Karan Mali - Backend & Full-Stack Developer
Backend Systems Engineer | Node.js, Go, AWS Expert
Building powerful, scalable backend systems with multi-tenant architectures, RBAC implementations, and high-performance APIs using Node.js, Golang, PostgreSQL, and AWS.
Backend Development Philosophy: First Principles Thinking
How I approach complex backend engineering problems
80% Thinking, 20% Coding
I believe backend development is fundamentally about problem-solving. Before writing a single line of code, I spend time understanding the problem from first principles.
This approach has helped me build systems that not only work but scale efficiently and remain maintainable as requirements evolve.
Understand the Problem
Break down complex requirements into fundamental components
Design for Scale
Consider how the system will behave with 10x, 100x more load
Implement Simply
Choose the simplest solution that meets all requirements
My Software Engineering Journey: From Student to Backend Developer
Career progression in backend development and full-stack engineering
Started Engineering
Began Bachelor of Engineering at DY Patil College, Kolhapur
First Professional Role
Joined PixelSaffron as Backend Developer, built scalable e-commerce systems
Software Engineer
Joined Autonomis, focused on Problem-Solving and User Experience
Seeking Backend Engineer Roles
Ready for Backend Engineer positions at innovative startups
Professional Experience: Backend & Full-Stack Development
Building scalable systems and delivering measurable impact
Software Developer
Autonomis
Key Achievements
- •Built RBAC sharing system with fine-grained view/edit permissions
- •Designed multi-tenant architecture with invite system and role management
- •Established MIS report dashboards with customizable views automating report delivery through Airflow
- •Reduced bug-related downtime by 50% by troubleshooting and resolving issues in AI-generated backend code
Technologies
Backend Developer
PixelSaffron
Key Achievements
- •Built backend for clothing brand with MongoDB, Express, Node.js
- •Integrated PhonePe with webhook-based real-time order updates
- •Created wallet + coupon system with RazorPay + PhonePe payment flows
- •Optimized analytics via indexing + database views
Technologies
Backend & Full-Stack Projects Portfolio
Production-ready applications showcasing Node.js, Go, and system design expertise
Auto-Blog - AI-Powered Content Creation
Automated blog generation using AI to create and publish content
Problem
Content creators needed an efficient way to generate high-quality blog posts quickly without sacrificing quality.
Solution
Developed an AI-powered platform that generates, formats, and publishes blog content automatically, with customizable templates and SEO optimization.
Mini Ride Booking
A lightweight ride-hailing service with real-time tracking
Problem
Existing ride-hailing solutions were too complex for small-scale operations and local businesses.
Solution
Created a simplified ride-booking platform with real-time location tracking, fare calculation, and driver-passenger matching algorithms.
Elevare - AI Email Management
Full-stack AI-powered email manager with custom queue management
Problem
Email management was inefficient with existing tools, requiring a custom solution that could handle high volumes with AI-powered insights.
Solution
Built a complete email management system with custom queue implementation, AI summarization, and real-time analytics.
Enhanced Dimaag - AI Content Sharing
AI-powered YouTube summarization & content sharing app
Problem
Users needed a way to summarize and share long videos efficiently.
Solution
Used LangChain and Gemini to summarize YouTube videos and implemented permission-based sharing with Clerk.
Bidding Management System
Role-based bidding app with Cloudinary integration
Problem
Needed a platform where sellers and bidders could interact seamlessly.
Solution
Created a role-based system for bid management with file uploads and optimized frontend using esbuild.
Matchup - Tournament System
High-concurrency tournament management with Go routines
Problem
Tournament management systems often struggle with concurrent user loads and complex scheduling algorithms.
Solution
Built a robust tournament platform leveraging Go's concurrency features for optimal performance.
Finance Tracker - Personal Finance Management
Comprehensive finance tracking app with analytics and insights
Problem
Users needed a simple yet powerful way to track expenses, income, and analyze spending patterns.
Solution
Built a full-featured finance tracker with SMS parsing, category-based analytics, real-time dashboards, and automated transaction categorization.
Technical Blog: Backend Development Insights
Deep dives into Node.js, Go, database optimization, and system design
The ORM Trap That Cost Me a Backend Job
I’ve been searching for backend-related jobs for almost a month, and I finally got one opportunity — but I messed it up. Here’s my story:
"I cleared the first round, which I didn’t expect because I was asked to write a CREATE TABLE syntax, and I wasn’t very confident with it. I thought that would get me rejected, but surprisingly, I was ...."
