Suman Debnath, Developer in New Delhi, Delhi, India
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Suman Debnath

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Software Developer

Location
New Delhi, Delhi, India
Toptal Member Since
February 14, 2015

Suman has been building web applications on various platforms, including Ruby, JavaScript, and PHP, for over a dozen years. He has led the rescue and development of multiple data-intensive, high-traffic applications that leverage cloud platforms like Heroku and AWS. Suman's more well-known works are the NDTV website, which recently registered over 13 billion hits in a single day, and the financial information portal NDTV Profit.

Portfolio

HappyFunCorp
Amazon Web Services (AWS), PostgreSQL, Node.js, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Heroku...
NDTV
Amazon Web Services (AWS), PostgreSQL, Zend Framework, Ruby on Rails (RoR)...
GlobalLogic
Amazon Web Services (AWS), PostgreSQL, Django, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Ruby, Git...

Experience

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Git, Ruby on Rails 7

The most amazing...

...application I’ve built is a push messaging platform that scales itself based on multiple custom parameters and limits.

Work Experience

Solutions Architect (Remote)

2012 - PRESENT
HappyFunCorp
  • Built an API platform on Node.js, AWS Lambda, AWS API Gateway, and AWS DynamoDB for a high-traffic location tracker. Used AWS CloudFormation, AWS CodePipeline, and AWS CodeBuild for deployment.
  • Created eCommerce platform for car lease/purchase on React, Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, and Heroku. Used Dwolla for peer-to-peer payments. Added a management console for buyers and sellers.
  • Built a donation platform for social causes on React, Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, and Heroku. Used Yodlee/Plaid to capture transactions and Stripe for direct payments to recipients. Added a management console for donors and recipients.
  • Developed an API platform for a HIPAA-compliant patient referral and messaging network on Ruby on Rails and PostgreSQL. Used Docker for deployment to Healthcare Blocks, a HIPAA-compliant container service.
  • Built an eCommerce platform on Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, and Heroku that wraps Shopify and adds multi-vendor support. Added a product, order, and shipping management console for vendors with an automated payment process.
  • Made an API and eCommerce platform on Ruby on Rails that allows parents to schedule/transfer allowances to their children, control and monitor their spend activity, and purchase gifts. Used PostgreSQL, AWS, and Braintree.
  • Created a social media analytics SaaS platform with Backbone.js, Ruby on Rails, that tracks a large number of social media metrics. We made API clients for multiple services and web crawlers where API access was unavailable.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), PostgreSQL, Node.js, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Heroku, Ruby, Shopify, React, AWS CloudFormation, AWS Lambda, RSpec, Test-driven Development (TDD), Stripe, Git, Vue, Amazon EC2, SQL, MySQL, jQuery, Dwolla API, Twilio API, JSON API, Application Architecture, Capybara, AWS CodePipeline, JavaScript, Agile Software Development, MobX, WordPress Plugins, Braintree API, Redux, Ember.js, React Redux, Terraform, Google Cloud, Back-end, Payment Processing, Payment Gateways, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), API Development, Technical Leadership, Stripe Payments, Stripe API, Software Architecture, Rails Engines, Serverless, Ruby on Rails 7, Stimulus, TypeScript, Next.js, Microservices, API Integration, APIs

Lead Architect

2009 - 2012
NDTV
  • Rebuilt NDTV Profit, an application that processes large volumes of financial data across hundreds of categories to more than a million daily visitors and API clients.
  • Designed and led the rebuilding of the NDTV website, one of India's most popular news applications. Built an API platform for a large variety of enterprise API consumers.
  • Built a search platform for NDTV applications. The service indexes content across products and exposes advanced search features via REST and JavaScript APIs.
  • Built a platform enabling NDTV applications to push content to mobile devices and browsers. A combination of REST and JavaScript APIs allow developers to build arbitrary applications on the platform.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), PostgreSQL, Zend Framework, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Ruby, Heroku, Git, Amazon EC2, SQL, MySQL, jQuery, JSON API, Application Architecture, JavaScript, PHP, Back-end, API Development, Technical Leadership, Software Architecture, Ruby on Rails 7, Microservices, API Integration, APIs

Lead Engineer

2008 - 2009
GlobalLogic
  • Led the development team for CumulusIQ, an on-demand knowledge marketplace that brings together consumers and providers of information on multiple topics.
  • Led the Indian development team for Mamapedia, a community and content platform for parents.
  • Helped multiple product teams to migrate to AWS and cloud-native architecture.
  • Built multiple product teams: screened candidates, interviewed them, and sent hiring recommendations.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), PostgreSQL, Django, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Ruby, Git, Amazon EC2, SQL, MySQL, jQuery, JavaScript, Agile Software Development, Back-end, Payment Processing, Payment Gateways, API Development, Technical Leadership, Software Architecture, Ruby on Rails 7

