Open to remote consultingCinch Software S.R.L. · Brașov, Romania

Complex systems,made a cinch.

Cinch Software is the independent consultancy of Umar Khan Jadoon, a backend architect with 15+ years building Laravel platforms, cloud infrastructure, mobile apps and production AI for teams across Scandinavia, the US and the UAE.

Focus
Laravel · DevOps · Mobile · AI
Based
Brașov, RO · works remote
trace
GET/api/v1/bookings?week=4420038ms
  1. cloudflare.edgewaf pass · bot score 97
    4ms
  2. nginxphp-fpm upstream
    33ms
  3. laravel.httpBookingController@index
    31ms
  4. auth:sanctumtoken ok
    2ms
  5. cache.getredis · hit
    0.8ms
  6. db.queryaurora · 2 queries
    9ms
  7. queue.dispatchhorizon · SendReminder
    2ms
  8. json.resourceBookingResource
    12ms
POST/api/v1/lessons/42/play20064ms
  1. expo.appios · react native
    64ms
  2. cloudflare.edgetls · cache bypass
    3ms
  3. laravel.httpPlaybackController
    22ms
  4. db.queryenrolment check
    6ms
  5. r2.presigncloudflare r2 · 15 min
    4ms
  6. sentry.spantransaction sampled
    1.2ms
  7. video.first_framehls · 720p
    31ms
POST/api/v1/applications/1187/analyse2002.14s
  1. laravel.httpAnalyseApplication
    2.14s
  2. documents.extract3 pdfs · 41 pages
    260ms
  3. embeddings.createopenai · 1 query
    120ms
  4. vector.searchtop_k=8 · 3 regulations
    45ms
  5. llm.completestructured · 1.2k tokens
    1.58s
  6. citations.attachpermits · consultations
    50ms
  7. queue.dispatchhorizon · NotifyBoard
    15ms

Fig. 1 · A request through the kind of systems I build and run

  • 15+years building production web platforms
  • 450M+accounts on Stardoll, the platform I helped scale
  • 2018Cinch Software founded in Brașov
Daily drivers
  • Laravel
  • PHP
  • Livewire
  • Filament
  • Horizon
  • AWS
  • Docker
  • Cloudflare
  • Nginx
  • Redis
  • ArangoDB
  • React Native
  • Expo
  • Godot
  • Next.js
  • Vue.js
  • Tailwind CSS
  • Python
  • OpenAI
  • Claude Code
  • Codex
  • n8n
  • Grafana
  • Sentry
  • Pest
  • GitHub

01Capabilities

Five disciplines, one owner.

One engineer across the whole lifecycle: the API, the infrastructure it runs on, the apps that call it and the AI inside it. Fewer handoffs, fewer gaps.

APIs, queues and data layers that stay fast when the traffic shows up. Production PHP since 2008; Laravel is home.

  • REST APIs and service architecture
  • Queue design on Horizon: retries, rate limits, uniqueness
  • Custom drivers, including a proprietary Laravel driver for ArangoDB
  • Database sharding and horizontal scaling
  • Comfortable everywhere from legacy PHP 5 to PHP 8.3
  • PHP 8.3
  • Laravel
  • Horizon
  • Telescope
  • Livewire
  • Python
  • Pest
app/Jobs/SyncListings.phpphp
<?php

namespace App\Jobs;

final class SyncListings implements ShouldQueue, ShouldBeUnique
{
    use Queueable;

    public int $tries = 5;
    public array $backoff = [10, 60, 300];

    public function handle(GraphConnection $graph): void
    {
        Listing::query()
            ->stale()
            ->lazyById(500)
            ->each(fn (Listing $listing) => $graph
                ->collection('listings')
                ->upsert($listing->toVertex())
                ->edgeTo('companies', $listing->company_id));
    }

    public function middleware(): array
    {
        return [new RateLimited('scraper'), new WithoutOverlapping()];
    }
}

I run what I build. AWS, Docker and Cloudflare setups with monitoring, backups and deploys nobody has to be nervous about.

