About me

Alberto Arena's photo

My name is Alberto Arena. I’m Italian, based in Sicily, and from my study window I can see the Gulf of Milazzo and the Aeolian Islands, which makes the working day considerably better.

Over 10 years building production-grade web applications and e-commerce platforms, with a sharp focus on backend architecture, API design, and full-stack systems that scale.

My foundation is PHP and Laravel: I architect maintainable, high-performance backends and have delivered complex Shopify and headless commerce solutions for real-world businesses.

In recent years, I’ve been deliberately moving toward AI-enhanced engineering: integrating Large Language Models into SaaS platforms, designing AI-assisted workflows, and using automation not as a buzzword but as a genuine productivity multiplier embedded into the architecture itself.

What I bring to a project:

  • Scalable Laravel application architecture
  • LLM integration into existing products and workflows
  • Shopify & headless commerce development
  • Backend API design and system integration
  • AI-assisted tooling that improves developer velocity without sacrificing maintainability

I’m particularly drawn to projects where technical rigor meets innovation, where good engineering decisions today prevent expensive problems tomorrow.

Available remotely. Open to freelance projects, long-term collaborations, and consulting engagements.

You can follow me on X, formerly Twitter, or view my LinkedIn profile.

Background & interests

My first approach to the programming world was in 1985, coding on a Commodore 64. I can still remember a program I wrote that plotted all the planets of the solar system as sprites: a small thing, but it hooked me completely. That led me through C and C++, Clipper, Delphi, and eventually PHP and JavaScript, with nine years spent building data-entry and ICR/OCR software using Borland tools.

Midleton Distillery Collection

One of my most notable past projects was the Midleton Distillery Collection, the official shop for Ireland’s finest whiskey brands (Jameson, Redbreast, Midleton Very Rare, Powers, Spot Whiskeys, Method & Madness and Knappogue Castle), where I worked as lead developer from 2021 to 2024.

Outside of work I read a lot, play guitar, dabble in constructed languages, and build hand-made dioramas.

Portfolio

You can see some of my projects on LinkedIn.