Handle screen replacements, battery swaps, charging port repairs, and software troubleshooting across a range of brands.
Provide clear communication to customers regarding repair assessments, timelines, and costs.

Projects

Selected work that shows what I build and how I think.

Academic

Job Recommendation System

A Laravel and PHP‑based recommendation system that suggests IT career paths and opportunities based on user skills and preferences, supported by Python and JavaScript for analysis and interactivity.

Implemented user profiles and skill matching logic
Integrated database‑driven recommendation workflows
Delivered as part of BSc dissertation with first‑class result

PHP · Laravel · MySQL · Python · JavaScript

Client

Business Websites (Freelance)

Designed and developed custom web solutions for international clients, including sites such as dev.gbho.org and metroparkmy.com, focusing on usability, performance, and simple content management.

Built responsive frontends with Bootstrap and Tailwind
Configured hosting, domains, and deployments via Cloudways
Maintained Git‑based workflows for client updates

PHP · Laravel · JavaScript · Cloudways

Solo Backend Series

A distributed ecosystem of solo projects, each focused on a core backend or cloud capability.

Solo

URL Shortener Service

Backend service where long URLs are converted into short, shareable Base62 keys and redirected efficiently.

Python + FastAPI REST API with clean routing
PostgreSQL schema with indexed lookups
Custom hashing, validation, and unit tests

APIs · PostgreSQL · Hashing

Solo

Secure Auth & User Access

Authentication and authorisation system with JWT tokens, secure password storage, and role‑based access control.

JWT access & refresh tokens with bcrypt hashing
RBAC rules and protected routes via middleware
Session validation and structured error handling

Security · Auth · RBAC

Group Projects – Team Lead

Collaborative projects where I led teams, owned architecture, and delivered real working systems.

Team Lead

Smart Invoice Processing System

Group project where I acted as group leader and lead backend engineer, delivering an AI‑driven invoice automation platform combining OCR, classification, and a robust API layer.

Led a team of developers, managed sprints, assigned tasks, and reviewed/merged pull requests.
Designed overall system architecture and data flow between upload services, OCR, AI, and storage.
Implemented backend APIs, invoice upload pipeline, OCR extraction (Tesseract/AWS Textract), and AI categorisation using scikit‑learn and rules.
Created database schema for parsed invoice details, set up Docker environment, deployment pipelines, and unit tests.

Leadership · OCR/AI Pipelines · Laravel/Python · Docker

Team Lead

Big Data Analytics Platform

Group big‑data project where I coordinated the data engineering work, from ingestion to analysis and visualisation, using Spark‑based tooling.

Supervised a data‑focused team, delegated tasks, enforced Git workflow discipline, and coordinated with data scientists.
Selected datasets (e.g. Amazon Reviews, KDD CUP) and designed ingestion pipelines using PySpark and Hadoop/HDFS.
Implemented cleaning, normalisation, and regex‑based feature extraction plus Spark SQL queries.
Compared RDD vs DataFrame performance, produced visual analytics (Matplotlib/Seaborn/Grafana), and delivered insight presentations.

Big Data · Spark/Hadoop · Analytics · Team Leadership

Team Lead

Bachelor's Course Management System

Academic capstone‑style project where I owned the architecture and led a small team to build a full‑stack course management platform for students, teachers, and admins.

Defined project scope, feature list, and delivery milestones while coordinating teammate modules.
Designed relational database schema for courses, students, faculty, and enrolments in MySQL.
Implemented authentication and role system (admin/teacher/ student), session management, and core CRUD flows in Laravel.
Reviewed teammates' code, maintained coding standards, and ensured validation, error handling, and final demo quality.

Laravel · MySQL · Access Control · Academic Leadership

Contact

For freelance work, early‑stage collaborations, or interesting backend problems, feel free to reach out.

I'm currently studying MSc Computer Science at the University of East London and open to software development roles, industrial placements, freelance backend projects, and collaborations with founders and other builders.

Email me View LinkedIn Instagram Linktree WhatsApp GitHub

Prefer a call or message? You can also reach me at +44 7352 132097. When you reach out, feel free to mention if you're looking for freelance help, a longer‑term role, or just to connect as a fellow builder.