Andy Li
Senior Software Engineer with 7+ years of experience designing, building, and operating backend-heavy, distributed web platforms.
Strong background in Node.js-based systems, cloud-native infrastructure on AWS, relational data modeling, and performance optimization.
About
Building scalable systems with a focus on performance, reliability, and maintainability.
Senior Software Engineer with 7+ years of experience designing, building, and operating backend-heavy, distributed web platforms. Strong background in Node.js-based systems, cloud-native infrastructure on AWS, relational data modeling, and performance optimization.
Experienced owning complex, multi-tenant services end-to-end, making pragmatic tradeoffs across scalability, reliability, and operational complexity in remote, cross-functional environments.
I specialize in designing and operating backend services that support high-traffic, multi-tenant consumer platforms. My work involves building REST and GraphQL APIs backed by PostgreSQL and MySQL, with careful schema design to support high read/write concurrency.
Through implementing Redis-based caching layers, asynchronous job processing, and optimized SQL queries, I focus on reducing request latency and improving throughput. I deploy and operate services on AWS ECS with infrastructure defined in Terraform, ensuring reproducible environments and predictable scaling behavior.
Instrumenting services with structured logging and metrics improves observability and reduces mean time to diagnose production incidents. I participate in on-call rotations, debugging distributed system failures and restoring service reliability under time pressure.
Professional Experience
Building and operating scalable backend systems with a focus on performance, reliability, and maintainability.
Senior Technical Consultant
Sayeef Digital Agency
- Provide architectural guidance for early-stage and growth-phase products, focusing on backend service boundaries, data modeling, and cloud deployment strategies
- Review existing Node.js-based systems to identify performance bottlenecks, scalability risks, and security gaps
- Advise founders on tradeoffs across cost, scalability, and delivery speed under real-world constraints
- Mentor engineers through design reviews and implementation feedback to improve long-term maintainability
Software Engineer
Yelp
- Designed and operated backend services using Node.js and NestJS, supporting high-traffic, multi-tenant consumer platforms
- Built and maintained REST and GraphQL APIs backed by PostgreSQL and MySQL, with careful schema design to support high read/write concurrency
- Implemented Redis-based caching layers and asynchronous job processing to reduce request latency and smooth load during traffic spikes
- Optimized SQL queries and data access patterns, reducing contention and improving throughput in shared relational databases
- Deployed and operated services on AWS ECS with infrastructure defined in Terraform, ensuring reproducible environments and predictable scaling behavior
- Instrumented services with structured logging and metrics to improve observability and reduce mean time to diagnose production incidents
- Participated in on-call rotations, debugging distributed system failures and restoring service reliability under time pressure
- Collaborated closely with Product and Design to translate complex requirements into maintainable backend implementations
Software Engineer
Best Buy
- Contributed to backend services written in Node.js supporting large-scale commerce and marketplace workflows
- Optimized SQL queries and service logic to handle peak retail traffic with predictable latency characteristics
- Improved CI/CD pipelines and AWS deployment workflows to reduce release friction and operational risk
- Introduced structured logging and monitoring to improve backend visibility and shorten incident response times
- Mentored junior engineers on backend fundamentals, code quality, and system design principles
Full Stack Software Engineer
Open Systems International
- Designed backend APIs and data models in Node.js supporting real-time monitoring and control systems
- Built full-stack features using React and TypeScript, integrating frontend workflows with backend services
- Improved system performance through Redis caching, schema optimization, and careful query design
- Supported production systems through on-call rotations, maintaining availability for mission-critical workflows
- Authored internal documentation and mentored junior engineers to improve onboarding and code consistency
Web Developer
DevBatch
- Delivered backend-focused web solutions using Node.js and relational databases across multiple client projects
- Designed REST APIs, authentication flows, and role-based access control for client applications
- Implemented caching, optimized queries, and structured logging to improve application responsiveness and debuggability
- Worked directly with non-technical stakeholders to translate business needs into technical implementations
Notable Projects
Key projects showcasing scalable backend architecture and performance optimization.
Scalable Backend Architecture
Designed and implemented microservices architecture on AWS ECS handling 200M+ daily requests. Built APIs with Node.js and NestJS, implemented advanced caching and queuing strategies, and automated deployment pipelines with Terraform.
Impact: 30% reduction in critical outages, 40% reduction in request latency, 4x faster feature delivery with zero downtime rollouts.
Data Services API Platform
Architected APIs for data services that optimized payload sizes and response times. Implemented caching strategies, improved data consistency in distributed systems, and reduced reconciliation errors through schema refinements.
Impact: 20% reduction in payload sizes, 25% reduction in reconciliation errors, improved efficiency in client-server interactions.
Marketplace Platform
Spearheaded architecture design for scalable marketplace platform. Optimized backend queries and storage models, implemented monitoring dashboards, and migrated legacy services to modular architectures.
Impact: 40% increase in transaction speed, 40% lower database response times during peak demand, 35% improvement in system resilience.
Enterprise Control Systems
Designed backend APIs for enterprise control systems enabling real-time monitoring. Built secure service layers, optimized schema and storage models, and implemented real-time messaging workflows.
Impact: 25% reduction in system latency, 30% reduction in backend failure incidents, 40% reduction in alert processing times.
Core Skills
Technologies and practices I use to build scalable, reliable systems.
Languages
Backend & Systems
Cloud & Infrastructure
Data & Caching
Engineering Practices
Get in Touch
Open to senior engineering roles and consulting opportunities. Let's connect.