MF ~/fragiadakis_

Currently @ ICE Digital Trade

Hi, I'm Mike.
Senior Back-End PHP Developer

I build robust back-end systems, APIs and data layers that keep serious businesses moving.

Piraeus, Attica, Greece

Connect on LinkedIn View experience
Developer.php 
<?php

namespace Fragiadakis;

final class Developer
{
    public string $name    = 'Mike Fragiadakis';
    public string $role    = 'Senior PHP Developer';
    public string $company = 'ICE Digital Trade';
    public int    $years   = 16;

    public array  $stack = [
        'PHP', 'CodeIgniter', 'Yii2',
        'MySQL', 'PostgreSQL', 'Docker',
    ];

    public function motto(): string
    {
        return 'Ship robust, scalable back-ends.';
    }
}▍
  • 16+years building for the web
  • 6countries of distributed teams
  • 70k+companies on the platform I work on
  • 8years co-running a startup

01 · about

Back-end first,
business aware.

I'm a back-end web developer with over 15 years in the industry, specialised in PHP frameworks, database architecture, RESTful API development and system integration.

I've worked in both startups and corporate environments, with teams spread across Greece, the UK, the USA, India, Poland and Australia. I enjoy mentoring junior developers and acting as the bridge between technical teams and business stakeholders.

AI is now part of how I work every day. I use AI coding agents such as Claude Code to move faster on scaffolding, refactoring and reviews, while architecture, security and the final call stay firmly in human hands. I also build for AI: TheGHoppers exposes an MCP server so assistants can work with its data, Embers of Olympus is an experiment in how far one developer and AI can take a whole game, and in my home lab I run large language models locally to learn what they really need from the hardware.

From 2014 to 2022 I also co-founded and ran Agrologies, an agri-tech startup that brought IoT sensors and automation to farmers — and I still tinker with microcontrollers and single-board computers whenever I get the chance.

  • Greek — Native
  • English — Professional proficiency

02 · what I'm working on now

ICE Digital Trade

formerly essDOCS · part of Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) · Senior PHP Developer since 2022 · Athens · Hybrid

ICE Digital Trade digitises, automates and accelerates trade and post-trade operations for tens of thousands of companies across commodities, energy and banking — replacing paper-heavy workflows such as bills of lading, warehouse warrants and certificates of origin with secure digital documents.

About ICE Digital Trade

API design

Designing and evolving the APIs that connect traders, banks, carriers and chambers of commerce to the platform.

Database optimisation

Tuning queries and data models so the platform stays fast under high-demand, business-critical workloads.

Scalability

Building back-end services that scale with global trade volumes and strict reliability expectations.

Leading & mentoring

Leading back-end efforts in cross-functional teams across Greece, UK, USA and India; mentoring juniors and collaborating on QA.

03 · stack

Tools of the trade

Back-end

  • PHP
  • CodeIgniter 3 / 4
  • Yii2
  • RESTful APIs
  • WebSockets

Data

  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • SQL optimisation
  • Database architecture

Front-end

  • HTML5
  • CSS3
  • JavaScript
  • jQuery
  • AJAX

DevOps & process

  • Docker
  • CI/CD
  • Git workflows
  • GitHub / Bitbucket
  • Agile / Scrum

Environments

  • Linux
  • Windows
  • macOS
  • PhpStorm
  • VS Code
  • cPanel / Plesk

Hardware & IoT

  • Arduino
  • Raspberry Pi
  • BeagleBone
  • Intel Galileo
  • Particle Electron / Photon

AI

  • AI coding agents
  • Claude Code
  • MCP servers
  • Local LLM inference
  • AI-assisted game dev

04 · experience

Where I've been

  1. 2022 — Present

    Senior Back-End PHP Developer @ ICE Digital Trade

    Athens, Greece · Hybrid

    Developing robust back-end systems for digital commodity-trading platforms under ICE (Intercontinental Exchange). API design, database optimisation and system scalability in a high-demand environment. Working directly with stakeholders to align back-end features with business logic and trade requirements.

    • PHP
    • APIs
    • SQL
    • Scalability
    • Mentoring
  2. 2014 — 2022

    Co-Founder @ Agrologies

    Greece

    Agri-tech startup that helped professionals manage croplands effectively: wireless sensors controlled irrigation remotely and gave farmers immediate access to weather forecasts and on-site conditions such as temperature and humidity. Built the startup team, prototyped web and mobile apps and scalable tooling for IoT device integration.

    • IoT
    • Startup
    • Web & mobile
  3. 2020 — 2022

    Web Developer @ Flexopack

    Greece · Poland · Australia

    Development and maintenance of production and personnel management software across multiple international sites. Tailored admin interfaces reduced manual input errors by 50%.

    • Internal tools
    • Process optimisation
  4. 2019 — 2020

    Web Developer @ Megasoft

    Greece

    Back-end PHP development, internal websites and UI applications. Led development projects and redesign initiatives, and automated deployment processes to shorten time-to-release.

    • PHP
    • Deployment automation
  5. 2015 — 2018

    Web Developer @ Apintech

    Greece

    Dynamic, static and custom websites plus mobile applications. Full development cycles from design to deployment with a focus on performance and security.

    • Websites
    • Mobile apps
  6. 2010 — 2014

    Freelance Web Developer @ Self-employed

    Greece

    Tailor-made web and mobile solutions for small businesses and entrepreneurs, working directly with clients from requirements to deployment.

    • Freelance
    • Client work
  7. 2013

    Intern — HPC Systems & GPU Development @ Glasgow Caledonian University

    Glasgow, UK

    High-performance computing systems management and GPU / distributed applications development.

    • HPC
    • GPU
    • Distributed systems
  8. 2010 — 2013

    Lab Assistant — Industrial Automation & Information Networks @ TEI of Crete

    Heraklion, Crete

    Maintained lab equipment, supported course delivery and contributed to the "Wireless Sensor Network for Monitoring Space and Power Saving" project.

    • Wireless sensor networks
    • Teaching

Education

BA in Applied Informatics & Multimedia

Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Crete, Greece

Certificate in Telecommunications & Multimedia Technologies

VIA University College, Horsens, Denmark — Erasmus Intensive Programme, European Summer School · 2011

05 · after hours

Hobbies & side projects

All hobby projects

In development

Embers of Olympus

A dark, loot-driven action RPG set in ancient Greek mythology — built with AI, as much as humanly possible.

  • Game dev
  • Action RPG
  • AI-assisted
  • Greek mythology

Live

TheGHoppers

A growing gaming community — guides, builds, trading, tournaments and ladders. It starts with the four Diablo games, with more games coming soon.

  • Gaming community
  • Diablo
  • More games soon

Always in progress

Home lab & servers

Proxmox, three TrueNAS boxes and an Ubuntu server — my playground for testing, breaking and rebuilding infrastructure.

  • Proxmox
  • TrueNAS
  • Ubuntu Server
  • Self-hosting
  • Local LLMs

Live

mboufos.com

The home of mboufos, my gamer alter ego: action RPGs with Diablo on top, the occasional stream and TheGHoppers, the gaming community I started.

  • Gaming
  • Diablo
  • EN / EL

06 · contact

Let's build something solid.

Open to interesting conversations about PHP, APIs, trade tech and IoT. The best way to reach me is on LinkedIn.

Message me on LinkedIn