Виталий

Hi, my name is Vitaliy 🇺🇦

Product-oriented Senior Backend Engineer (PHP/Symfony)
with 16+ years experience building high-load and product-driven platforms.

Deep focus on scalable architecture, performance and real-time features. Product mindset — shipped several
platforms from MVP to production scale (3k+ CCU / 300+ stores).

📍 Florianópolis, Brazil 🇧🇷 (GMT-3).

Detailed
About me:
Backend engineer with long-term experience in building and scaling online products — from
early MVP stage to production traffic.

Most of my background combines engineering with product responsibility (gaming, SaaS,
EdTech and fintech/algo trading).

Currently based in Florianópolis 🇧🇷 (GMT-3), open to remote roles in international teams.

Looking for:
Roles:
• Web Developer (PHP)
• Backend Developer (PHP)
• Full-stack Developer (PHP, JS)

Team:
International and/or remote. Preferred English-speaking.

Company / Project :
It can vary from stocks to education. I prefer to work with product companies.

I can adapt to any technology stack used on the project.
However, projects based on Symfony-like are preferred.

Achievements:
• Scaled a real-time gaming platform to 3 000+ concurrent users with stable performance and uptime.
• Contributed to a Master Data platform used by 300+ retail stores, improving operational data consistency.
• Implemented multi-provider payments/crypto integrations for international product usage.
• Built and launched multiple B2C products from early prototype stage to commercial deployment.
• Experience moving applications from MVP to production scale in both gaming and SaaS/retail contexts.
• Built a live algorithmic trading system (multi-exchange) managing real investor capital and risk.
Backend – Experience and technologies:

• 19 years in backend engineering (modern PHP 8.x + Symfony core). Focus on scalable architecture,
performance, and integrations. Built production-grade systems with 3000+ CCU, payments and crypto
layers.
• Expert knowledge of PHP and MVC frameworks: Symfony (primary), Zend, custom. Rapid switch to
Laravel if required.
• Over 4 years of experience with Symfony/Laravel – my preferred path for professional growth.
• Extensive experience with object-oriented design and programming.
• Experienced in working with oroinc.com Platform, CRM, Commerce (2 years).
• Twig, Smarty template engines for MVC.
• Deep understanding of relational databases including MySQL, database design best practices, database
performance best practices, and debugging MySQL database performance bottlenecks. Doctrine.
• Non-Relational (NoSQL) databases: Redis, MongoDb.
• Experience with data caching strategies using Redis / File / Memcache.
• Experience with GIT, SVN, GitHub, Bitbucket.
• Queuing systems: async/background workers.
• Also, I know security issues, can find and solve them.
• Experienced in large and scalable web development (handling 3000+ simultaneous online players).
• Love to write clean code (formatting, comments and industry standards).
• Experienced with Jenkins (complex rebuild scripts), CI/CD.
• Experience in writing tests with PHPunit, Codeception.
• Experience in writing documentation for the team mates.
• Integration experience with 3rd party systems: Facebook SDK, Google Analytics, Mandrill, Mailgun, Ok.ru.
• OAuth's authentication: Facebook, Google, Mail.ru, Yandex, VK.com, OK.ru
• Bots: Telegram, Viber, Messenger, VK.com
• Integration with payment systems: PayPal, Bitcoin, WebMoney, Yandex, LiqPay, Qiwi, Pokupo, Pay2todo,
WalletOne, SMSCoin, Robokassa, Z-payment, Freekassa, Interkassa, Comepay, manual by terminals and
bank payments.
• Integration with crypto/stock platforms: Binance, Kucoin, ByBit, OKX, Freedom Finance, Polygon.io.

Frontend – Experience and technologies:

• Strong knowledge in HTML5, XML, CSS, SCSS, SVG, JSON.
• Experience in responsive and cross-browser-compatible HTML, CSS. Mobile / Tablet / Desktop.
• JavaScript, ES6, jQuery, Ajax, various of plugins and libs, 3d API, etc.
• CSS+SCSS frameworks: Bootstrap, Zurb Foundation. Webpack.
• Optimization for G.pagespeed to 90%+, merge JS/CSS files. Hide code with obfuscator. Async load JS, CSS
and images.
• Working with canvas, drawing mind maps, charts, WYSIWYG editors.
• Websockets: both client and server sides.

2
Server-side – Experience and technologies:

• Experienced in using the Linux command-line: bash, vim, SSH, etc.
• Server architecture setup, including experience setting up and maintaining servers on Linux (CentOs).
• Experienced in administration: Nginx, Apache, Lighttpd, PHP-FPM/CLI, Webmin, Adminer (ex
PhpMyAdmin), Sendmail, Redmin, IPtables, Crontab.
• Experienced in using Composer, NPM manager.
• Experience with containerization in Docker.
• Identify & solve server-side issues. Server performance optimization.
• Setting up backups: VPS, Dropbox, Flash-drive.
• Developed a server-side web server for WebSockets on Java from scratch. And on C++ in the past.
• Monitoring server performance using Munin and external servers with notifications via SMS/Bot.
• Understanding internationalization and localization requirements.
• NodeJS: can write backend, stream scripts.

Work skills:
• I've built websites from the ground up.
• I pay attention to all the details and make sure I've meet all task or project requirements.
• I am comfortable interacting directly with clients and resolving support tasks.
• I usually work within Agile, Scrum, and Kanban frameworks, using tools like Trello, Jira, and Redmine.
• Usually, I work remotely.
• I experienced in context switching-working on multiple projects at once.
• I can effectively plan and set deadlines.
• I've strong analytical and problem-solving skills for the development and testing of Web applications.

