Thomas
Sihapanya
Backend engineer, product builder, mentor. 16 years in software. Architecture, data engineering, AI automation. PHP, Symfony, Python, among others.
Backend engineer, product builder, mentor. 16 years in software. Architecture, data engineering, AI automation. PHP, Symfony, Python, among others.
I design backend systems meant to last. DDD, hexagonal architecture, APIs that teams can maintain without me in the room.
I think in terms of what users need, not just what the code does. Features, trade-offs, priorities. I care about why we build, not just how.
Mobile apps, community platforms, automation tools, a 40-container homeserver. When something's missing or a SaaS can be replaced, I build it.
7 years of one-on-one mentoring at OpenClassrooms, plus instructor roles at WebForce3 and Human Booster. Students from beginner to Bac+4. Teaching keeps me sharp.
PHP and Symfony, mostly. DDD and hexagonal architecture when the domain warrants it. API design, legacy modernization, microservices when justified.
n8n pipelines, Claude Code workflows, LLM integration into existing products. Content generation, data processing, agent-based workflows. The goal is fewer manual steps.
7+ years as a mentor at OpenClassrooms. PHP, Symfony, architecture, career guidance. Previously instructor at WebForce3 and Human Booster. Students from undergraduate to master's level.
Social platform, 1 million users. Performance, scalability, data engineering, and a codebase that needs to keep up.
2 years building the backend for HomeServe Pro, the mobile app for energy renovation professionals. APIs, data workflows, real-time comms.
Legacy-to-DDD transition. Raised the team's technical maturity.
Electronic signatures with legal weight. Observability and resilience as first-class concerns.
R&D team, microservices architecture. Keycloak auth, reverse proxy layer. Then PHP lead in a product team.
Led the technical teams. Backend, frontend, project planning. First time owning the full scope of decisions.
7+ years and counting. One-on-one mentoring in web development. PHP, Symfony, code review, career guidance.
IoT and health. Full-stack development for a connected care platform.
Military elementary certificate. Discipline, leadership under pressure, group management.
Parcel shipping comparison platform and carrier API aggregator.
Client work across web and mobile. Where it all started.
Catholic prayer app with Liturgy of the Hours, daily Mass, 6 Bible editions, spiritual journal. Plus CODEX Cards, a saints collection card game.
Book club platform for readers of theology, philosophy, and spiritual classics. A space to read and discuss together.
40 Docker containers: self-hosted LLM, monitoring stack, media server, document management, DNS ad-blocking, personal finance. Most SaaS I used to pay for now run on my hardware.
Chrome extension for tracking AI subscription usage. Dashboard with pace tracking, depletion prediction, push notifications. Built because I needed it daily.
PHP · Symfony · Laravel · PostgreSQL · MySQL · DDD · Hexagonal Architecture · REST APIs
Docker · Terraform · Nginx · Linux · Self-hosted · CI/CD · Keycloak
n8n · Claude Code · LLMs · Python · Data Engineering · Data Analysis · Ollama
Flutter · Dart · React Native · TypeScript · Next.js
Guitar, chess, student pilot, photography, board games, tabletop RPGs, sci-fi, manga, miniature painting, and too many books on epistemology and theology. Startup Weekend Lyon 2011 winner. Unofficial world record holder for typing the alphabet in 3.241 seconds. Father of two, based in Lyon.
Open to freelance work: backend architecture, AI automation, mentoring. Malt profile.