Mohamed Halawa

I’m Mohamed, a backend engineer at Coolblue, based in the Netherlands.

I’m interested in how systems work and how they came to be that way. Code records the result, but often leaves out the alternatives, constraints, and conversations that shaped it. That’s the part I like to write about.

Most of my writing starts with something I’m trying to understand: a design decision, an unexpected behaviour, or a trade-off I keep coming back to. I work through those questions here, across backend engineering, distributed systems, and software architecture.

The articles are a good place to start.

Away from work, I spend time taking street photographs, reading, trying new recipes, and going to the gym. My reading wanders between philosophy, psychology, and software, with side projects somewhere in the mix.

This space holds a little of that: things I notice, thoughts I’m still working through, and moments I want to remember. You’ll find longer entries in reflections, passing thoughts in the journal, and photographs in the gallery.

Have a question, something to share, or a different take on something I’ve written? Say hello.