Technical Manager

2004 - 2008
Srijan Technologies
  • Led the Indian development team for the Bahag AG intranet.
  • Spearheaded the Indian development team for the Greenpeace International intranet and its other projects.
  • Conducted the Indian development team for Key Curriculum Press and acted as client liaison and on-site coordinator.
Technologies: Django, Ruby on Rails (RoR), PHP, Ruby, SQL, MySQL, jQuery, JavaScript, Back-end, Technical Leadership, Ruby on Rails 7

Bookshop

As the lead developer and technical architect at HappyFunCorp, I was tasked with developing Bookshop.org for our client. I began as the only developer, focusing on customizing the Solidus eCommerce framework, which is based on Ruby on Rails. This involved scaling the framework to suit the unique requirements of an online platform supporting independent booksellers.

A significant aspect of my work was integrating Elasticsearch into the system. This was crucial for enhancing performance and addressing scalability issues, especially vital during periods of increased traffic like the COVID-19 pandemic surge. In addition to technical development, I managed complex integrations with Ingram's fulfillment system to ensure a seamless user experience.

Throughout the project, I led the team through various challenges, contributing significantly to the evolution of Bookshop.org. My efforts were key in establishing the platform as a robust and high-performing website, supporting the growth and stability of independent bookstores in the digital space.

NDTV Profit

http://profit.ndtv.com
As the lead architect at NDTV Convergence, I was responsible for the ambitious redevelopment of NDTV Profit, a high-traffic financial data platform. Within a challenging two-month timeframe, I chose Ruby on Rails for its robust features, crucial for processing and displaying large volumes of financial data from CSV files on an FTP server. To address performance issues, I innovated with direct MySQL imports, bypassing standard ActiveRecord methods, thus significantly enhancing data processing speed.

Post-launch, I focused on optimizing the platform further. This involved streamlining SQL queries, implementing efficient caching with Memcached, and integrating Sphinx for rapid searches. Smart JavaScript was also used to update data, ensuring continuous performance during high-traffic periods dynamically.

This project was a technical endeavor and a valuable learning experience in scalability and resource management under tight deadlines. My efforts led to substantial improvements in NDTV Profit's performance and stability, setting a benchmark in the realm of financial data platforms.

NDTV.com

http://www.ndtv.com/elections-news/ndtv-com-sets-new-record-for-highest-traffic-on-an-indian-website-in-a-single-day-563184
As the lead architect at NDTV Convergence, I was at the helm of a major overhaul for NDTV.com, a significant digital arm of NDTV. Initially built on the Movable Type CMS, the site struggled with scalability and front-end update challenges. To address these, I implemented PHP with the Zend Framework for the front end, while still utilizing Movable Type's database. This approach maintained the familiar data handling environment, adding PHP's flexibility and scalability.

In this transformation, I updated the technological framework and introduced modern development practices, including Git for version control. I also integrated Sphinx for accelerated search capabilities and Memcached for more efficient caching. These advancements significantly boosted the site's performance and scalability, leading to better cache control and reduced server costs.

The impact of these changes was profound. The revamped platform set a record in the Indian digital space by recording an unprecedented thirteen billion hits and 11.6 million unique visitors in just one day, marking a milestone in the site's history and demonstrating the overhaul's success.

Languages

Ruby, JavaScript, PHP, SQL, Java, C++, UML, TypeScript

Frameworks

Ruby on Rails (RoR), Electron, Capybara, Ember.js, Redux, Serverless Framework, Stimulus, Next.js, Zend Framework, Django

Libraries/APIs

JSON API, API Development, Rails Engines, Node.js, Stripe, Braintree API, MobX, React, AmplifyJS, Vue, React Redux, Stripe API, Dwolla API, Twilio API, jQuery, Sidekiq

Tools

AWS CloudFormation, RSpec, Git, Terraform

Paradigms

Test-driven Development (TDD), Microservices, Application Architecture, Agile Software Development, Service-oriented Architecture (SOA)

Platforms

AWS Lambda, Shopify, Heroku, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon EC2, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Solidus

Other

AWS CodePipeline, Back-end, Technical Leadership, API Integration, Ruby on Rails 7, APIs, Amazon API Gateway, WordPress Plugins, Payment Processing, Payment Gateways, Stripe Payments, Software Architecture, Serverless, Operating Systems, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Background Jobs, System Design, Technical Architecture, Remote Team Leadership

Storage

PostgreSQL, Google Cloud, MySQL, RDBMS, Elasticsearch, Sphinx Search Engine

2000 - 2001

Post Graduate Diploma In Advanced Computing in Software Engineering

Centre for Development of Advanced Computing - Kolkata, India

1996 - 2000

Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering

North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology - Arunachal Pradesh, India

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