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zagorski.dev

Gdańsk, Poland

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Available now for remote backend engineering and technical ownership engagements
PHP / Laravel / PostgreSQL / Redis · Architecture · APIs · SaaS · AI

Senior Software Engineer for complex software systems.

13 years as the primary technical owner of a Swiss SaaS group. I take full ownership of complex backend systems — architecture, databases, queues, integrations and production AI — not just the code inside one framework.

My backend is slow or fragileFixed-price audit · €1,490I need a senior engineer or leadB2B contract · from €60/h
Or book a free 30-min call
Michał Zagórski

Michał Zagórski

Senior Software Engineer · Backend Lead · PHP, Laravel, PostgreSQL

  • 13 years as backend and technical lead for a Swiss SaaS group (Uniplex AG, Compero.ch, PageGrid.com)
  • Co-founded and ran a high-traffic search portal on MySQL + Sphinx for years
  • Shipped 30+ production backends for startups and SMBs as a consultant
LinkedIn profileRecommendationsSelected work

You talk to the engineer, not a sales layer

No account manager, no hand-offs.

Measurable results, not activity

A baseline, then a before/after.

Low-risk way to start

A fixed-price audit or one small task.

Companies I have built and run backends for

Team Extension AG
Team Extension AG
Uniplex AG
Uniplex AG
Compero
Compero
Norsk Dental Lager
Norsk Dental Lager
Maperia
Maperia
eCreative
eCreative

Most of these systems are still running on code I wrote.

ABOUT

25+ years of production software. Most of it for companies that could not afford downtime.

I started writing PHP in 2000, before frameworks, ORMs or Docker. Since then I have been the person companies call when the backend has become too important for guesswork.

For almost 13 years I was the backend lead for a Swiss SaaS group in Zurich (Uniplex AG, Team Extension AG and their products). I owned the code, the database and the deploys, and I worked directly with founders, account managers and clients. Before and during that, I co-founded a high-traffic search portal in Poland and shipped 30+ production backends for startups and SMEs as a consultant.

Full background, specialties and recommendations

WHAT I DO

You don't need another developer. You need someone who understands the whole system.

25+ years building production software, 13 of them as the primary technical owner of a Swiss SaaS group. PHP and Laravel are the core of it, but the job has always been broader than one framework.

Backend & Systems

Databases, APIs, queues and the systems that tie them together. The core of what I've built for 25 years.

Stack: PHP · Laravel · PostgreSQL · MySQL · Redis · REST & GraphQL APIs
Laravel & PHP consulting

Performance & Scaling

Find out exactly why it's slow, fix the highest-impact problems first, and prove it with numbers before and after.

Stack: Query optimization · indexing · caching · profiling
Backend Performance Audit Laravel Performance PostgreSQL Performance

Reliability & Integrations

Queues, webhooks and third-party APIs that keep working under load, not just in a demo.

Stack: Laravel Horizon · Redis queues · Stripe & Paddle · webhooks
Backend Reliability

Architecture & Modernization

Legacy code, technical debt and the architectural decisions that are expensive to get wrong.

Stack: DDD · SOLID · framework upgrades · characterization tests
Architecture Review Legacy PHP Modernization

AI & Automation

I'm not an ML researcher. I'm forward-deployed: inside your system, turning AI APIs into features that keep working after the demo.

Stack: OpenAI · Anthropic · n8n · vector search
Talk about an AI integration
All 7 services, side by side

SELECTED WORK

Production systems I have built or kept alive for years.

No mock-ups. These are real companies, most of them still running on code I wrote, usually with end-to-end ownership from requirements to production.

13 years of technical ownership

Uniplex AG / Team Extension AG: backend lead for a Swiss SaaS product group.

Zurich, Switzerland · 2013–2026 · Backend lead & technical lead · Direct client collaboration

View case study

Lead routing under load

Compero.ch: real-time lead capture, validation and partner CRM delivery.

Switzerland · product within Uniplex AG · Architecture & production systems

View case study

Programmatic SEO at scale

PageGrid.com: generating and indexing thousands of landing pages without melting the database.

Switzerland · product within Uniplex AG

View case study

90,000 SKUs e-commerce

Norsk Dentallager: stabilizing a dental supply store with 90,000+ active products.

Norway · e-commerce backend

View case study

Co-founder, search portal

Maperia: high-traffic geospatial search on MySQL + Sphinx, running for years with minimal upkeep.

Gdańsk, Poland · co-founder & backend engineer

View case study
All case studies Portfolio with screenshots

ENGINEERING NOTES

How I work through the problems I get called for

Practical guides with the queries, config and code I actually use.

Laravel Performance Audit

A practical Laravel performance triage you can run in 30 minutes, what a full audit adds, and what you get: report, query plans, merged fixes. Fixed price, 5 days.

Read the guide

PostgreSQL Slow Queries: EXPLAIN ANALYZE

Find slow PostgreSQL queries with pg_stat_statements, read EXPLAIN ANALYZE line by line and fix them with the right index, statistics or rewrite. Copy-paste SQL included.

Read the guide

Laravel Queue Jobs Failing or Dropping

Why Laravel queue jobs run twice, vanish or pile up: retry_after vs timeout, dispatching before commit, missing models, Redis eviction and stale workers. With config and code.

Read the guide

Upgrading Legacy PHP to PHP 8

Move a legacy PHP 5.x or 7.x application to PHP 8: compatibility scan, removed functions, deprecations, intermediate versions, Rector and a safe rollout. With commands.

Read the guide
All 33 guides

OFFER & PRICING

Three ways to work together.

