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Web App Developer Edinburgh

Hi, I'm David, the backend engineer here at Altitude Design.

I handle the infrastructure, DevOps, and backend systems that make web applications actually work. The foundation, architecture, and systems that power everything.

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David

From Trading Floors to
Building What Matters

Sometimes the path to meaningful work involves leaving behind everything that looks impressive on paper. Let me tell you about trading billions and why that stopped mattering.

High Stakes Software

Four years at JPMorgan writing systems that processed billions in fixed income trades daily. When your code moves that much money, you learn to build things properly. No room for 'it works on my machine' nonsense.

Bitcoin Pioneer

Helped build the bitcoin wallet that powered Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador. The testing ground that led to a country adopting bitcoin as legal tender. Proper groundbreaking stuff, not corporate theatre.

Freedom Over Stability

Left big compensation packages for scrappy startups where you actually build things. Chased meaningful work over predictable paychecks. Best decision I ever made, honestly.

Always Building

AI fall detector for elderly care. Automated medication reminders. Built them between everything else. Both worked brilliantly, both got serious attention. Just never had the time to commercialize properly.

The Infrastructure Behind
Every Web App

While the frontend handles what you see and click, I handle everything that makes it actually work. The boring, critical stuff that nobody notices until it breaks. Which it won't, because I build it properly.

Backend Systems

APIs, databases, authentication, all that jazz. The engine room of any web application. Makes the buttons do things when people click them. Sounds simple, gets complicated fast.

Infrastructure & DevOps

Setting up servers, deployment pipelines, monitoring systems. Making sure your app stays online when traffic spikes at 2am. The unglamorous work that prevents 3am panic calls.

System Architecture

Planning how everything fits together before we write a single line. Choosing the right tools, designing for scale. Getting this right early saves months of headaches later.

Performance Tuning

Fast apps make money, slow apps lose customers. I obsess over response times, database queries, caching strategies. Your users won't know why it feels snappy, but they'll appreciate it.

Why I Left
Corporate Life Behind

Big companies turn engineers into cogs. Endless meetings about meetings. Approval processes that take weeks. Siloed teams where nobody talks. I wanted to build, not perform corporate theatre.

No Red Tape

Startups let you actually ship things. See a problem? Fix it. Got a better way? Do it. No committee approval needed. Just build the right thing and get it live.

Real Responsibility

Early stage startups make you wear all the hats. Backend, infrastructure, DevOps, architecture. Closest you can get to being a founder without actually founding. Proper ownership over what you build.

Meaningful Work

Building something people actually use beats optimizing some tiny cog in a massive machine. Seeing your work matter, not just shuffling numbers around. That's what gets me up in the morning.

Time to Think

Altitude Design gives me what those side projects never had - time to commercialize properly. Build systems the right way, not rushed between other commitments. Finally got the space to do things properly.

What Working Together
Actually Looks Like

We work directly with clients. No account managers, no project coordinators, no endless chain of people who don't actually build anything. You get the people who actually write the code. That's it.

Technical Honesty

I'll tell you what's possible, what's practical, and what's just expensive nonsense. No overselling features you don't need. No underselling challenges you'll face. Just straight talk.

Built for Scale

Everything I build assumes you'll succeed. Start with 10 users, plan for 10,000. Means you won't need expensive rewrites when things take off. Just smooth scaling as you grow.

Modern Stack

Same tech Netflix and Spotify use. React, Node.js, PostgreSQL, AWS. Not because it's trendy, because it's battle-tested. Your app won't feel dated in two years.

Proper Documentation

You get clear docs explaining how everything works. Not for other developers - for you. Plain English, no jargon. Want to hand it to another team eventually? They'll thank you.

Common Questions

Things people usually ask about backend development and working with us. Got something else on your mind? Just ask.

Get In Touch

I build systems like they're handling billions in transactions, because I have. Most developers learn by building todo apps. I learned by building software where mistakes cost real money. That discipline sticks with you. Everything gets proper error handling, logging, monitoring. Boring but critical.

Both worked brilliantly, both got serious attention from NHS and local councils. The AI fall detector had a proper proof of concept, the medication reminder system was fully functional. Problem was commercializing while working full time. You can build on evenings and weekends, but selling needs weekday time. Never had it until now.

Mostly, yeah. That's where my expertise lives. But I can jump into frontend when needed, and I understand enough to collaborate effectively with the frontend team. We're not siloed - proper communication between backend and frontend makes for much better results.

I build with scale in mind from day one. Doesn't mean over-engineering - means making smart choices early. Proper database design, caching strategies, horizontal scaling options. When your user base explodes, the architecture already supports it. Just add more servers, don't rebuild everything.

Take it very seriously. Everything encrypted in transit and at rest. Passwords properly hashed, not stored as plain text like you'd be shocked how many apps do. Regular security updates, GDPR compliance, automated backups. Same standards big banks use, because I know what those standards are.

Yeah, that's half the job these days. Salesforce, Xero, Stripe, whatever you use. If it's got an API, I can connect to it. Even older systems that only spit out CSV files or use SOAP APIs from 2005. I'll make it work, even if it's painful.

I set up monitoring that alerts me before you even notice. Most issues get caught and fixed before they affect users. When something does go wrong, we're on it quickly. Support packages start at £500 a month, includes ongoing maintenance and fixes. Rather handle it yourself? I'll document everything so you can.

Ready to build something solid?
Let's talk web applications

Whether you need a customer portal, internal dashboard, or full SaaS platform, we'll build something that just works. Modern technology, solid architecture, built to scale.

No sales pitch, no technical jargon unless you want it. Just an honest conversation about what you need, what it'll cost, and whether we're the right fit. Book a free consultation and let's see what's possible.

Discuss Your Project
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Get started today.

David

Hi, I'm David. The backend engineer here at Altitude Design. I handle the infrastructure, DevOps, and systems that make web applications actually work.

Ready to build something solid that scales with your business?

Let's get to it! Submit your details or use the WhatsApp icon below to chat directly. I'll learn about your project and see if we're a good fit.

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