Engineer

Software Engineer  ·  Full Stack  ·  Cloud  ·  AI

Arniel

Montero.

I've worked across almost every layer of a tech team. Not because I chased titles — but because each problem I solved opened a door to the next one.

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About / who I am

Curiosity is what drives me.

Not just writing code, but understanding the business need behind it, the people who will use it, and the systems it needs to connect with. That's what's kept me growing — picking up new stacks, new tools, and new problem domains not because I had to, but because the problem demanded it.

I don't stop at "it runs." When something is slow, brittle, or confusing to users, I want to know why. That habit of digging deeper has taken me through full-stack development, cloud infrastructure, ERP systems, SEO, and now AI integration.

I've been in most of the seats — junior dev, senior engineer, team lead, sysadmin. So I know what it feels like to inherit someone else's code, get a vague requirement, or explain a technical decision to a non-technical stakeholder. That range shapes how I communicate, how I plan, and how I support the people around me.

17+
Years in tech
6+
Companies
PHP
Core language
AI
Currently building

Currently working on

AI chatbot with OpenAI + knowledge base
ERP API integrations (Odoo)
Software Engineer · SAWO INC

Skills / what I work with

01
Backend
PHPCodeIgniterNode.jsExpressREST APIsOOPOdoo ERP
02
Frontend
ReactJavaScript ES6jQueryHTML5CSS3Bootstrap
03
Cloud & DevOps
Google CloudLinodeDockerPodmanAlmaLinuxMySQLMariaDB
04
AI & Integrations
OpenAI APIAI ChatbotKnowledge BaseStripePayeezy3rd-party APIs
05
SEO & Analytics
Google Tag ManagerAnalytics 4Search ConsoleKeywordsSitemapAVADA
06
Tools & Process
GitJiraAgileConfluenceZoho SprintsTrelloSlack

Experience / where I've been

Mar 2026 — Present

SAWO INC

Current Role

Software Engineer

  • Promoted from Web Administrator — expanded scope covering full engineering ownership of internal systems.
  • Built a third-party API integration sending contact form data from the company website directly into Odoo ERP.
  • Designed and implemented an AI chatbot using OpenAI, constrained strictly to an internal knowledge base with no open-ended web access.
  • Led new feature development in CodeIgniter within an Agile/Jira workflow.

May 2025 — Feb 2026

SAWO INC

Web Administrator / Developer

  • Developed an in-house Canteen Management System with biometric and RFID integration, including cashiering and cash calculation modules.
  • Built a single-page marketing website and managed full SEO pipeline — keywords, sitemaps, meta optimization, and Google Search Console.
  • Maintained VPS hosting (AlmaLinux 9), cPanel, MariaDB, and administered Odoo ERP across Accounting, Inventory, CRM, Manufacturing, ITSM, and HR.

Mar 2024 — May 2025

FTP Software

Senior Software Engineer

  • Developed and maintained RESTful APIs using CodeIgniter with clean, well-documented code.
  • Integrated Google Cloud Platform for real-time data processing and batch scheduling automation.
  • Managed Docker/Podman environments and Git-based collaboration in an Agile/Jira setting.

Jul 2022 — Dec 2023

Phyrem

Senior Software Developer

  • Led full-stack development using React, Node/Express, and CodeIgniter with scalable architecture.
  • Conducted code reviews and enforced OOP best practices across the team.
  • Coordinated Agile sprints via Zoho Sprints and managed Docker-based deployment pipelines.

May 2018 — Jul 2022

Loyaltypower7

Full Stack Developer

  • Built a custom CMS with React frontend and Node/Express backend.
  • Managed Linode cloud infrastructure and integrated STRIPE and Payeezy payment gateways with SSL security.

2007 — 2018

Earlier roles

PHP Developer · IT Staff

  • PHP Developer at SMEAG Korean School — built school website, QR Code ID system, and inventory management system.
  • IT Staff at Intellicare/Asalus HMO — managed network infrastructure, Windows Server 2012, SQL Server, and VoIP systems.
  • PHP Developer at DigiTeam Software — built custom POS systems, CMS websites, and implemented SEO for multiple clients.

Projects / things I've built

AI Node.js Vercel OpenRouter Turso / libSQL

SAWO AIDA — AI Chat Widget

An embeddable AI chatbot (Aida) built for SAWO Inc. — powered by OpenRouter and backed by a serverless API with a Turso database. The chatbot answers only from a curated internal knowledge base, keeping responses accurate and on-brand. The API key never touches the browser; it lives in the database and is fetched server-side on every request. Includes a full admin panel for managing the knowledge base, AI model config, and system prompt — all deployable with a single script embed.

Vanilla JS Node.js Serverless OpenRouter API Turso libSQL Vercel REST API
Laravel PHP MySQL AI REST API

AI Task Manager — Backend API

A RESTful backend API for an AI-powered task management system built with Laravel, Sanctum authentication, and MySQL. Includes full user auth, project and task CRUD, and an AI suggestions endpoint powered by Groq using the llama-3.1-70b-versatile model.

MethodEndpointAuthDescription
POST/api/registerPublicRegister new user
POST/api/loginPublicLogin user
POST/api/logoutBearerLogout user
GET/api/projectsBearerGet all projects
POST/api/projectsBearerCreate project
GET/api/projects/{id}BearerGet single project
PUT/api/projects/{id}BearerUpdate project
DELETE/api/projects/{id}BearerDelete project
GET/api/projects/{id}/tasksBearerGet all tasks
POST/api/projects/{id}/tasksBearerCreate task
PUT/api/projects/{id}/tasks/{id}BearerUpdate task
DELETE/api/projects/{id}/tasks/{id}BearerDelete task
POST/api/projects/{id}/suggestBearerAI task suggestions
PHP 8.1+ Laravel 10.x Laravel Sanctum MySQL 8.0+ Groq API llama-3.1-70b REST API

Contact / let's talk

Always open to interesting problems.

Whether it's a project, a collaboration, freelance work, or just exchanging ideas — feel free to reach out. I respond to everything.