Hello, I'm

Abed Murrar

Senior Backend Engineer

I'm a senior backend engineer specializing in scalable microservices, API design, and cloud infrastructure. With hands-on expertise in Node.js, TypeScript, MySQL, Redis, and AWS ECS, I design fault-tolerant distributed systems that power real-world products. Beyond code, I'm deeply invested in security, observability, and mentoring the next generation of engineers in my community.

<!-- Senior Backend Engineer -->
<senior-engineer>
<personal>
<name>Abed Murrar</name>
<title>Senior Backend Engineer</title>
<location>Palestine</location>
</personal>
<technical-stack>
<languages>Node.js, TypeScript, JavaScript</languages>
<databases>MySQL, Redis, MongoDB</databases>
<cloud>AWS ECS, S3, Lambda</cloud>
<tools>Docker, BullMQ, Socket.IO</tools>
</technical-stack>
</senior-engineer>

About Me

Senior backend engineer with extensive experience in designing, building, and scaling microservice architectures. Skilled in creating fault-tolerant distributed systems, API design, and cloud infrastructure automation. Known for hands-on expertise in Node.js, TypeScript, MySQL, Redis, and AWS ECS, as well as strong experience in DevOps, system security, and observability.

6+ Years Experience

Extensive experience building and scaling backend systems for startups and enterprise companies, from e-commerce to talent platforms.

Microservices & Security

Expert in designing fault-tolerant microservices, implementing JWT secret rotation, and building secure, GDPR-compliant systems.

Remote Work Excellence

Professional home office setup with high-quality microphone, camera, and calm environment for optimal remote collaboration and productivity.

Professional Experience

Building scalable systems and leading technical teams

Backend Node Engineer

Sep 2021 - Present

Localized · 100% Remote | USA

Talent Tech Platform for Growth Markets - localized.world - Connecting university students and alumni with employers and industry experts.

  • • Led the migration from Python Django to TypeScript ExpressJS, enhancing scalability and availability while achieving dramatic performance improvements
  • • Dramatically improved API performance: Reduced response times from 700ms+ to under 200ms (and under 100ms with Redis caching), with even the most complex APIs now completing in under 400ms
  • • Comprehensive database optimization: Resolved N+1 problems, implemented proper indexing, eliminated SELECT * queries, added connection pooling, optimized transactions, and implemented eager loading strategies
  • • Managed essential API integrations including Zoom, ChatGPT, Mandrill, MailChimp, Google Firebase, Google Places, Algolia, Pusher, and Circle.so, enhancing user interaction and system functionality
  • • Architected and maintained 3 API microservices using AWS ECS for chat, authentication, and global data handling, which significantly improved system reliability
  • • Developed centralized Socket.IO server for real-time notifications and events management, replacing PusherJS with a custom solution for better control and cost efficiency
  • • Implemented multiple background workers using BullMQ for processing jobs, data synchronization, and automated tasks
  • • Supported 4 NextJS frontend applications with primary focus on backend integrations and admin panel development, while contributing bug fixes and minor features across the frontend stack
  • • Implemented AWS S3 pre-signed URLs for secure file uploading and used AWS SQS for batch processing and internal communication
  • • Developed serverless AWS Lambda functions for dynamic image resizing, optimizing resource utilization
  • • Architected webhook management system for connecting platform events with external clients and third-party platforms, enabling real-time data synchronization and event-driven integrations
  • • Developed comprehensive jobs scraping solutions using feed APIs in XML and JSON, and implemented HTML page scraping using fetch and Cheerio for job board data extraction, ensuring high data accuracy and availability through event-driven architecture with BullMQ
  • • Contributed to MongoDB data lake implementation, utilizing Redis Streams within microservices architecture to enhance data aggregation and retrieval capabilities
TypeScript ExpressJS Socket.IO NextJS AWS ECS AWS S3/SQS/Lambda MySQL MongoDB Redis Streams BullMQ

Full Stack Engineer

Feb 2020 - Sep 2021

Vatrin · Hybrid (On-site/Remote) | Ramallah, Palestine

Online shopping destination for clothing, shoes and accessories in Palestine - vatrin.com (archived, e-commerce platform discontinued due to business model change).

