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Cape Town · South Africa

Full-Stack Engineer
Digital products · Platforms · Systems

Yonela

Engineering · Architecture · Product

I build digital products from idea to production, combining product thinking, frontend engineering, backend systems and architecture across web and mobile.

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Web · Mobile · Systems

Building end-to-end

01 / 06
Case Studies

Built to ship.

A closer look at the products and systems I’ve worked on, from production commerce to products I’ve built independently.

05+Years experience
12+Production storefronts
100K+Monthly visitors
Professional work

Production Commerce

Shopify Hydrogen · React · TypeScript

The work

Worked across 6+ production commerce products for global retail and fashion brands, building customer-facing storefronts with Shopify Hydrogen, React and TypeScript.

My role

Frontend and full-stack engineering across storefront architecture, commerce integrations, reusable systems, performance and production delivery.

Outcome

Production storefronts supporting 100K+ monthly visitors, with a focus on reliable systems, maintainable code and polished customer experiences.

Built with
Shopify HydrogenReactNext.jsExpoTypeScriptShopifyGraphQLNode.js
Independent work

Products I’ve Built

Platforms · Marketplaces · Commerce · SaaS

The work

A collection of products I’ve designed and built from the ground up — from community platforms and marketplaces to commerce, booking and business products.

My role

End-to-end product engineering across product thinking, frontend, backend systems, architecture, data, APIs, real-time features, payments and mobile.

Outcome

Products including Maya, Zama, Be Pleasured by Pinky, HOT Beauties, MARKDAE and DailyBookings, each built around a real product problem rather than as a portfolio exercise.

Built with
Next.jsReactTypeScriptNode.jsNestJSPostgreSQLPrismaExpo
More than screenshots

The interesting part is what had to be solved to get a product from an idea into something people can actually use.

Start a project

From idea
to production.

A straightforward process built around understanding the problem first, then turning the right idea into something useful, reliable and ready for the real world.

01Step 01

Understand the problem

Before writing code, I want to understand what you are trying to build, who it is for, and what actually needs to exist for it to be useful. This is where we turn the idea into something concrete.

ProductUsersScope
Scope call
What do you need this product to do?
Something clear, fast, and easy for our team to manage.
Got it. Then we keep the first version focused and practical.
Exactly. That’s what we need.
02Step 02

Plan the system

Once the direction is clear, I work out how the product should be structured — the architecture, data, services, integrations, and technical decisions that will support it as it grows.

ArchitectureDataStack
setup — zsh
$ git init && pnpm install
✓ database ready
✓ environments configured
✓ deployment pipeline ready
› foundation ready
03Step 03

Build the foundation

I build the parts underneath the interface: databases, APIs, authentication, business logic, integrations, and the infrastructure that makes the product actually work.

BackendAPIsInfrastructure
api · /v1
GET/projects
POST/projects
GET/projects/:id
PATCH/projects/:id
POST/media/upload
04Step 04

Build the experience

Then I build the product people interact with. Interfaces, flows, responsive behaviour and the details that make the experience feel clear, fast and intentional.

FrontendUXPerformance
company.com
05Step 05

Connect everything

The product usually does not live on its own. I connect the services, admin tools, dashboards, payments, third-party APIs and internal workflows needed to make the whole system useful.

IntegrationsAdminWorkflows
admin · cms
06Step 06

Test, refine & ship

I test what I build, find what breaks, refine the rough edges and keep improving it with real feedback. The goal is not just to finish the build — it is to get something useful into production.

TestingIterationLaunch
review · feedback
Tighten the structure
Adjust the copy
Improve the flow
Polish the mobile version

The result

Not just something that works. Something that feels right to use.

The goal is a product that is technically sound, easy to understand, and ready to evolve after the first version ships.

Technical Expertise

Tech Stack

The technologies, frameworks, and tools I work with to design, build, and ship modern web applications, mobile products, APIs, and real-time systems.

Frontend Engineering

Modern web applications & UI systems

React
Expert
Next.js
Advanced
Vue.js | Nuxt.js
Advanced
TypeScript
Advanced
JavaScript
Advanced
Tailwind CSS
Expert

Backend Engineering

APIs, services & application architecture

Node.js
Advanced
NestJS
Proficient
Express.js
Expert
REST APIs
Advanced
Prisma
Proficient
WebSockets
Proficient

Databases & Data

Relational & document-based data systems

MongoDB
Advanced
PostgreSQL
Proficient
Redis
Proficient
Neon
Proficient
Supabase
Proficient

Mobile Engineering

Cross-platform mobile applications

React Native
Advanced
Expo
Advanced
Expo Router
Proficient
EAS Build
Proficient
WebRTC
Proficient
Socket.IO
Proficient

Cloud & DevOps

Deployment, infrastructure & developer tooling

AWS
Proficient
Amazon S3
Proficient
Docker
Proficient
Git
Advanced
GitHub
Advanced
CI/CD
Proficient

Architecture & Tooling

Scalable project structures & developer workflows

Turborepo
Proficient
Monorepos
Proficient
API Architecture
Advanced
Authentication
Proficient
Real-Time Systems
Proficient
Responsive UI
Advanced

AI & Development

AI-assisted development & modern workflows

Generative AI
Proficient
GPT / Claude
Advanced
AI-Assisted Development
Advanced
API Integration
Advanced

Security & Design

Application security & product design tooling

API Security
Proficient
JWT / Sessions
Proficient
GraphQL
Advanced
Selected Work

Projects

A selection of digital products I've designed, built, and shipped — spanning social platforms, commerce, SaaS, marketplaces, real-time systems, and mobile experiences.

Project
Currently viewing
DailyBookingsMarketplace · Booking · Services

DailyBookings

Platforms
web
Status
IN PROGRESS
Visit project
The project

A service marketplace that connects customers with local professionals across a wide range of categories. DailyBookings enables users to discover services, compare providers, manage bookings and communicate with businesses through a unified booking platform.

The thinking

The goal was to simplify how people find and book trusted local services while giving businesses powerful tools to manage their online presence, appointments, customers and growth from a single platform.

Core capabilities
01Service marketplace
02Business profiles
03Online bookings
04Category discovery
05Advanced search
06Messaging
07Reviews & ratings
08Customer accounts
09Business dashboards
10Admin platform
Get in touch

Let's build
something.

Good products start with a good conversation. If you have a product, platform or system worth building, let's talk.

Full-Stack Engineer · South Africa

Email

johannesyonela@gmail.com

Based

Cape Town, South Africa

Start a conversation

Have something
worth building?

Tell me what you're working on, what needs solving, or where you need engineering support.

Remote/Hybrid
Cape Town · South Africa