About This Post
SQL Secrets for Backend Developers
Lessons learned while scaling complex backend systems, focusing on real-world SQL challenges and performance pitfalls.
"If you’re using SQL in your backend, you’re likely making subtle mistakes that affect performance or reliability. This post covers what I wish I knew earlier — from query planning to schema design."
About This Post
Concurrency Can Kill Your Performance
Sorting millions of records? I thought merge sort was fast enough — until I discovered how concurrency in Go could supercharge it — or sabotage it. Here’s how I implemented parallel merge sort and visualized the gains and tradeoffs.
"I always thought merge sort was efficient — until I ran it on 10 million items. Then I asked, “What if I let Go’s goroutines help?” This blog explores how I used concurrency to drastically cut sort times, complete with graphs, GC stats, and lessons."
About This Post
More Content Coming Soon
I regularly share insights about backend development, system design, and engineering best practices. Follow me on Medium to stay updated with my latest posts.
Follow on MediumTechnical Skills & Expertise: Backend Engineering Stack
Proficient in Node.js, Go, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, AWS, and system design
Programming Languages
Backend Technologies
Databases
System Design
Cloud & DevOps
Frontend & APIs
Core Specializations
First Principles
Breaking down complex problems
System Architecture
Designing scalable systems
Performance
Optimization and efficiency
Concurrency
Parallel processing patterns
Frequently Asked Questions About Karan Mali
Common questions about my work, skills, and projects
Q:Who is Karan Mali?
Karan Mali is a Backend & Full-Stack Developer from India, specializing in Node.js, Golang, Next.js, AWS, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB. He builds scalable backend systems with multi-tenant architectures, RBAC implementations, and high-performance APIs.
Q:What technologies does Karan Mali work with?
Karan primarily works with Node.js, Golang (Go), TypeScript, Next.js, React, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, AWS (ECS/ECR), Docker, Prisma, Drizzle ORM, and system design patterns including multi-tenancy, RBAC, microservices, and queue systems.
Q:What are Karan Mali's major projects?
Karan's notable projects include: (1) Elevare - An AI-powered email management SaaS with 40% faster processing using Next.js and Groq AI, (2) Enhanced Dimaag - YouTube video summarization platform using LangChain and Gemini, (3) Matchup - Tournament management system handling 1000+ concurrent users, (4) Bidding Management System - RBAC-based platform with Cloudinary integration, and (5) Finance Tracker - Personal finance management with SMS parsing and real-time analytics.
Q:What is Karan Mali's professional experience?
Karan Mali currently works as a Software Developer at Autonomis (Dec 2024 - Present), where he built RBAC sharing systems, multi-tenant architecture, MIS dashboards with Airflow, and reduced bug-related downtime by 50%. Previously, he worked as a Backend Developer at PixelSaffron (Oct 2024 - Dec 2024), building e-commerce backends with MongoDB, integrating PhonePe webhooks, and creating wallet/coupon systems.
Q:What is Karan Mali's development philosophy?
Karan follows an '80% Thinking, 20% Coding' philosophy. He believes backend development is fundamentally about problem-solving and spends significant time understanding problems from first principles before writing code. This approach helps him build systems that scale efficiently and remain maintainable as requirements evolve.
Q:Has Karan Mali written any technical blog posts?
Yes, Karan writes technical articles on Medium. His featured post 'The ORM Trap That Cost Me a Backend Job' discusses database optimization and ORM usage patterns. He also has upcoming posts on SQL optimization, Go concurrency, and parallel merge sort implementations.
Q:What makes Karan Mali's backend systems scalable?
Karan designs systems with multi-tenant architecture, implements fine-grained RBAC with view/edit permissions, uses custom queue management for high-performance processing, optimizes databases with indexing and views, and leverages Go's concurrency features for handling thousands of concurrent users.
Q:How can I hire Karan Mali or get in touch?
Karan Mali is available for backend engineer roles at startups and freelance projects. You can contact him via email at karanmali122001@gmail.com, view his projects on GitHub (github.com/KaranMali2001), read his technical blog on Medium (@karanmali122001), or visit his portfolio at karan5599.tech. He is remote-ready and based in India.
Hire Backend Developer: Contact Karan Mali
Available for backend engineer roles and freelance projects
Get In Touch
Currently Seeking
Backend Engineer roles at innovative startups
What I Bring
- • First-principles problem-solving approach
- • Focus on system performance and reliability
- • Passion for clean, maintainable code