Mike Castro

World-Class Full Stack Developer & Technical Leader

Metro Manila, Philippines

I am a seasoned full-stack developer and systems architect with CTO-level experience leading complex projects across fintech, enterprise SaaS, and consumer platforms. I have designed and built high-performance APIs handling 300+ concurrent requests per second with sub-200ms response times, processing tens of thousands of events daily. My infrastructure work includes executing 100+ zero-downtime deployments, achieving PCI DSS and BSP regulatory compliance, and managing teams of up to 12 developers. I combine deep technical expertise in event-driven architectures, PostgreSQL, Redis, and AWS with strong business acumen—I understand stakeholder needs, not just code.

I have hired and trained developers, led technical workshops, and built engineering cultures focused on quality and delivery. I have revived abandoned platforms (doubling traffic post-relaunch), fixed critical production bugs causing revenue loss, and modernized legacy systems from Laravel 4.2 to 10. My experience spans the full spectrum from startup MVPs to enterprise platforms serving dozens of corporations. I bring depth across the full stack plus DevOps—not just breadth—and consistently deliver scalable, resilient systems that drive real business impact.

Get in Touch View Resume

What I Do Best

Full-Stack Development

Architecting and implementing complete systems using Laravel, Node.js, React, Vue.js, and Next.js
Building modular frontend components with TypeScript, TailwindCSS, and modern state management
Designing scalable backends with clean domain separation and consistent API conventions

Backend & Database Engineering

Building and maintaining database schemas using PostgreSQL and MySQL
Optimizing data flows, indexes, and migrations in performance-critical applications
Creating high-performance REST APIs with measurable response times

DevOps & Cloud Infrastructure

Deploying and managing cloud infrastructure across AWS, DigitalOcean, and Linode
Building CI/CD pipelines with GitHub Actions and Bitbucket Pipelines
Containerizing applications with Docker for streamlined deployments

Systems Architecture

Designing scalable, cloud-native platforms across fintech, marketing, and enterprise SaaS
Modernizing legacy systems while maintaining stability and reducing regression risk
Building event-driven architectures with pub/sub patterns and background workers

Testing & Code Quality

Writing tests with PHPUnit, Pest, Jest, and Cypress following TDD practices
Enforcing code quality through static analysis, SOLID principles, and code reviews
Improving test performance and coverage across unit, feature, and E2E tests

Leadership & Team Management

Leading engineering teams of up to 12 developers with CTO-level responsibilities
Hiring, onboarding, and training developers through tech workshops and best practices sessions
Managing project scope, timelines, and stakeholder communication across time zones
Translating complex business requirements into clear architectural decisions

Philosophy

I believe great software is:

Understandable before it is clever
Observable before it is optimized
Simple in the best possible way

Great software is straightforward, easy to extend, and hard to break.

Outside of Work

When I'm not building systems, I'm very much still tinkering. I enjoy:

Working on cars — especially preparing them for long road trips, or simply tuning and improving them for the joy of it
Playing video games as both relaxation and inspiration for good UX, systems design, and balance
Taking care of my pets, who provide daily reminders that maintenance, patience, and consistency matter — in life and in code

Lastly...

I thrive in environments where technical excellence meets real business impact. I'm at my best when solving hard problems, cleaning up messy systems, and leaving things significantly better than I found them. I build software that lasts — and I do it with intention, taste, and spine.

Get in Touch View My Work