Product Software Engineer · PHP

I build PHP products that have to keep working for years.

I work with founders and product teams on APIs, architecture, and modernising existing codebases. I care about what the software is for, not just whether it compiles.

I also run Codyssey.dev, where I teach engineers to build maintainable software.

Work with meSee my work
Davor Minchorov
11+
Years Experience
10+
Industries
6
Client Countries
About

Who I Am

I'm Davor, a product software engineer from Macedonia. I've been building software professionally since 2015, from small startups to Fortune 500 companies, across healthcare, fintech, iGaming, entertainment, and non-profit. I have worked in English through Toptal and Adeva with clients in the US, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, Montenegro, and the UAE.

I work with founders, CTOs, and product teams who have a PHP application in production and need it to keep growing without falling over. I ask what the business is trying to achieve before I write code, and I will tell you when a feature is not worth building. Sometimes the work is new APIs and architecture. Sometimes it is taking over an existing codebase and making it safe to change again.

Services

What I Do

Product engineering for teams that need their PHP application to keep working as it grows.

01

API and backend development

REST and GraphQL APIs in PHP (Laravel, Symfony). Built for teams that need the backend to be reliable and easy to extend.

02

System architecture

Designing the structure of an application so it holds up as the team and the requirements grow. Vertical slices, clear boundaries, domain-driven design where it earns its place.

03

Refactoring and modernising existing PHP codebases

Making an existing codebase safe to change again. Adding tests, refactoring in stages, and modernising while the app stays live and features keep shipping.

04

Performance and integrations

Search, caching, and database work on high-traffic systems. Third-party integrations including payments, blockchain, and Web3.

Selected Work

Case Studies

Client names left out. Industry, country, and what changed are what matter.

Own product · Founder

Codyssey.dev

Problem

Most developer education teaches demos, not how to build and maintain software that lasts.

Why it mattered

Engineers who only learn from demos ship code that falls over on contact with real users and real time. I wanted a place that teaches the other part of the job: keeping a product working for years.

What I did

  • Set the product direction and own the roadmap.
  • Design and build the platform, and run it in production.
  • Lead and mentor the engineering team, and review their code.
  • Write and produce the courses, learning paths, and articles.

Result

The platform is live and in active development, with courses, learning paths, and articles published.

PHPLaravelLaravel CloudStatamicReactNext.jsTailwind CSSMySQLRedisTypesense
Visit Codyssey.dev

Non-profit fundraising and CRM platform

Non-profit · United States

Problem

An all-in-one platform for non-profits needed new fundraising, workflow, and CRM features, and the existing code needed to be more reliable and easier to maintain.

Why it mattered

Non-profits run on donations and volunteers. Slow releases and fragile features cost them money directly. The Workflows feature I proposed and built let them automate work they were doing by hand.

What I did

  • Designed and shipped the new features and the REST APIs behind them.
  • Refactored existing features.
  • Cut GitHub Actions build times so the team stopped waiting on CI.
  • Proposed and got agreement on the architecture: vertical slice architecture, design patterns and principles.
  • Demoed the Workflows feature and other features delivered by the team to stakeholders.
  • Wrote automated tests.

Result

Fundraising, workflow, and CRM features shipped to production, backed by tests. GitHub Actions builds that took 30 to 60 minutes now finish in under 10.

"Davor consistently delivers high-impact features that drive real customer and business impact. He's built foundational capabilities that transformed how our customers manage donor relationships and organizational data. His systematic approach to complex technical challenges ensures customers can successfully scale their operations. Davor's reliable execution on high-impact projects makes him essential to our team's success."

Kevin R. · Product Manager
PHPLaravelMySQLRedisTypesense

Enterprise entertainment platform

Entertainment · Canada

Problem

A high-traffic platform serving millions of daily users had search performance and caching problems, and its content creation platform needed rebuilding.

Why it mattered

Millions of daily users means small latency problems become support tickets and churn.

What I did

  • Search performance and caching work with Elasticsearch, Memcached, and Percona.
  • Rebuilt the content creation platform as part of the Pay team.
  • Designed and shipped new features (server-rendered and REST API).
  • Refactored for performance and readability.
  • Worked directly with the client on requirements and delivery.

Result

Search and caching work shipped on Elasticsearch, Memcached, and Percona, and the content creation platform was rebuilt as part of the Pay team.

PHPPerconaMemcachedElasticsearch

Enterprise fintech application

Fintech · United States

Problem

A Fortune 500 company's regulated financial application needed new features shipped by a team of developers and QA engineers without putting releases at risk.

Why it mattered

Regulated financial software cannot ship broken. The job was delivering features while keeping releases safe, and keeping business analysts and product owners in the loop so nothing shipped that they did not expect.

What I did

  • Designed and shipped features.
  • Led a team of developers and QA engineers.
  • Proposed and got agreement on the architecture.
  • Presented delivered features to business analysts and product owners.
  • Supported production releases.

Result

Features delivered on schedule under regulatory requirements, with a team of 3 developers and 2 QA engineers. Architecture proposals adopted to improve project structure and code quality.

PHPLaravelLumenMySQLDocker

iGaming platform with crypto payments

iGaming · Montenegro

Problem

An iGaming platform needed reusable internal packages and crypto payment support.

