Project - Plugin Development & MySQL Optimization

Overview

Sitedeals.nl is a community-driven deals platform built on the vBulletin forum engine. During my nine months at the company (November 2012 – September 2013), I focused on plugin development, platform migration, and performance optimization.

Key Contributions

Plugin Development & Migration

The platform was upgrading to a new version of vBulletin, which broke compatibility with many existing plugins. I was responsible for:

• Developing new plugins — including a bidding system that let users place competitive bids on deals, adding a core engagement mechanic to the platform.
• Rewriting legacy plugins that no longer worked on the new vBulletin version, ensuring feature parity while modernizing the codebase.

MySQL Query Optimization

Significant time was spent profiling and optimizing the database layer:

• Identified and rewrote slow queries that were causing performance bottlenecks.
• Optimized indexes and query patterns for the most frequently accessed data.
• Streamlined background processes to reduce database load during peak traffic.

REST API Integrations

Implemented several third-party REST API integrations for operational tooling:

• SEO statistics APIs for tracking search engine rankings and visibility.
• Domain information services for monitoring domain health and DNS data.
• Cloudflare API for cache management and performance configuration.