  • AWS: EC2, Aurora, ElastiCache, load balancers, CloudTrail
  • Docker, Nginx and Linux server management
  • CI/CD, Laravel Forge & Envoyer, per-branch test environments
  • Cloudflare DNS, WAF, bot and traffic security
  • Logging and monitoring with Grafana, Loki and Sentry
  • Server security audits, hardening and incident recovery
  • AWS
  • Docker
  • Nginx
  • Cloudflare
  • Forge
  • Grafana
  • Loki
  • Sentry
.github/workflows/ship.ymlyaml
name: ship
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    services:
      redis: { image: redis:7, ports: ['6379:6379'] }
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - run: composer install --no-interaction --prefer-dist
      - run: php artisan test --parallel --coverage --min=80

  deploy:
    needs: test
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    environment: production
    steps:
      - run: curl -fsS -X POST "${{ secrets.FORGE_DEPLOY_HOOK }}"
      - run: ./scripts/smoke.sh https://api.example.com/health

Cross-platform apps in React Native and Expo, shipped to both stores, with the Laravel API, infrastructure and release pipeline behind them.

  • React Native & Expo apps for iOS and Android
  • Video streaming on Cloudflare R2
  • App Store and Play Store build & release automation
  • Crash reporting and performance monitoring with Sentry
  • REST APIs designed for mobile clients
  • 2D games in Godot for iOS and Android
  • React Native
  • Expo
  • TypeScript
  • Laravel API
  • Godot
  • Cloudflare R2
  • Sentry
app/lessons/[id].tsxtsx
export default function Lesson() {
  const { id } = useLocalSearchParams<{ id: string }>();

  const { data: lesson } = useQuery({
    queryKey: ['lesson', id],
    queryFn: () => api.get<Lesson>(`/lessons/${id}/play`),
  });

  // Signed Cloudflare R2 URL, issued by the Laravel API
  const player = useVideoPlayer(lesson?.stream_url ?? null, (p) => {
    p.play();
  });

  return (
    <Screen title={lesson?.title}>
      <VideoView player={player} allowsFullscreen nativeControls />
      <ProgressTracker lessonId={id} onComplete={markComplete} />
    </Screen>
  );
}

Retrieval-augmented generation, LLM integrations and automation that do real work inside real products, not demos.

  • RAG pipelines: embeddings, vector search, reranking, citations
  • LLM integrations on the OpenAI APIs
  • AI-assisted scrapers and data extraction
  • Chatbots and RAG agents
  • Workflow automation with n8n
  • Agentic engineering with Claude Code and Codex, behind tests and review
  • OpenAI
  • Claude Code
  • Codex
  • RAG
  • Embeddings
  • n8n
  • Python
app/Actions/AnalyseApplication.phpphp
<?php

namespace App\Actions;

final class AnalyseApplication
{
    public function __invoke(Application $application): Analysis
    {
        $question = Prompt::load('renovation-analyst')
            ->with(['scope' => $application->scope_of_work]);

        $context = $this->vectors
            ->search($this->embeddings->embed($question), topK: 8)
            ->where('score', '>', 0.78)
            ->rerank($question);

        return $this->llm
            ->withContext($context)
            ->structured(Analysis::class)
            ->ask($question)
            ->citing($context->sources());
    }
}

When a project needs the whole thing, I build the whole thing: Filament admin panels, Next.js or Vue frontends, and the analytics to see how they are used.

  • Filament admin panels and back-office tools
  • Next.js and Vue.js frontends
  • Livewire, Alpine.js and Tailwind CSS interfaces
  • Privacy-friendly analytics with Umami
  • Filament
  • Next.js
  • Vue.js
  • Livewire
  • Alpine.js
  • Tailwind CSS
app/Filament/Resources/ApplicationResource.phpphp
<?php

class ApplicationResource extends Resource
{
    public static function table(Table $table): Table
    {
        return $table
            ->columns([
                TextColumn::make('reference')->searchable(),
                TextColumn::make('association.name')->label('Housing association'),
                TextColumn::make('status')
                    ->badge()
                    ->color(fn (Status $state) => $state->color()),
                TextColumn::make('submitted_at')->since()->sortable(),
            ])
            ->filters([SelectFilter::make('status')->options(Status::class)])
            ->actions([
                Action::make('analyse')
                    ->icon('heroicon-o-sparkles')
                    ->action(fn (Application $record) => AnalyseApplication::dispatch($record)),
            ]);
    }
}

02Stack

The whole stack, layer by layer.