Why it mattered

Crypto payments were a business requirement, not a technical one. The integrations had to work on day one and stay maintainable for the team after I left.

What I did

  • Built internal packages from scratch.
  • Integrated blockchain and Web3 services for crypto payments.
  • Wrote automated tests.

Result

Crypto payments live in production through blockchain and Web3 integrations. Internal packages reused across the codebase.

"Davor consistently proved to be one of the most engaged and forward-thinking engineers on the team. He didn't just deliver features. He actively shaped the direction of the product. His understanding of modern development practices, design patterns, and emerging tools was always up to date, and he used that knowledge to improve the entire codebase."

Bartosz P. · Staff Backend Engineer
PHPSymfonyMariaDBKeyDBDocker

COVID testing laboratory web application

Healthcare · Italy

Problem

A laboratory running COVID tests during the pandemic had a medical web application that needed stabilising, plus new API features, on a short engagement.

Why it mattered

The app handled patient records and clinical workflows for COVID testing, so correctness mattered more than speed and every new endpoint shipped with tests.

What I did

  • Stabilised and improved the existing platform.
  • Built REST API endpoints for new features.
  • Fixed production bugs.
  • Wrote feature tests for the new endpoints.

Result

A more stable platform for the laboratory, with new API endpoints in production, each covered by feature tests.

PHPLaravelMySQLDocker

Community social network

Community platform · Switzerland

Problem

The existing platform was too old to keep building on. The team was rewriting it from scratch and needed the new API layer, external integrations, and a consistent user interface.

Why it mattered

A rewrite only pays off if the new base is one the team can keep building on. The APIs shipped with tests from day one, and the component library gave the front end one set of building blocks.

What I did

  • Designed and shipped REST and GraphQL API features.
  • Integrated third-party APIs.
  • Wrote unit and feature tests using TDD.
  • Designed and built a reusable UI component library.

Result

REST and GraphQL APIs for the rewritten platform shipped with unit and feature tests, and a reusable UI component library the team kept building on.

PHPLaravelVue 2GraphQLElasticsearchMySQLRedis
How I Work

Working with me

  • I ask why before I ask how. If the goal is unclear, I say so before building.
  • I plan before I build and put the plan in writing.
  • I write tests. If a codebase has none, that is the first thing I fix.
  • I work directly with product owners and stakeholders, not through a ticket queue.
  • I will tell you when a feature is not worth building, and suggest what to do instead.
  • I have led teams and mentored engineers, so I can work alone or inside an existing team.
Experience

Where I've Worked

Over a decade of building for startups and enterprises across many industries.

Founder

Nov 2024 – Present

Codyssey

EdTech (developer education) · Remote

  • Designed and built the features of Codyssey, a platform that teaches software engineers how to build and maintain long-term software products instead of quick demos.
  • Led and mentored the engineering team building the platform.
  • Set the product direction and owned the feature roadmap.
  • Reviewed the team's code to keep quality and consistency high.
  • Set up and run the production infrastructure.
  • Wrote and produced the platform's educational content on building durable software.
PHP Laravel Laravel Cloud Statamic React Next.js Tailwind CSS TanStack Query XState Store MySQL Redis Typesense Product Management Team Leadership

Senior Back End Engineer

Aug 2023 – Aug 2026

Adeva · Toptal

Nonprofit SaaS platform · Client: United States · Remote

  • Designed and shipped new features for an all-in-one nonprofit platform: fundraising, workflows, CRM features, and REST APIs.
  • Refactored existing features to make the codebase more reliable and easier to maintain.
  • Cut GitHub Actions build times so the team stopped waiting on CI.
  • Investigated and fixed support issues reported by end users.
  • Proposed and got agreement on the architecture: vertical slice architecture, design patterns and principles.
  • Demoed the Workflows feature and other features delivered by the team to internal stakeholders.
  • Wrote automated tests to expand coverage and catch regressions.
PHP Laravel MySQL Redis Typesense
Skills

Tools & Technologies

The tools I use most, and the ones I am comfortable working in.

Core

PHP Laravel Symfony MySQL PostgreSQL Redis Elasticsearch Typesense Docker PHPUnit TDD REST GraphQL

Architecture

Software architecture and design Domain-driven design Vertical slice architecture Code refactoring Database design

Also comfortable with

JavaScript TypeScript React Next.js Vue.js Tailwind CSS Node.js GitHub Actions Laravel Cloud NGINX
Talks & Writing

What I've Shared

A meetup talk and articles on building PHP applications that stay maintainable.

Talks

Building Maintainable PHP Applications

Talk · PHPSkopje 1 ·

Writing

Building Maintainable PHP Applications: Foundations

Course ·

7 PHP Tools That Pay Off Three Years From Now

Insight ·

The PHP Books That Changed How I Build Software

Insight ·

PHP Mastery

Learning Path ·
More on Codyssey.dev
Contact

Work with me

If you have a PHP application that needs new features, a better architecture, or a codebase that has become hard to change, send me a short note about what you are trying to achieve and where the software is getting in the way. I reply within a day.

Available now for long-term contracts and focused projects.

Send me an email Upwork Toptal LinkedIn GitHub