Meet the 9 people who changed the world with code

Why I went back to the basics after 2 years in Backend Engineering I started my journey with Python in 2021, but my professional break came in April 2024 when I stepped into a PHP role. Last year, I added C# to my toolkit to broaden my perspective on system design. Now, as I prepare to master Laravel, I decided to do something many developers overlook: I went back to the very beginning. I recently finished the "PHP for Beginners" series on Laracasts. I didn't do it for a certificate—I did it for the "Why." In an era of AI chatbots and agents, anyone can generate syntax. But knowing the fundamentals and the architecture of a project is what distinguishes an Engineer from a "vibe coder." To build truly scalable systems, you have to understand the core patterns of the language you're using. Key takeaways from the journey: ✅ The Service Container: Building one from scratch (see image) to master Dependency Injection. ✅ The PRG Pattern: Mastering Post/Redirect/Get for cleaner user flows. ✅ Modern OOP: Bridging the gap between C# patterns and PHP 8.x standards. The Lesson: You don’t have to be a Senior to value the fundamentals. Whether you have 2 years of commercial experience or 10, the best way to move forward in the AI age is to occasionally look back and sharpen the foundation that the "masses" are skipping. #PHP #WebDevelopment #AI #SoftwareArchitecture #Laravel #Python #CSharp #Backend #CleanCode #Laracasts

AI Agents. I've built quite a few. And I'm often asked what tools I use. Make[dot]com or n8n often come up. Mostly Python. But that complexity is unnecessary. So much of the web runs on PHP (WordPress, Laravel, and more), so it makes sense to extend your existing application layer. No new language. No workflow builder. No monthly platform seat. I put together an introduction to getting started, covering the core concepts, working code snippets, and the tools worth knowing. This is the 30,000 foot view. If you need a deeper build, reach out! https://lnkd.in/gbCBVgxd

Latest Update to the PyRepl.dev Web App — Version 2.3.0! Hey all — we just bumped up a new Update to the Python REPL IDE Web App — we're now up to version 2.3.0! To remind you, this is a full-stack web-based IDE for executing Python code with an integrated REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop). Built on Astro 6 with server-side rendering, React 19 interactive islands, Clerk authentication, and a Turso (libSQL) cloud database. The app provides a modern development environment with a file explorer, Monaco code editor, console panel, live web preview, project management, and package installation. For this version, and perhaps for the next couple of Updates, there are not many new User & UI Features added, more like a lot of internal updates and fixes to make the App far more robust & bullet-proof. Such as — • IDE.tsx (the main Astro App file) broken-out into modules • Big test-coverage push, using both Vitest for Unit Testrs and Playwright for Integration end-to-end Test Suite • A much faster, more reliable CI / CD pipeline, mirroring the local test suits, in GitHub Actions for every push. • The user-facing app behaves the same as 2.2.1 in most places, but the internals are dramatically more modular, the test suite is substantially larger, and the GitHub Actions pipeline now runs the full tes suites • Better loading experience — added a dedicated <LoadingScreen> component that shows a "Taking too long? Reload" button after a timeout. • "Complete Your Profile" modal now properly closes when you click Cancel or finish the form, instead of stubbornly re-appearing. Accessibility fix in the Command palette for screen readers announce the palette correctly • Better mobile layout — Explorer header is now hidden on small (mobile-sized) viewports • Long filenames are truncated cleanly in the Explorer — they no longer break the sidebar layout • Dependency updates — Astro v6.1.7 (was v6.1.5), @astrojs/node v10.0.5, @clerk/astro v3.0.15, @clerk/react v6.4.1, @clerk/testing v2.0.15, @tanstack/react-query v5.99.0, react-resizable-panels v4.10.0, React + react-dom v19.2.5, lucide-react v1.8.0, aws-cdk v2.1118.0, Vitest + @vitest/coverage-v8 v4.1.4, jsdom v29.0.2, TypeScript v6.0.2, @playwright/test v1.59.1, react-hook-form v7.72.1, eslint v10.2.0 autoprefixer v10.5.0 • Added: concurrently v9.2.1 (devDep), cross-fetch v4.1.0 • Removed: local-ssl-proxy (replaced by e2e/https-proxy.mjs) For the Next versions, there probably won't be much in New User Features — it'll mostly be stuff like adding Aria for Accessibility and putting all the UI components into Storybook.js. After that, back on track for new features! Enjoy a far more Robust, Quickly Loading Python REPL IDE Web App v2.3.0! https://pyrepl.dev GitHub Repository — https://lnkd.in/gXdMe2qu Changelog — https://lnkd.in/gpZjmwsc