Every layer a request touches, from the phone in someone's hand down to the logs that say what happened. Select any tool to see what I've built with it.

  1. L1Clientsweb, mobile & games
  2. L2Edgedns, waf, delivery
  3. L3Applicationwhere the logic lives
  4. L4Intelligencellms & automation
  5. L5Datastate, cache, graph
  6. L6Infrastructurecompute & delivery
  7. L7Observability & qualityknow before users do
  8. L8Workflowhow it gets built

03Selected builds

Systems in production, not slides.

A few of the systems I've designed, built and kept running. Some clients stay confidential, so their work is described rather than named.

/01
  • Backend
  • DevOps
  • AI

A graph-powered SaaS platform

Workaround.ioBackend architecture & DevOps · multi-year engagement

The data layer, the APIs, the queues and the servers they run on, for a platform built around a graph database.

  • A proprietary Laravel database driver for ArangoDB
  • Platform APIs with scheduled queue processing on Horizon
  • AI-assisted scrapers, chatbot integrations and RAG systems
  • Brought in PHPUnit, Git Flow and code review, and helped hire engineers
  • Cloudflare traffic security, with Grafana and Loki for logs and monitoring
  • Laravel
  • Horizon
  • ArangoDB
  • Redis
  • OpenAI APIs
  • n8n
  • PHPUnit
  • Cloudflare
  • Grafana
  • Loki
/02
  • AI
  • Product

An AI review product for housing associations

Co-founder · own venture

Reads renovation applications, flags legal requirements, consultations and certifications, and tracks every case from submission to decision.

  • Retrieval-augmented analysis with cited sources
  • Laravel API, Filament admin and a Next.js client app
  • Laravel
  • Filament
  • Next.js
  • OpenAI APIs
  • RAG
  • Embeddings
/03
  • Backend
  • Product
  • AI

A web platform, built end to end

Full build · shareholder

Every layer of the product, from the database to the pixels.

  • Laravel API, Filament admin and a Next.js frontend
  • CMS and RAG agents, with Umami analytics
  • Cloudflare DNS and traffic security
  • Laravel
  • Filament
  • Next.js
  • RAG
  • Umami
  • Cloudflare
/04
  • Mobile
  • Product
  • DevOps

An app for expat soccer teams in Dubai

EFA DubaiMobile app, web admin & infrastructure

An iOS and Android app for expat soccer teams, with a web-based management system behind it.

  • React Native app on a Laravel API
  • Web-based management system for running the teams
  • Video streaming from Cloudflare R2
  • AWS hosting, automated backups, Sentry and store releases
  • React Native
  • Laravel
  • AWS
  • Cloudflare R2
  • Sentry
/05
  • Backend
  • DevOps

Marketplace API & infrastructure

SwimplyAPI & DevOps

Hands on the API and the infrastructure underneath a busy US marketplace.

  • Laravel API development
  • Docker containers and CI/CD pipelines, fixed and kept healthy
  • Aurora database migrations and CloudTrail auditing
  • Laravel
  • Docker
  • CI/CD
  • AWS
  • Aurora
  • CloudTrail
/06
  • Backend
  • DevOps
  • Leadership

An ad-tech platform for global brands

WidespaceBackend architect · 2013–2018

Led the backend architecture of Summit, the client platform for an ad business serving Ford, H&M, BMW, KLM, Heineken and IKEA.

  • Led nine developers across Sweden and Bangladesh
  • Per-branch test deployments, so sales and managers could try features before production
  • Laravel
  • Vue.js
  • AWS
  • EC2
  • ElastiCache
  • Load balancers
  • Laravel Forge
  • Envoyer
  • Linux
/07
  • Backend
  • Scale

A games platform with 450M+ accounts

StardollBackend developer · 2010–2013

Backend systems for one of the largest online games for kids and teens.

  • Database sharding to scale very large relational databases
  • Scheduled newsletters in 12+ languages
  • PHP
  • Python
  • Sharding
/08
  • Product
  • Backend

Time & salary reporting SaaS

TekmaProduct build · since 2012

Time and salary reports with access levels and geolocation tracking, in production since 2012 through several rebuilds.

