Chiel Timmermans · Software engineer
I build software that runs itself: Go backends and the platform underneath them, from Kubernetes and GitOps down to the box in the cupboard.
Senior software engineer with deep expertise in Go and a strong focus on correctness, scalability and long-term maintainability. I work across the full stack, from API design to Kubernetes-based infrastructure.
What I do best
Go backends & APIs
Production-grade REST and gRPC/Protobuf services on PostgreSQL, built for high throughput and for the people who maintain them next.
Platform & infrastructure
Kubernetes, Helm, Flux and GitOps, CI/CD and OpenTelemetry. Infrastructure that is declared, reproducible and boring in the best way.
Owning it end to end
From architecture to production and everything after: as tech lead, as co-founder and CTO, and in day-to-day operations.
Projects
Fundament
One of the main developers
An open-source platform for the Dutch sovereign government cloud (NDS Cloud programme), targeting hyperscale operation of up to 50,000 physical servers and 2 million logical CPUs: a sovereign alternative to foreign cloud providers, built on open standards. I design and build core infrastructure and drive core technical decisions in a team of six engineers at Digilab.
- Go
- PostgreSQL
- Protobuf/gRPC
- Kubernetes
- Helm
- Flux
QR Link
Co-founder & CTO
A SaaS platform connecting physical and digital media through dynamic QR codes, short links and mobile landing pages. 10,000 active users, 100,000 active QR codes, ~50,000 scans a month and a stress-tested peak of 20,000 requests/second. I lead all backend development and the full technical architecture, and own business operations including support, invoicing and GDPR compliance.
- Go
- MySQL
- Docker
ChipMakers
Tech leadPrivate beta
The modern workbench for the machining world: cutting data, ISO tolerances and material data in one app, built by machinists for machinists.
- Flutter
- Go
- Kubernetes
Homelab
Designed and built by hand
A GitOps Kubernetes cluster run entirely through Flux: Envoy Gateway, ExternalDNS, SOPS-encrypted secrets and CloudNativePG, an off-site edge server with Pocket ID and Headscale, and extensive Home Assistant automation.
- Kubernetes
- Flux
- Envoy Gateway
- ExternalDNS
- SOPS
- CloudNativePG
- Home Assistant
Experience
Aug 2023 – present
Freelance Senior Software Engineer · Digilab (VNG/ODI), Utrecht
Fundament, Fieldlab playground environments and reference implementations for Dutch government standards.
Jun 2022 – Aug 2023
Freelance Senior Software Engineer · Shell Energy, Rotterdam
Led a backend team of 4, stabilised a fragile production platform for ~20,000 energy customers, and built a data ingestion pipeline for Dutch grid operator data and Go REST APIs exposing usage insights.
Jan 2020 – present
Co-founder · QR Link, Zwolle
Backend and technical architecture of the QR Link platform (see projects).
Mar 2020 – Jun 2022
Embedded Software Engineer · Track Technologies, Soest
Target Blu Eye: an in-car safety system that detects approaching emergency vehicles via signals such as P2000. Embedded C/C++ for real-time detection, with involvement in hardware design.
Sep 2018 – May 2019
Software Engineer (internship) · Teqram, Zwolle
Vision-guided robotics: C++ and Lua for the EasyEye 3D vision platform (Timesaver project).
Jun 2017 – present
Co-founder · AceWorks, Zwolle
Started with websites and dashboards (PHP, Laravel, Vue, MySQL); now a software development agency contracting us out to client projects.
Education
Embedded Software Engineering, NHL Stenden University, 2016–2020
About
My background is embedded C/C++ for real-time systems and robotics; from there I moved up the stack: Go services, the platforms they run on, and the products built on top.
I care about software that is correct, observable and maintainable long after launch, and I like owning a system end to end, from the first design decision to running it in production.
I take on freelance work through AceWorks, the company I co-founded.