Asrar
Asrar Abbasi
Senior Software Developer

I am a creative software developer committed to clean code, robust architecture and bringing immense value to clients and colleagues alike.

15+ Years ExperienceMontreal, QC, Canada

Skills

PHP

  • PHP (15+ years)
  • Laravel (3 years)
  • Drupal 10+ (2 years)
  • CodeIgniter 3 (6 years)
  • CakePHP (5 years)
  • Wordpress (3 years)
  • Composer (10 years)

JavaScript

  • JavaScript (20+ years)
  • React (6 years)
  • Node.js (5 years)
  • TypeScript (2 years)
  • Next.js (1 years)
  • jQuery (15+ years)
  • CK Editor (13+ years)

Databases

  • Database Design
  • MySQL (15+ years)
  • SQL Server (5+ years)
  • MongoDB (2 years)
  • Normalization
  • EAV Pattern
  • Performance Optimization

AWS / Cloud

  • AWS S3 (5+ years)
  • AWS EC2 (5+ years)
  • AWS Lambda (5+ years)
  • AWS RDS (5+ years)
  • AWS EventBridge (2+ years)
  • AWS Route 53 (2+ years)
  • Azure DevOps

Tools & Platforms

  • VS Code (6 years)
  • Docker (7 years)
  • Git (cli) (13 years)
  • GitHub / GitLab / Bitbucket
  • ddev (2 years)
  • Jira (6 years)
  • Postman (9 years)

Admin & DevOps

  • Linux terminal (15 years)
  • Apache/Nginx (13 years)
  • GitHub Actions (2+ years)
  • CI/CD (2 years)
  • Code Reviews (6 years)
  • npm (6 years)
  • Serverless IaC (2 years)

Markup & Styling

  • HTML/CSS (15+ years)
  • Tailwind CSS (2 years)
  • Bootstrap (9 years)
  • SASS/SCSS (5 years)
  • XML (9 years)
  • Markdown (3 years)
  • SEO Optimization (3 years)

Architecture

  • Object Oriented Programming
  • Design Patterns
  • Test-Driven Development
  • Problem Solving
  • Clean, DRY Code
  • SOLID Principles
  • User Experience

Experience

Backend Developer

Nurun

August 2025 - October 2025

Montreal, QC, Canada

Technologies Used

PHPMySQLDrupal 10AcquiaJiraBitbucketddevAngularJS
  • Code optimization, bug fixes and site maintenance with Drupal 10 (bombardier.com).
  • Performing code reviews for other developers.
  • Demoed fixes and enhancements directly to the client.

Testimonials

  • "It was a pleasure working with Asrar. Anyone who gets the chance to know him is winning."

    Francis Lacerte
    Senior Software Developer, Givecloud

Senior Software Developer

BCA Research

February 2020 - July 2025

Montreal, QC, Canada

Technologies Used

PHPNode.jsReactDrupal 10AcquiaCodeIgniterAWSMySQLDockerGitHub ActionsJira
  • Architected and led the consolidation of a dozen separate PHP sites into one multi-site using an object-oriented approach, resulting in a reduction of the codebase by 80%, while simultaneously increasing its performance, flexibility and maintainability.
  • Created various REST APIs with proper method usage (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
  • Integrating with the SendGrid API, I created a robust email system with microservices using Node.js and AWS (Lambda, API Gateway, EventBridge, RDS), with a user-friendly interface developed in React + TypeScript.
  • Voted by colleagues as the "most appreciated player" in October 2024 through an anonymous survey, recognizing my creative ideas and outstanding work.
  • Performed code reviews, optimized SQL queries, mentored junior developers.

Testimonials

  • "Asrar’s willingness to share knowledge, encourage others, and step in to assist whenever needed makes him an invaluable asset."

    Paul Chow
    Former Head of Technology, BCA Research

  • "Asrar is an exceptional mentor who taught me invaluable lessons in writing clean, efficient code and applying robust architectural designs."

    Maria Parra
    Senior Developer, BCA Research

  • "I genuinely consider myself lucky to have worked alongside Asrar. He’s one of the kindest, most soft-spoken people you’ll ever meet."

    Arshdeep Singh
    Tech Lead, BCA Research

  • "The one thing that consistently stood out was his passion for doing things the right way."

    C.E. Lopes
    CTO, NDR Research

Senior PHP Developer

High-Touch Communications

March 2011 - January 2020

Montreal, QC, Canada

Technologies Used

PHPMySQLAWSElasticsearchGitSubversionLaravelCakePHPWordPressjQuery
  • Led backend and frontend development of B2B e-commerce sites for SMEs, with complex tiered pricing, role-based access, large-scale EDI processing, automated monitoring, internal tools, and Elasticsearch-powered search.
  • Developed object-oriented enhancements to our proprietary PHP framework, IgnitionWeb, ensuring clear separation of core modules from custom modules.
  • I collaborated closely with PMs, wrote documentation, performed code reviews, optimized performance, interviewed candidates and mentored new developers.

Testimonials

  • "Asrar is not just your humble developer. He’s your reliable workhorse, committed team member, ideation lightbulb, professional colleague of the highest order, and a wonderful human being."

    Pat Yoshida
    PMO Director, Fastco Canada

  • "Asrar is a guru, an excellent mentor and a well thought programmer. He is at his best when working under pressure."

    Musab Mirza
    Certified Kubernetes Application Developer

“Asrar's brutally honest (and surgically precise) PR feedback played a huge role in shaping me into the developer I am today.”
— Arshdeep Singh
Tech Lead, BCA Research

Engineering Mindset

Principles I Adhere To

These principles guide how I design systems, review code, and collaborate with teams.

1

Don't Repeat Yourself

Write code once, reuse it everywhere. If you're writing the same code in two different places, you're doing it wrong. Duplication is the root of all evil.

2

Keep It Simple

Don't over-engineer something if a simple array does the job. Aim for elegance through simplicity, not cleverness.

3

Start with the End in Mind

I ask myself: 'What do I want the final code to look like?' and work backwards from there. The code should be self-explanatory such that other developers can understand without documentation.

4

Favour Convention over Configuration

I like systems that 'just work' as long as you follow the conventions. Embrace patterns and watch productivity of all developers increase.

5

Everything is Possible

'That's not possible' doesn't exist in my vocabulary. With enough creativity and effort, any problem can be solved.

6

Stay Humble

I have been blessed to brush shoulders with amazing developers. No matter how much I know, there's always more to learn.

Education

Computer Applications Programming

Concordia University

Montreal, QC • 1999

Social Sciences

John Abbott College

Montreal, QC • 1997

Interests

🪙 Cryptocurrency🏒 Hockey☪️ Religion🎵 Music🤖 Generative AI♟️ Chess

Spiral out, keep going.