  • Laravel
  • PHP

Also built

  • FlymenuREST API and Filament admin for a mobile app, on AWS
  • medikal.dkA COVID-19 test reporting system
  • butlers.dkBackend API with CI on Laravel Forge

04Own game

After hours, I make games.

Dead City Cats is Cinch's own game: the same engineering habits, pointed at a horde of zombies.

Three cats. One barrier. A dead city full of zombies.

A gritty pixel-art zombie defense shooter, built in-house at Cinch. Hold the barricade while the horde of Havenfall comes for you. If it breaks through, the run is over.

  • Built in Godot 4 with GDScript, for iOS and Android
  • A trained AI Director reads player pressure and paces the horde
  • Scripted waves, bosses, powers, weapons and a story campaign across Havenfall
  • Custom Python and GDScript tooling for art, animation, audio and automated checks
  • Godot
  • Python
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Claude Code
  • Codex

Coming to iOS & Android

Dead City Cats gameplay: three armed cats hold a sandbag barricade against a zombie hordeDead City Cats gameplay: a riot-shield zombie and a drone operator boss on a flooded street

05Career

Since 2008, one commit at a time.

Stockholm to Brașov, by way of a 450-million-account games platform and an ad-tech platform for some of the world's biggest brands.

~/umar$ git log --graph --career
  1. c1nc4f8(HEAD -> main)Feb 2018 — now

    Founder / Backend Engineer at Cinch Software S.R.L.

    Brașov, Romania

    Founded and run a software consultancy delivering Laravel applications, APIs, admin platforms, mobile apps and AWS infrastructure for clients in Scandinavia, the US and the UAE.

  2. 4e2b7d1Oct 2013 — Feb 2018

    Backend Architect at Widespace AB

    Stockholm, Sweden

    Lead architect of Summit, the client platform behind Widespace’s ad business. Led nine developers in Sweden and Bangladesh on Laravel, Vue.js and AWS.

  3. 7c0d9e8Sep 2010 — Sep 2013

    Backend Developer at Glorious Games AB · Stardoll

    Stockholm, Sweden

    PHP backend and Python automation for a 450M-account games platform. Database sharding and multilingual newsletter automation.

  4. 1f6a2b4Dec 2008 — Sep 2010

    PHP Developer at Documentary Base AB

    Stockholm, Sweden

    Online video streaming and campaigns for Dagens Industri and Golf.se in CakePHP.

  5. 9ab03e72009

    MSc, Management & Economics of Innovation at Chalmers University of Technology

    Gothenburg, Sweden

  6. 0000001(initial commit)2006

    BSc, Computer Science at COMSATS Institute of Information Technology

    Islamabad, Pakistan

06How I work

Engineering, the boring way.

Reliable systems come from habits, not heroics. These are the defaults I bring to every engagement.

ENGINEERING.md

  1. Tested, not hoped

    PHPUnit and Pest suites, integration tests and TDD where it pays off. I bring testing into teams that ship without it.

  2. Observable from day one

    Logs, metrics and errors flow into Grafana, Loki and Sentry before the first real user arrives.

  3. Deploys should be boring

    CI/CD, zero-downtime releases and preview environments per branch, so shipping is a non-event.

  4. Secure at every layer

    Cloudflare WAF and bot rules at the edge, hardened servers underneath, and regular audits of both.

  5. AI-accelerated, human-reviewed

    Claude Code and Codex are part of my daily workflow. They make me faster; tests and code review still decide what ships.

  6. Teams over heroes

    Git Flow, code review and documentation people actually read. I have led distributed teams and helped clients hire.

I have worked with Umar on many projects over the years, and it has always been a great experience.
PekkaClient across multiple projects
The technology Umar built into our website to handle inbound sales and effective follow-up of visitors has given us sales far beyond expectation. We had the goal of making a nice website, we got so much more!
Hammarsleven ABWebsite & inbound sales tooling

07Contact

Let's make it a cinch.

Tell me what you're building, or what's keeping you up at night. New platforms, a team that needs a senior backend voice, or infrastructure that needs a second pair of eyes.

Based in

Brașov, Romania

Local time

Brașov · EET/EEST

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