AXS Passport

!!! info “Heads up!” Unfortunately this project had to end when the parent company closed down. The currently live version of AXS Passport isn’t the one I helped build.

AXS Passport is a sophisticated digital identity and access management platform that I architected and developed from the ground up. Starting as the founding software engineer, I worked closely with the product owner to transform their vision into a functional, well-loved MVP, then scaled both the product and the engineering team to meet growing demand.

Technical Leadership & Team Building

I began as the sole engineer on the project and successfully scaled the development team to 8 engineers over the course of a year. This involved not only hiring and mentoring new team members but also establishing development practices, code standards, and architectural patterns that enabled the team to work efficiently at scale.

Working in close partnership with the product owner, I helped refine and implement features that balanced user needs with technical feasibility, ensuring we delivered a product that was both innovative and maintainable.

Backend Architecture & API Development

I designed and built the entire backend API service using Python and FastAPI, creating a robust and secure foundation for the platform. The API incorporated enterprise-grade features including:

• Advanced Authentication & Authorisation: Implemented Bearer token-based authentication with comprehensive Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), supporting complex access patterns including guest access and hierarchical organisation-based permissions
• Performance & Reliability: Integrated rate limiting and comprehensive logging using OpenTelemetry (OTEL) to enable security audits and detailed performance metrics
• Security Excellence: Implemented a highly secure architecture covering the OWASP API Security Top 10 and additional security best practices. The system underwent annual external security audits with no major flaws identified, and any moderate to minor issues were consistently resolved within 2 weeks
• Complex Data Management: Developed sophisticated SQL queries using recursive Common Table Expressions (CTEs) to efficiently handle detailed organisational hierarchies with nested sub-organisations
• Database Optimisation: Tuned a PostgreSQL database for high-performance data delivery, supporting complex search queries and data-intensive dashboard operations

Frontend Development & User Experience

I built the original frontend application using SvelteKit and TailwindCSS, later leading the team responsible for its continued development and enhancement. Key frontend achievements include:

• Responsive Design: Created a mobile-first responsive interface that provides an excellent user experience across all devices
• Accessibility Excellence: Ensured high conformance to WCAG AA accessibility requirements, making the platform inclusive for all users
• Dynamic Theming System: Developed an innovative theming system allowing users to select any colour for personalisation whilst automatically maintaining AA contrast ratios for accessibility compliance. This system dynamically re-themes the entire interface, including the logo using inline SVGs
• Custom QR Code Generation: Implemented branded and themeable QR codes that maintain visual consistency with user-selected themes

Mobile Application Development

I inherited and significantly enhanced a React Native mobile application, modernising both its functionality and user experience:

• Refreshed the UI/UX design for improved usability and visual consistency with the web platform
• Implemented new sharing features that extended the platform’s functionality to mobile users
• Ensured feature parity and seamless synchronisation between web and mobile experiences

DevOps & Infrastructure

I established a comprehensive deployment pipeline that ensured reliable, secure releases:

• CI/CD Pipeline: Created an automated deployment system using GitHub Actions, incorporating continuous integration and deployment workflows
• Quality Assurance: Implemented a release pipeline requiring pull request sign-off from senior engineers and passing test suites before deployment
• Containerisation: Utilised Docker and Docker Compose for consistent deployments across environments
• Infrastructure Management: Managed deployment and maintenance of Linux/Debian servers, ensuring high availability and performance