  • • Initiated and managed the transition from social media selling on Instagram and Facebook to a Shopify website, integrating Shopify's GraphQL API for enhanced product management and customer interaction
  • • Developed an admin panel and Product Experience Management (PXM) system using TypeScript and ExpressJS, which streamlined the management of product details and employee information
  • • Strategic business impact: This shift significantly boosted online sales and supported the company's rapid growth, leading to an expanded team and increased market reach
  • • Architected high-performance product scraper system capable of processing 10,000+ products per hour from 50+ vendor websites using Puppeteer with rotating proxies, user agent rotation, cookie management, and custom script injection per site
  • • Revolutionary automation impact: Transformed manual process from 20 products/day to 10,000 products/hour (500x improvement), enabling the team to handle peak traffic of 30,000 concurrent sessions that would have been impossible with social media-only approach
  • • Implemented automated product processing pipeline including text translation, price calculation with tax/import fee equations, PXM integration for product management, and seamless Shopify synchronization
  • • Implemented a robust Event-Driven Architecture using BullMQ, optimizing data integration and system scalability for better performance
  • • Implemented a B2B platform using Laravel, facilitating local retailers' ability to sell their products on our site
  • • Integrated APIs with partners and local delivery services for seamless business operations and customer experience
  • • Managed backend solutions with MySQL and Redis, utilizing Docker to maintain consistency across development environments, supporting a growing development team
  • • Managed Digital Ocean hosting and optimized web images, ensuring robust performance and efficient resource utilization
TypeScript ExpressJS Nunjucks MVC Laravel Shopify GraphQL BullMQ Headless Chrome Digital Ocean

Full Stack Developer

Aug 2019 - Nov 2019

Mada Al Arab · Contract Project

Temporary contract: Collaborated with development team to migrate company's private CRM system from native PHP to Django Python.

  • • Collaborated with development team to migrate company's private CRM system from native PHP to Django Python
  • • Enhanced data handling and query optimization, streamlining processing times and increasing efficiency
  • • Improved efficiency of large-scale data management systems through systematic optimization
Django Python MySQL Redis

Full Stack Developer

Apr 2019 - Jul 2019

Arabic Ontology · Contract Project

Temporary contract: Search engine for Arabic Ontology and 100s of Arabic dictionaries for concepts and meanings - ontology.birzeit.edu.

  • • Enhanced AngularJS application for improved SEO using Schema.org structured data
  • • Wrote scripts to generate SEO-optimized static pages
  • • Performed key bug fixes and performance improvements
AngularJS Node.js JavaScript MySQL

Frontend Developer

Jul 2018 - Feb 2019

ASAL Technologies · Contract Project

Temporary contract: Developed custom admin panel and mobile application components.

  • • Developed custom admin panel using React, Redux (with Redux Thunk), and React Router
  • • Leveraged Material UI for design aesthetics and consistent user interface
  • • Integrated Firebase for push notifications in cross-platform mobile application
  • • Worked with AngularJS and Cordova for mobile app development
React Redux Material UI Firebase AngularJS

Internship: Full-Stack Development

Feb 2018 - May 2018

ASAL Technologies · University Internship

Student internship focused on JavaScript and full-stack development fundamentals.

  • • HTML5 and CSS3 fundamentals and best practices
  • • Vanilla JavaScript programming and DOM manipulation
  • • jQuery for enhanced JavaScript functionality
  • • Forms and validation techniques
  • • NodeJS and ExpressJS backend development
  • • MongoDB database integration and management
  • • React & Redux for modern frontend development
HTML5 CSS3 JavaScript jQuery Node.js Express.js MongoDB React

Education

Academic foundation in computer science

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Birzeit University

Palestine

Comprehensive computer science education providing strong foundation in algorithms, data structures, software engineering principles, and system design. This academic background has been instrumental in developing the analytical thinking and problem-solving skills essential for building scalable backend systems and leading technical teams.

