Elias De Bock

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From Aspiring Developer to Scalable Software: My Journey in Web Development

By Elias De Bock

From Aspiring Developer to Scalable Software: My Journey in Web Development
16 March 2025

It's been a while since my last blog post, but I haven’t been sitting still. I’ve been busy building scalable applications and diving deeper into modern infrastructure. It’s been a period full of growth and challenges.

This blog post isn’t just a dry list of technologies — it’s a reflection on the lessons I’ve learned, the obstacles I’ve overcome, and the choices that have shaped me as a developer.

TL;DR

🚀 Full Stack Developer with experience in React, Angular, .NET, Laravel, Kubernetes, and DevOps.
🔧 Builds and maintains scalable applications, including a React clone and a SaaS platform (eDB) with demo apps (webshop).
🌍 Experience in working with international teams, onboarding new team members, and collaborating with various stakeholders.
🛠️ Skilled in CI/CD, Kubernetes, Nx, and modern full-stack development.
📌 Looking for a Full Stack or DevOps role to build and optimize scalable applications.

SEO in web development

The Beginning (2019)

Becode

My first steps into web development began in early 2019 during a seven-month bootcamp at Becode. Here, I learned HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, both independently and in team projects, and built my first small applications.

This sparked my fascination for software development — but it was just the beginning.

First Work Experience (2019–2020)

Bothive

After Becode, I did a three-month internship at Bothive as a Junior Full Stack Developer, where I worked with the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js) for the first time.

Key takeaways:

✅ Built a web crawler in Node.js, diving deeper into backend processes and JavaScript.
✅ My first React app, using class components and Axios (React 16 era).
✅ Used Docker in a production environment.

Many of the biggest lessons came from Brecht, who guided me through whiteboard sessions to understand what happens under the hood. These sessions shaped how I approach software today.

Professional Growth (2020–2023)

iO

Frontend Developer (2020–2021)

My first job as a Frontend Developer was at a marketing agency called Adagio (later acquired by iO), where I worked on email development and landing pages within a Drupal-based CMS for national and international clients like Proximus and Johnson & Johnson.

I gained experience with marketing automation tools such as Eloqua and Veeva, and helped debug and test new Proximus forms implementations. I also helped onboard new team members and assisted with urgent issues or flow questions.

J&J

Consultant: Webmaster & Web Analyst (2021–2023)

After a year, I got the opportunity to work as a consultant on a CMS migration from Drupal to Contentstack for J&J EMEA and their subsidiaries. It was my first time working in an enterprise setting and gave me insight into how large organizations manage migrations and digital transformation.

My role extended beyond implementation. After the migration, our team remained onboarded as external support. I collaborated with business analysts, support teams, and product owners to gather requirements, troubleshoot issues, and maintain content on platforms for doctors and patients.

This experience taught me the importance of clear communication, documentation, and process optimization when working with international and cross-functional teams.

I also used project management tools like Jira and Confluence, was involved in regression testing, collaborated with external design agencies, and helped strike a balance between design expectations and platform limitations.

Road to Full Stack (2023–Present)

When my J&J project ended, I wanted to fully return to full-stack development. I didn’t want to manage content anymore — I wanted to build the systems themselves. I refreshed my skills through Udemy courses and YouTube content.

Phase 1 – Rebuilding My Skillset

Eventually, I hit tutorial hell — I kept learning, but never built anything from scratch. It was time for a new strategy.

Switching to Real Projects – Dawn

I shifted focus and started writing my own apps instead of following tutorials. That’s when Dawn was born.

A native iOS fitness app in Swift and SwiftUI, with Swift Data for persistence. It lets users track food intake, workouts, and progress, with historical graphs via Swift Charts and a photo diary. It includes an onboarding flow as well.

🔗 Codebase: GitHub Repository

Phase 2 – React Clone

I wanted to understand frontend frameworks better, so I built my own version of React.

Key features:

✅ Virtual DOM implementation – Diffing algorithm to update only changed nodes.
✅ Component-based rendering – Simple reusable component model.
✅ Custom useState hook – Lightweight state management.
✅ CI/CD pipeline – Automated testing, Docker builds, deployment to AWS Lightsail.

🔗 Live Demo: React Clone 🔗 Codebase: GitHub Repository

This gave me deep insight into how React works under the hood and sharpened my frontend performance and deployment skills.

eDB

My most ambitious project so far: a scalable platform where users can create an account, subscribe to demo apps, and test the software I build. The first app in the catalog is a webshop. Read more in this blog post.

Looking Ahead: 2025

In 2025, my focus is on evolving the platform with smart, efficient solutions. I plan to conduct market research to better understand business needs, while exploring AI integration to make apps more responsive.

Infrastructure Goals

  • Migrate to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
  • Use Azure Container Registry (ACR)
  • Evaluate Azure DevOps Pipelines as a GitHub Actions alternative

Monitoring & Security

  • Integrate Grafana & Prometheus, ELK Stack, Fluentd, Loki, Vault
  • Adopt GitOps tools: ArgoCD, Helm, Kustomize
  • Support hotfixes & feature flags

Architecture

  • Explore event-driven and domain-driven design
  • Implement microfrontends using Module Federation

Quality

  • Strengthen end-to-end testing (Cypress, Playwright)
  • Investigate simpler hosting: Azure App Service, Azure Functions

In short: 2025 is all about smart innovation, scalable architecture, and optimized workflows. Stay tuned!

Outro

This journey has shaped me into the developer I am today. From HTML and CSS to Kubernetes, CI/CD, VPS, and modular architecture — every phase brought lessons. And I know many more are ahead.

Interested in collaborating or sharing ideas? Let’s connect! 🚀

👉 GitHub

Inspiration & Resources

📺 YouTube

🎓 Udemy

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 IRL Mentorship

Thanks to Madalina for the brainstorming sessions, code reviews, and solid frontend mentorship. Thanks to Brecht for the many whiteboard sessions and for the time you invested in me.