✅ 10 Key Coding Concepts You Should Know! 🧠💻 1️⃣ Front-end vs Back-end ➡️ Front-end: UI/UX, what users see (HTML, CSS, JS) ➡️ Back-end: Server, DB, logic (Node.js, Python, Java) 2️⃣ Variable vs Constant ➡️ Variable: Can change (e.g., let, var) ➡️ Constant: Fixed value (const) 📌 Use constants for values that never change 3️⃣ Null vs Undefined ➡️ Null: Assigned empty value ➡️ Undefined: Variable declared but not assigned 📌 Both mean “nothing”, but in different contexts 4️⃣ Function vs Method ➡️ Function: Independent block of code ➡️ Method: Function inside an object/class 5️⃣ For vs While Loop ➡️ For: Known iterations ➡️ While: Until condition fails 📌 Use for when count is known, while for unknown 6️⃣ SQL vs NoSQL ➡️ SQL: Structured tables (MySQL, PostgreSQL) ➡️ NoSQL: Flexible schema (MongoDB, Firebase) 7️⃣ API vs SDK ➡️ API: Interface to communicate with a system ➡️ SDK: Toolkit to build software with an API 📌 API = talk, SDK = build 8️⃣ Local vs Global Variable ➡️ Local: Inside function/block ➡️ Global: Accessible everywhere 📌 Limit globals to avoid bugs 9️⃣ Recursion vs Loop ➡️ Recursion: Function calling itself ➡️ Loop: Repeats using control structure 📌 Recursion = elegant, Loop = simple 🔟 HTTP vs HTTPS ➡️ HTTP: Unsecured data transfer ➡️ HTTPS: Encrypted, secure 📌 Always use HTTPS in production 💬 Tap ❤️ for more!

✅ *10 Key Coding Concepts You Should Know!* 🧠💻 1️⃣ *Front-end vs Back-end* ➡️ *Front-end*: UI/UX, what users see (HTML, CSS, JS) ➡️ *Back-end*: Server, DB, logic (Node.js, Python, Java) 2️⃣ *Variable vs Constant* ➡️ *Variable*: Can change (e.g., `let`, `var`) ➡️ *Constant*: Fixed value (`const`) 📌 Use constants for values that never change 3️⃣ *Null vs Undefined* ➡️ *Null*: Assigned empty value ➡️ *Undefined*: Variable declared but not assigned 📌 Both mean “nothing”, but in different contexts 4️⃣ *Function vs Method* ➡️ *Function*: Independent block of code ➡️ *Method*: Function inside an object/class 5️⃣ *For vs While Loop* ➡️ *For*: Known iterations ➡️ *While*: Until condition fails 📌 Use for when count is known, while for unknown 6️⃣ *SQL vs NoSQL* ➡️ *SQL*: Structured tables (MySQL, PostgreSQL) ➡️ *NoSQL*: Flexible schema (MongoDB, Firebase) 7️⃣ *API vs SDK* ➡️ *API*: Interface to communicate with a system ➡️ *SDK*: Toolkit to build software with an API 📌 API = talk, SDK = build 8️⃣ *Local vs Global Variable* ➡️ *Local*: Inside function/block ➡️ *Global*: Accessible everywhere 📌 Limit globals to avoid bugs 9️⃣ *Recursion vs Loop* ➡️ *Recursion*: Function calling itself ➡️ *Loop*: Repeats using control structure 📌 Recursion = elegant, Loop = simple 🔟 *HTTP vs HTTPS* ➡️ *HTTP*: Unsecured data transfer ➡️ *HTTPS*: Encrypted, secure 📌 Always use HTTPS in production

