vol. 01 · section C // biography · tuesday, may 5, 2026

a few honest words about Tapan Meena

senior software engineer · hyderabad, india

Tapan Meena

fig. 0 portrait of the author

I'm an engineer who likes building the thing more than talking about building the thing. The day job is backend systems and developer tools at MAQ Software; the off-hours are CLIs, side bots, and writing about both.

Lately I've been compiling everything I've learned about markets into the trading desk — a three-tier curriculum from “what is a stock” to running a book.

If a project I built saved you ten minutes — that's the whole point.

  • 07 shipped
  • 01 in-flight
  • 06 writeups
  • 5+ yoe

reaches for // c# javascript typescript python sql .net asp.net node.js rest apis microservices microsoft azure docker azure devops git sql server postgresql mongodb redis azure sql

§ a few opinions, not very strong

— how I work
  1. 01

    Boring tech, when it fits.

    I reach for SQLite before Postgres, Fastify before Nest, a cron job before a queue. The exotic choice has to earn its place.

  2. 02

    Small surface area > clever abstractions.

    A function that does one thing, named for what it does, beats a beautifully generic helper nobody else can read.

  3. 03

    Tests for the parts that touch the world.

    Pure logic deserves coverage. Code that touches networks, brokers, or filesystems demands it.

  4. 04

    Write the post-mortem in public.

    That's why /cursed-knowledge exists. Someone is going to make the same mistake — might as well be from my notes.

§ where I've shipped from

— experience

  1. MAQ Software

    jul 2020 – present

    tenure // 5 yrs 10 mos · 5 roles

    1. 05 now

      Project Lead

      mar 2026 - present · 2 mos

      Leading project delivery for enterprise data platform engagements — owning architecture decisions, sprint planning, stakeholder communication, and the technical health of the team.

    2. 04

      Senior Software Engineer 2

      sep 2024 - mar 2026 · 1 yr 6 mos

      on-site — Drove delivery of customer-facing web applications end-to-end — architecture, code review, mentoring, and shipping production releases on tight cycles.

      stack // typescript react.js .net azure sql

    3. 03

      Senior Software Engineer

      sep 2023 - aug 2024 · 11 mos

      Owned features across the stack on data-heavy enterprise applications. Set up code-quality and CI/CD baselines that the team still uses.

      stack // typescript react.js .net azure devops sql server

    4. 02

      Software Engineer 2

      sep 2022 - aug 2023 · 11 mos

      Built and maintained React + .NET features across multiple Microsoft engagements. Started mentoring incoming engineers and running tech-talk sessions.

      stack // typescript react.js .net rest apis

    5. 01

      Software Engineer

      jul 2020 - aug 2022 · 2 yrs 1 mo

      hyderabad, telangana, india — First role out of college. Shipped backend features, wrote a lot of SQL, and learned what production-grade software actually looks like.

      stack // sql c# asp.net

  2. McAfee

    may 2019 – jul 2019

    tenure // 2 mos · 1 role

    1. 01

      Technical Intern

      may 2019 - jul 2019 · 2 mos

      Worked on cybersecurity tooling and enterprise-level software development.

§ reach for · reach past

— taste, defaults not dogma
when reach for reach past why
backend http + fastify − nest schema-first, no decorators-as-religion
database + sqlite (wal) − let's add postgres single file, zero ops, fast enough for 99% of side projects
validation + zod − hand-rolled if/else walls one schema for config and api body
styling + tailwind − styled-components stays close to markup, dies with markup
state + url + server − redux, by default most state isn't state — it's a query param you forgot to write down
deploy + docker on a pi − kubernetes yagni is a load-bearing principle here
tests + vitest − jest + ts-jest esm-native, fast, no jest.config.cjs spelunking
auth + boring sessions − jwt-everywhere cookies were fine; cookies are still fine

§ things I'm willing to admit

— personal data, declared
based
hyderabad, india · ist (utc+5:30)
writes in
typescript · c# · python · the occasional zsh one-liner
lives in
vs code with vim bindings
deploys to
a raspberry pi 5 in the next room
drinks
filter coffee, no negotiations
argues for
boring tech · small PRs · honest changelogs

§ elsewhere on the internet

— or write to me →