Academic Excellence

  • • Top of Class in AI and Algorithms courses
  • • Top of Class in Data Structures courses
  • • Self-driven learning in Trees & Graphs beyond university curriculum
  • • Multi-language implementations of advanced data structures (Java, C, Python)
  • • Strong foundation in theoretical computer science

Technical Interests

  • • Signals & Systems - Convolution, Fourier transforms & series
  • • Digital Signal Processing - Advanced signal analysis
  • • Data Compression - MP3, MP4, JPEG, ZIP, Huffman coding
  • • Trees & Graphs - Advanced structures, self-taught beyond curriculum
  • • Graph algorithms - Dijkstra, pathfinding optimization
  • • Backtracking algorithms - Constraint satisfaction
  • • Microcontrollers - Embedded systems programming
  • • x86 Assembly - Low-level system programming
  • • Game Development - Gaming storytelling and narrative design
  • • Operating Systems - Deep Linux knowledge and system internals

Technical Expertise & Vision

Deep specialization in core technologies and leadership aspirations

Domain Expertise

Specialized experience in high-growth technology sectors

Talent Tech Platforms

4+ years building scalable platforms connecting students, alumni, and employers across growth markets

  • • User management & profile systems
  • • Event & conference integrations
  • • Job matching & application systems
  • • Real-time notifications & chat
  • • Microservices architecture

E-commerce & Marketplaces

2+ years developing high-performance e-commerce platforms with advanced automation and scaling capabilities

  • • Product catalog management
  • • Multi-vendor marketplace systems
  • • Advanced web scraping & automation
  • • Payment & order processing
  • • B2B platform development

Core Technologies

Node.js
Primary Expertise
TypeScript
Type Safety
BullMQ
Queue Management
MySQL
Database Design
Redis
Caching & Sessions

Development Environment

  • • IDEs: Cursor, VS Code, JetBrains DataGrip
  • • OS: Ubuntu Linux
  • • Runtime: Node.js with TypeScript
  • • Databases: MySQL, Redis
  • • Containerization: Docker

Career Vision

Tech Lead Role

Leading technical teams and architectural decisions

Team Leadership

Mentoring developers and driving technical excellence

Continuous Learning

Newsletters, trending GitHub projects, changelogs

Community & Mentorship

Giving back to the tech community through knowledge sharing and mentorship

Backend Engineering Workshops

Volunteer instructor at local academies

  • • API monitoring & logging best practices
  • • SQL optimization & query design patterns
  • • System design tradeoffs and architecture decisions
  • • Caching pitfalls & consistency challenges
  • • Observability & performance debugging techniques

Full-Stack Development Training Program

3-month formal training program with weekly university reports

Curriculum & Technologies

  • • Linux commands & system administration
  • • Git & GitHub version control
  • • HTML5, CSS3, Semantic HTML
  • • Flexbox & CSS Grid layouts
  • • Express.js MVC architecture
  • • RESTful API development
  • • React.js frontend framework
  • • JWT authentication systems
  • • Next.js full-stack framework

Teaching Approach

  • • Structured curriculum with project-based phases
  • • Daily calendar events for dedicated teaching time
  • • Weekly progress reports to university
  • • Hands-on projects for each learning phase
  • • Real-world applications and industry practices
  • • Mentoring approach - learning from each trainee
  • • Job placement success - students secured tech positions

Open Source Contributions

Active contributor to the developer community with published NPM packages and Stack Overflow participation.

NPM Packages

Published utility packages for the community

Stack Overflow

101 reputation, 16 answers, 6k+ reached

Top Expertise

Node.js, JavaScript, Knex.js, MySQL

Community Impact

Committed to helping the next generation of Palestinian engineers build successful careers in technology.

Formal Training

3-month full-stack development program

Student Success

Trainees secured tech positions

University Partnership

Weekly reports and structured curriculum

Get In Touch

Ready to build something amazing? Let's connect.