🚀 Built a Library Management Web Application using Python & Django I recently developed a full-stack web application to manage library operations with role-based access and real-world features. 🔧 Tech Stack: • Python • Django (MVT Architecture) • HTML, CSS, Bootstrap • SQLite • Pandas (for file handling) ✨ Key Features: • Admin & Student Login System • Role-based access control • Add & Delete Books (Admin only) • Bulk Upload using CSV/Excel 📂 • Dynamic Dashboard (Total / Available / Borrowed books) • Responsive UI with modal forms 📚 What I Learned: • Applying OOP concepts using Django models • Handling backend logic with views and routing • Working with databases using Django ORM • Implementing authentication and authorization • Processing real-world data using pandas This project helped me understand how backend, frontend, and database integrate to build a complete web application. Looking forward to building more real-world projects and improving my development skills 💻 Today I developed a Library Management Web Application using Python and the Django framework. The application is designed to manage books efficiently with role-based access for admin and student users. The backend is built using Python, where object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts are applied through Django models. For example, the Book model represents the database structure using class-based design, which is automatically mapped to a database table using Django ORM. SQLite is used as the database to store book details such as title, author, edition, price, serial number, and availability status. The project follows the MVT (Model–View–Template) architecture of Django. The Model layer handles the database structure, the View layer processes user requests and business logic, and the Template layer is responsible for rendering dynamic content using HTML. On the frontend, I used HTML, CSS, and Bootstrap to design a responsive dashboard. The user interface includes cards to display total, available, and borrowed books, along with a table to list all book records. I also implemented modal popups for adding books, which improves user experience without page #Python #Django #WebDevelopment #FullStack #Projects #Learning #AI #StudentDeveloper

⚛️ React taught me how to build UI… 🐍 Python is teaching me how systems actually work As a frontend developer, I was comfortable with React: ✔️ Building components ✔️ Managing state ✔️ Creating smooth user experiences But I realized something: 👉 I was building the “what users see” 👉 Not understanding the “how it works behind” So I started learning Python 🐍 And things started to change… Now I’m exploring: ✔️ APIs using FastAPI ✔️ Database integration (MongoDB) ✔️ Backend logic & data flow It’s not easy switching context from frontend → backend 😅 But it’s helping me think like a complete developer Frontend shows the result… Backend explains the reason. Still learning. Still building. 🚀 Are you focusing on frontend, backend, or both? 👇 #ReactJS #Python #FullStackDeveloper #FastAPI #WebDevelopment #LearningInPublic

I’m currently transitioning from PHP to Python, and this journey has already taught me several valuable lessons. Both PHP and Python are dynamic scripting languages, but they became strong in different areas. PHP has been one of the most widely used languages for web development for many years. It is highly tuned for the web environment — working smoothly with HTML, handling HTTP requests, and interacting with databases to deliver dynamic content. Because of this, PHP built a huge ecosystem, and many stable legacy systems still run on it today. Rebuilding those systems is often costly and risky. Python, on the other hand, became dominant in data science, automation, and machine learning. At the same time, it has also grown strongly in web development through frameworks like Django and Flask. One reason Python continues to grow is its readability. Writing Python often feels close to natural logic, which makes it enjoyable to learn and maintain. Its core data structures — lists, tuples, dictionaries, and sets — are powerful and flexible. Libraries such as NumPy, Pandas, Polars, scikit-learn, XGBoost, and LightGBM help make serious data work practical at scale. For me, this transition is not about replacing one language with another. PHP gave me strong engineering foundations in web systems and real-world development. Python is helping me expand those foundations into data and AI-focused areas. This journey will take time, discipline, and practice — but I’m enjoying every step of it. Technology changes quickly, but the mindset of learning remains one of the best long-term investments. #PHP #Python #SoftwareEngineering #LearningJourney #CareerGrowth #AI #MachineLearning

Just published a new article on Medium: “Build a RAG AI Chatbot with PHP & JavaScript — No Vector Database Needed.” A practical, end-to-end walkthrough of building a document-grounded chatbot using PHP, vanilla JS, and Google Gemini’s File Search Store — no Python, no Pinecone, no embedding pipelines to maintain. Covers the architecture, the resumable upload protocol, prompt design to prevent hallucination, and a layered security model (HMAC sessions, CORS, rate limiting). Written for developers who want RAG in their stack without the infrastructure overhead. Would love to hear your thoughts. https://lnkd.in/gc4tjgaU

Most developers coming to Elixir from languages like JavaScript or Python see [1, 2, 3] and assume it is an array. This is a mistake that makes functional programming feel much harder than it really is. An Elixir list is not a row of boxes you can jump into by position; it is a linked structure where each element only knows its value and what comes next. If you find yourself reaching for an index or appending to the end of a list, you are likely fighting the data structure. In Elixir, the only cheap operation is at the front. Understanding this head-first nature changes how you write algorithms, moving you away from expensive appends and toward idiomatic patterns like prepending and reversing. This week's post breaks down the mental model of lists as nested structures and why the [head | tail] syntax is about exposing shape rather than just memorizing syntax. https://lnkd.in/ewSsdkzw Paulo Valim & Bruce Tate at Groxio