Notes on building, teaching, and shipping products.

Recent writing

Short essays and practical notes from the work.

Backend Development · Sep 24, 2026

Web API Standards Every Backend Developer Should Know

A practical guide to Web API standards and conventions, covering RESTful endpoints, HTTP methods, response structures, authentication, pagination, versioning, documentation, security, and testing.

Laravel / Web Development · Sep 23, 2026

Laravel Features I Ignored for Way Too Long

Eight built-in Laravel features that reduce boilerplate, simplify application architecture, improve performance, and make everyday development more productive.

Technical · Sep 22, 2026

Moving My Laravel PostgreSQL Database to Supabase to Reduce Hosting Costs

How I migrated ShipWithIan's PostgreSQL database from Laravel Cloud to Supabase, kept Laravel as my backend, and reduced my hosting costs without rebuilding my application.

Technical · Sep 18, 2026

Active Record and Actions in Laravel

A practical guide to combining Eloquent’s Active Record pattern with focused Actions to build Laravel applications that stay clear, testable, and easy to extend.

Technical · Sep 10, 2026

How I Structure Laravel Features for Growth

A practical approach I use to organize Laravel features with domain models, use-case actions, DTOs, repositories, and infrastructure adapters.

Technical · Aug 19, 2026

Laravel Architecture That Stays Small Enough to Maintain

A practical look at how to scale and keep a Laravel codebase organized without turning it into a complex maze of unnecessary abstractions.

Technical · Aug 18, 2026

PostgreSQL Tips That Help Real Apps Stay Fast

A few practical, high-impact PostgreSQL lessons that matter once your application starts handling concurrent real-world users and millions of rows.

Technical · Aug 17, 2026

Inertia Patterns That Keep Pages Clear and Fast

How to architect an Inertia.js application to keep it feeling straightforward on the backend while maximizing the user experience benefits of frontend frameworks.

Technical · Aug 16, 2026

Deployment Lessons You Learn Only After Shipping

A practical reflection on the infrastructure pieces, safety nets, and validation steps that matter when moving from a local environment to a real production path.

Educational · Aug 15, 2026

Teaching Programming Without Making It Feel Out of Reach

How to break down advanced programming paradigms in a pedagogical way that builds student confidence instead of leaving them feeling overwhelmed.

Educational · Aug 14, 2026

Mentoring Capstones When Students Need a Steady Hand

A practical guide for educators and mentors on steering capstone project teams from chaotic, overscoped ideas into polished, confidence-building presentations.

Educational · Aug 13, 2026

Building in Public Without Turning It Into Noise

How to transparently share your engineering and product journeys on public channels while keeping the content genuinely valuable and educational.

Building in Public · Aug 12, 2026

How ClassSync Evolved From a Tool Into a Workflow

An insider look at the iterative development of ClassSync, tracing how it transitioned from a collection of small utility tools into a cohesive ed-tech workflow.

Building in Public · Aug 11, 2026

What I Learned Shipping Products That People Actually Use

Reflections on the product management and engineering habits required to successfully transition ideas from development into durable production systems.