Freelance full-stack engineer in Groningen, NL

I build web platforms and keep them running.

Since 2008, from small webshops to platforms with millions of users. I write the architecture and the code, and arrange hosting that fits.

Send me a message See my work

15+ years building for the web

Symfony, Drupal, Vue, Next.js

Websites, shops, platforms from a first version to millions of users

Where I can help

Starting something new

A first version that works, on an architecture that can grow. Built in steps and kept small at first, so real users can try it early. What they do decides the next step.

At DPG Media, a headless Drupal platform was built from scratch in steps, together with one other developer. For a multi-tenant automotive platform I designed the architecture in phases and built the backend API. GoTekkle, a polling platform of my own, started the same way.

Connecting systems

Most platforms need to talk to other systems, like a stock system or a payment provider. Those integrations have to stay fast under load and keep working when the other side changes.

Avalon Lingerie's webshop syncs 60,000 product variations and their stock straight from the store's point-of-sale system. At TKP Pensioen I tied many systems together to show people their personal pension information.

Improving what's already there

Maybe a platform works, but falls behind. The code has become hard to change, or the team could use an extra senior developer. It starts with reading the code and asking questions, to understand the context. After that we decide together what needs work now and what can wait. Prototypes built with AI tools often end up here too, when they work in a demo but struggle with real users.

At HIER I modernised an existing Drupal platform and kept building on it. Parkstad Veendam moved from Drupal 7 to 10 in 40 hours, with 30,000 articles and a new design. High-profile government websites came off Drupal 7 as well.

Work

A lingerie store in Burgum, Friesland. The webshop is their shop window: it shows what's in the store, so online stock has to match the shelves. That's 8,200 products in 60,000 combinations of size and colour.

In 2011 a Drupal webshop replaced their self-built Flash site. A designer did the first design; the wireframes, architecture, hosting and maintenance were mine.
Later rebuilt on Drupal 8, with a new design of my own. The shop now runs on the latest stable Drupal version with Drupal Commerce.
Products, variations and stock come in from their Softwear point-of-sale system through a fast, optimised sync. Redis keeps the shop quick.
Managed hosting and hosted search arranged by me, and I'm the contact person for both. Search runs on Apache Solr, Cloudflare keeps the pages fast.

Drupal Commerce · Apache Solr · Redis · Cloudflare

A website run by volunteers. Small budget, and it has to keep working without anyone looking after it.

Moved from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 in 40 hours: new design, new build and more than 30,000 articles migrated. Right after launch, every Lighthouse score was 95 or higher.
Since then they rely on me for maintenance and management. The site runs on the latest Drupal version.
In 2026: structured data, metadata and a sitemap. The site now shows up regularly in Google Discover.

Drupal · PostgreSQL · SEO · Performance

A Dutch climate foundation that helps people and companies use less energy. The platform already existed. I joined to modernise it and keep it moving, in a team of two.

A clean HTML and CSS structure for the front-end, built from components.
A knowledge base behind login for business partners.
The SlimmeBuren map took 6 to 10 seconds to load. Caching, and loading details only on click, brought that down to under half a second. The sign-up flow got simpler too.
Advice on moving search to Search API and Apache Solr, and a rebuilt search interface.

Drupal 10 · Vue · Apache Solr

DPG Media2021–nowAutomotive and news platforms. Architecture, APIs and integrations. Added server-side rendering to an existing Vue setup, which improved SEO.Symfony (API) · Vue · Next.js · AWS · Twig
TKP Pensioen / Aegon2018–2020Pension portals used by millions of people. Development and CI/CD.
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate2020–2021Drupal migrations for government websites.
Johnson & Johnson Innovation2017–2018Tech lead with a remote team, on multiple J&J websites and a headless Drupal setup, via Norvell Jefferson.
Monuta2015–2017Platform setup and CI/CD for a Drupal multisite with more than 50 sites. Also worked on the corporate website and built a separate memorial website.

How I work

Context first.

Reading the code and docs is how I understand the context, and why things are the way they are. Then I share what I found and what I'd do first, and we decide together how to continue.

Fixed price or hourly.

Both work. A fixed price only when the scope is clear. Hourly can come with a ceiling, and working in steps keeps the whole project under control.

Easy to reach.

By phone, mail or video call. Remote from Groningen, in Dutch and English. Meetings when they're useful, and short.

Hosting that fits.

Advice on hosting, and management where that makes sense. Honest, also when the answer is that you need less. The setup stays as simple as possible and grows when the platform needs it.

With the help of AI.

AI tools help me write and review code. Every change that goes live has been read and checked by me.

About

Web designer first, developer for over 15 years now. After studying Communication & Multimedia Design in Groningen, I started my own company in 2008. Drupal has been part of the work since version 6. Symfony, Vue and Next.js came later, and other languages and frameworks along the way, depending on the project. The eye for design is still there.

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