Asrar
Asrar Abbasi
Senior Software Developer

I am a creative software developer committed to clean code, robust architecture and bringing immense value to the business, clients, and other devs.

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 could always see the forest for the trees which made him so valuable to me.”
— Pat Yoshida
PMO Director, Fastco Canada

Don't Repeat Yourself.

Write code once, reuse it everywhere. Duplication is the root of all evil.

Keep It Simple.

Complexity is the enemy. Aim for elegance through simplicity, not cleverness.

Start with the End in Mind.

Design before you code. Vision guides execution, not the other way around.

Favour Convention over Configuration.

Standards reduce cognitive load. Embrace patterns, avoid reinventing wheels.

Remember: Everything is Possible.

Constraints are opportunities in disguise. Never say never.

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.