A fixed-price audit if you have one specific problem, a monthly retainer for ongoing senior help, or a contract if you need me embedded in your team. Pick the one that matches what you need right now.

START HERE

Backend Performance Audit

Find out exactly why your backend is slow and get the first fixes merged.

I connect to your repository and a database copy (or slow-query logs), profile the real bottlenecks, and fix the ones with the best return first.

  • Written report: what is slow, why, and what it would take to fix, ordered by impact
  • Query plans (EXPLAIN ANALYZE) and index recommendations for the worst offenders
  • Up to 3 pull requests with quick wins, ready to merge
  • Before/after numbers you can show your team or investors
  • 60-minute walkthrough call and written answers to follow-up questions

Also available for a legacy codebase: same format, focused on upgrade risk, test coverage and a step-by-step modernization plan.

Fixed price

€1,490

5 working days · fixed price

50% on start, 50% on delivery. Invoice in EUR or PLN.

You keep the report and every merged PR whatever we decide afterwards.

NDA signed before I see any data. I work from an anonymised database copy or slow-query logs and delete them when the audit ends.

Book a call about the audit

Ongoing work

Backend Partner

40h / month

Most common

For teams that need a senior pair of hands every week: fixes, query tuning, small features, reviews.

  • Reserved 40 hours per month, used as you need them
  • Bug fixes, query & index optimization, small features
  • API, webhook and integration work
  • Code reviews and technical advice for your team
  • Async updates in GitHub / GitLab and Slack
  • Month-to-month, cancel with 30 days notice

€2,400 / month

Discuss a 40h retainer

Backend Lead

80h / month

Half of my time for one product: refactoring, upgrades, scaling, ownership of the backend roadmap.

  • Reserved 80 hours per month
  • Legacy refactoring and framework upgrades
  • Scaling: caching, queues, database architecture
  • LLM features and automation built for production
  • Technical ownership and planning with your team
  • Priority response on production incidents

€4,400 / month

Discuss an 80h retainer

CONTRACT & INTERIM

Need a senior engineer or backend lead on your team for a few months?

I also take B2B contracts: full-time or part-time, interim backend lead, or covering a gap while you hire. Remote from Poland, CET hours, invoice in EUR or PLN.

  • Full-time or part-time B2B contract, 3 months and up
  • Interim tech lead or the senior in a junior-heavy team
  • Embedded in your Slack, standups and repo from day one
  • Rates from €60/h depending on scope and length
Talk about a contract

HOW IT WORKS

From first call to merged fixes in about a week.

I am used to owning systems, not just implementing tickets. This is how a first engagement runs: short, async-first and built around a small first step so nobody bets the quarter on a stranger.

01

30-minute call

You describe what hurts. I ask questions and tell you honestly whether I am the right person. No pitch.

02

Audit or a scoped first task

We agree a fixed price and a scope for the first week: the audit, or one concrete problem you want gone.

03

Pull requests and a written report

I work in your repository. You get PRs with clear descriptions, before/after numbers and a report you keep.

04

Continue only if it makes sense

If the first week was useful, we pick a retainer or a contract. If not, we part ways with no hard feelings.

The ground rules I hold myself to

FAQ

Questions people ask before the first call.

Day 1: access to the repository and a database copy or slow-query logs, plus a short call to agree what 'slow' means for you. Days 2-4: profiling, query plans, fixing the highest-impact problems and opening pull requests. Day 5: written report, before/after numbers and a walkthrough call. Fixed price, no hourly surprises.

Yes, I am happy to sign your NDA before I see anything. For the audit I need read access to the repository and either an anonymised database copy or slow-query logs, never production write access. I delete the copy when the audit ends. The report and the pull requests stay with you.

PHP (every version from 4 to 8.x), Laravel and Symfony, PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, Redis, Linux and Docker. On top of that: Stripe and Paddle payment flows, REST APIs and webhooks, n8n automation, and OpenAI/Anthropic APIs for LLM features that have to run in production.

That is most of what I do. The usual path: get it running locally in Docker, add characterization tests around the risky parts, fix the worst queries, then upgrade PHP and the framework step by step while normal feature work continues.

Usually within a week of the first call. The audit needs repo access and a database copy or slow-query logs; that is the only thing that typically delays a start.

A retainer reserves a fixed number of hours per month (40 or 80) at a fixed monthly price, month-to-month, for teams that want a senior engineer on call. A contract is closer to a team member: more hours, your standups and Slack, usually three months or longer, billed hourly.

Yes, in Polish or English. Most of my past work was for Swiss and Nordic companies, but I am based in Gdańsk and happy to work with teams in Poland on the same terms.

Audit: 50% on start, 50% on delivery. Retainers: monthly in advance. Contracts: monthly invoice on hours. Bank transfer or Stripe, invoices in EUR or PLN.

Get in touch

Tell me what is slow or scary in your backend.

A free 30-minute call, no pitch. Bring a slow query, a scary upgrade or a backlog nobody wants to start.

  • You describe the problem. I ask questions about the stack, data volume and what 'fixed' looks like.
  • I tell you honestly whether I am the right person, and roughly what it would take.
  • If it makes sense, you get a written proposal for the audit or a first task within 24 hours.
Book a free 30-min callmike[at]zagorski.devMessage me on LinkedIn

Based in Gdańsk, Poland. I reply within one working day, in English or Polish.

Prefer to write?

Send me the details, no call needed.

A few lines is enough. I reply within one working day with what I would check first and whether I am the right person.

I use this only to reply to you. No newsletter.

Know a team stuck with a slow backend?

Send them this page. Most of my work comes from people passing my name on.

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