Languages:

English – Upper-Intermediate. I'm able to speak and write at a professional working level.
Ukrainian – Native
Russian – Native
Portuguese – pre-intermediate
Spanish – pre-intermediate
French – 300+ words

Selected projects & impact:
• Algorithmic trading platform (private / multi-exchange).

Author of an automated crypto trading system (Symfony + MySQL + API integrations across 5 exchanges),
evaluating 30+ strategies and running the final one live for personal and investor portfolios.

Handled risk, position management and loss/liquidation protection logic.
15 active investors, peak trading volume ~$4M/month.
 2023 – present (live; part-time, executing real capital with risk controls & monitoring).

• https://cofix.global/en-global/
Cofix.global — retail/coffee chain master data & operations platform.

Senior PHP Developer (Symfony / ORO Platform).

Key backend developer on the core data platform used by 300+ retail stores (inventory, pricing, store
configuration).

Designed and implemented multiple system modules within the Master Data layer, improving consistency
and reducing manual Ops friction.

Worked closely with product/ops to align data flows and business rules across stores.

Stack: Symfony + ORO Platform, PHP 8, Doctrine, Twig, JS6, Bootstrap.

Nov 2021 – Feb 2023 (1.5 years)

• https://yellowclub.net/en/
Real-time online backgammon platform (commercial, monetized).

Tech/Product Lead & Full-stack Developer.

Led a 3-person engineering team building and scaling a real-time gaming platform from zero to
production.

Architected system design and infrastructure, scaling to 3000+ concurrent players with stable low-latency
gameplay (99.9% uptime).

Responsible for gameplay logic, matchmaking, payment flows and fraud-prevention mechanics improving
platform stability and retention.

Stack: PHP7 (custom MVC), MySQL, Redis, WebSockets, jQuery, Zurb Foundation.

2013 – present (active 2013–2020; maintained, delegated support).

• NARDY/Durak/1000 (OK.ru)
Co-founder & Full-stack Developer.
Social gaming (OK.ru platform) — adaptation + product improvements.

Adapted and extended a real-time backgammon game for the OK.ru social platform, including UX,
engagement mechanics and in-game economy tailored for a social audience.

Scaled the platform to 3000+ concurrent players inside the social network ecosystem, ensuring stability
and retention under peak traffic.

Delivered payment integration, user identity sync and social-features alignment with platform
requirements.

Team: 4 developers (small startup-style execution).

Stack: PHP, MySQL, Redis, WebSockets, custom MVC.
2009 – 2022 (integration ended).

• https://goal-life.com/en/
Founder — EdTech / content + course platform.
Self-development / online learning.

4
 Built and launched a digital education platform with 5,000 daily visitors organically (SEO + content
funnel).

Designed and delivered an online course with 200+ active learners, handling both product and tech side.

Full product-cycle ownership: landing pages → content → onboarding → analytics + funnels.

Even though monetization was not the primary success point, it validated product thinking, user
acquisition and retention mechanics.

2015 – present (active 2015–2021; now live/public platform, free-access).

• http://onlineigry.com/ – online card games.
Co-founder & Full-stack Developer — Early stage platform.
Prototype/MVP that later evolved into Yellowclub.

Built the first generation real-time multiplayer platform, which evolved into Yellowclub (later scaled to
3000+ CCU).

Served (and still)~300 concurrent players sustainably, validating gameplay, architecture and engagement
mechanics before scaling.

Prototyped payments, game mechanics and infrastructure that later became the base for Yellowclub and
its social-network adaptation.

2007 – present (active 2007–2013; legacy; maintained by partner, escalations only).

• https://price.ua/ – Ukrainian biggest eCommerce. B2C.
Web-developer from Junior to Senior.
2009 – 2011.

• 2004 – 2009 – Dnipro National University. Freelance. Web-developer.
Master's degree in Mechanics & Mathematics.

T-shaped strengths (beyond backend):
• DevOps awareness → faster delivery, no friction with infra (Docker, CI/CD, monitoring).
• AI-assisted delivery → speed up prototyping/docs/ops.
• Product mindset → I understand business impact, not just code.
• SEO & analytics → can validate/measure features, not build blind.
• Growth experience → worked with funnels, A/B tests → shipping what converts.
• Data-driven culture → logs/metrics first, not guesses.
• Fintech/algo-trading exposure → execution, risk and real-market validation.

Contract:
Remote is preferred.

It can be a long/short/no-term contract, depends on the project and my role.
With a trial period for both.
I'm available to start a new job or a new project in 1-2 weeks.

Hobbies:
Footbal, Vocal, Guitar, financials, crypto, stocks, traveling, trying new things.
Morning yoga, time&energy management, gym. Knowledge. Meditation. Psychology. Goal-driven life.

Contacts:
Email: [open contact info](look above in the "contact info" section)
Telegram: https://t.me/zextremo
Linkedin: [open contact info](look above in the "contact info" section)
Facebook: [open contact info](look above in the "contact info" section)
WhatsApp: https://api.whatsapp.com/send?
phone=[open contact info](look above in the "contact info" section)
Instagram: [open contact info](look above in the "contact info" section)

Chao!
Vitaliy Rykovanov

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