Brian Aderer

I'm a full stack web and mobile developer. I make scalable, performant, feature-rich, enterprise-grade content delivery systems and API's in a variety of platforms, languages, and environments.

I took the lead on scale testing not only my features, but those of the broader team. I worked up models which simulated traffic loads, pricing in real world conditions, and was able to test granular features and specific server behaviors. Using these techniques, I created a clear picture for upper management of how features were likely to perform initially and scale over time, allowing for a long term sustainable tech plan.

Scale Testing Initiative

Python

Automated Scale Testing

Data Model Optimization

Server Load Analysis

On my arrival, the site had more than 100 active plugins, as it had been built on the consumer 'download and go' model. By auditing features and rewriting custom code, I cut that number by half, and counting.

Audited and reduced plugin count by 30%

Wordpress

Custom Plugin Development

Because of the overreliance on plugins and some prior botched migrations, stakeholders had taken matters into their own hands with regard to data display. This cause serious data denormalization issues with the same data field appearing in as many as 5 different places including just mixed in to plain text - with no rhyme or reason as to when.
I worked with stakeholders to parse organizational logic and crafted a future proof data model. Once implemented, I wrote a script collated and migrated all old data into the new model, and deleted it from redundant locations on the way. The script ran with 0 errors.

Migrate and cleanse data from years of suboptimal handling

REST API (Representational State Data Transfer)

ETL (Extract, Transform, Load)

Scripted Data Cleansing

On my arrival, code was being copied and pasted to the servers. I put all code under version control, and implemented a CI/CD 'build on push' deploy workflow - at a net cost of $50/per year.

Put all code under version control & implemented GitHub Actions based CI/CD deploy workflow

CI/CD (Continuous Integration, Continuous Deployment)

Github Actions

Version Control

Github

YAML

A major company initiative called for our users to be tracked across multiple domains. Existing measures were failing and presented alternatives were extremely expensive. I concepted, built, and deployed a server  which not only effectively tracked the users, it managed sessions, shielding the main database from having to manage on-demand traffic. The server maintains response times below 1/10th of a second, even with production level traffic and running on AWS free tier.

Create SSO and Session Server

FastAPI (Python)

White Label Pixel Tracking

SSO (Single Sign-In Origin)

Django

SqLite3

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

Bash Scripting

Gunicorn

Nginx

Ubuntu

Server bills were OUT OF CONTROL - at one point, even a $15k/month plan was not enough. Even with these elevates server resources, the site was still experiencing routine black and brownouts.

I did a performance based audit, implemented a $50/per year bot control solution as well as some bespoke code, optimized data retrieval processes particularly for a very expensive Taxonomy feature. 
Ultimately I was able to reduce server overhead by 80%, and completely eliminate the site performance issues - without making any structural changes to the tech stack.

Audited & optimized data retrieval processes, and improved bot mitigation to cut monthly server bills by 65%

Optimization

Traffic Analysis

My primary responsibility has been to manage two Wordpress sites: https://insideprecisionmedicine.com and https://genengnews.com. However, in the time that I have been there my purview has grown to include data reporting and authentication systems, lately writing more Python than PHP.

Mary-Ann Liebert, Inc

Lead Wordpress, React, and Python Developer

Comments were a major feature for MFI - they were used more like a live chat, with potentially hundreds of comments coming in just a few minutes. The comments were administered by a custom plugin, coded by my predecessor, but there were many pain points associated with it. It was too slow, and stakeholders and clients alike complained about clarity and ease of use. 
I reworked the plugin, leaning on Wordpress core comment infrastructure, but also extensively marking up the data flow to improve speed and user experience in one shot. The project was completed ahead of schedule and ran without errors.

Spearheaded overhaul of custom comments plugin, optimized for speed and user experience, integrating custom user roles and features

Javascript

I completed proof of concept work and initial deploy of TailwindCSS, leading a team-wide initiative.

Took the lead on a migration to the Tailwind CSS framework, expediting the product develop/deploy cycle

Tailwind CSS

In support of a corporate initiative to in-house our data, I built a custom admin interface to interact with our new Supabase driven data warehouse, leveraging realtime data updates and TailwindCSS.

Developed Custom admin interface for stakeholders to interact with data in Supabase

Supabase Auth

PostgreSQL

Supabase

NextJS

My team was in the midst of a technology update, bringing old code up to new standards. I translated Figma sketches into deploy-ready code meeting and beating strict deadlines.

Migrated multiple sites to new infrastructure according to team-wide standards including BEM and coding best practices

HTML

Helped administer bespoke Wordpress site, responsible for serving paywalled content to over 100,000 users.

Marie Forleo, Inc

Wordpress Developer

Many of my clients were running on outdated, semi-functional CMS. I audited business needs and wrote ground-up wordpress themes to specifically address business needs.

Eject from outmoded CMS's and migrate into bespoke Wordpres solution

MySQL

Apache

Oftentimes business needs call for the ability to take payments via secure web portals. I set up a full suite of payment options, opening up previously unavailable revenue streams to businesses. I also integrated other third party API's into my custom builds when necessary, allowing for seamless and cost-effective functionality markup.

Set up API integrations, including Ecommerce

Build Custom Wordpress themes for clients using best practice methodology.

Consultant/Freelance

BevNote is an a mobile notetaking app, geared towards beverage industry professionals. It's designed to facilitate quick and easy notetaking, sharing, and communication at all phases of the buying process. It is written in React Native and deployed in Android and iOS.
Its backend is a hybrid of serverless technology, and a proxy server written in Python with FastAPI backed with Redis for increased speed and lower cost.
Bevnote is currently in development, slated for initial deployment Q4 of 2024.

BevNote  (under construction)

Firebase Auth

Firebase

React Native

Android

Redis

Yes, this site! I built this site using a Django (Python) based backend, hooked up to a NextJS/TailwindCSS front end built in TypeScript using GraphQL and the Graphene module for Django. The front end is built as a simple Single Page Application for performance and ease of markup. I configured Django to use Supabase as the database, with a GitHub Actions based CI/CD deployment system. The server is a custom configured Nginx server with the back and front ends running on different ports of the same server.

Brian Aderer dot Com

GraphQL

Typescript

Half Moon Bay Marina was frustrated by their existing Wordpress site. Slow load times, poor SEO, and subpar user experience were major pain points. I redesigned and rebuilt the site from the ground up, creating custom features centered around showcasing their core business assets, such as an interactive Google Maps based attractions section, and a user login feature allowing us to collect and store user information to begin building marketing campaigns. I used a headless Wordpress architecture for speed and a modern user experience. User engaged time on page increased nearly 50% immediately on deploy from the old site.