Hello, I'm Amol Wankhede

Thoughts on code, systems, & software craftsmanship

Senior Full Stack Developer based in Wellington, NZ. Years building scalable web apps with PHP, React, and AI. Currently diving deep into Rust.

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main.py
Python
# Developer Profile & Goals
class Developer:
def __init__(self):
self.name = "Amol Wankhede"
self.role = "Senior Full Stack Dev"
self.location = "Wellington, NZ"
self.company = "Silverstripe Ltd"
self.learning = ["Python", "AI", "LLMs"]
if __name__ == "__main__":
journey = Developer()
print("Hello, Python world!")
python main.py --pass v3.12.0

Explorations & Series

Top Level Blogs

Python AI Journey 7 Articles

Python AI Journey

A self-taught PHP developer's hands-on journey into Python, FastAPI, LLMs, and shipping a real AI character chat app — from blank terminal to live deployment.

Top Level Series Explore Blog

Python AI Journey

Python AI Journey Posts

07 - Lessons Learned: What I'd Do Differently
AI engineering lessons

07 - Lessons Learned: What I'd Do Differently

A retrospective on building an AI character chat app from scratch. Why I'd choose Rust over Python, what AI coding tools are actually good for, and what comes next: RAG, tool use, autonomous systems.

27 Jul 2026
06 - Deployment: The Hardest Part
VPS deployment

06 - Deployment: The Hardest Part

The unglamorous reality of deploying a FastAPI + React app on a VPS. Reverse proxies, SSL, CORS, pm2, and why deployment took as long as building the backend.

26 Jul 2026
05 - The Frontend: React, Tailwind, and Not Looking Like ChatGPT
React AI chat UI

05 - The Frontend: React, Tailwind, and Not Looking Like ChatGPT

How I built the frontend for an AI character chat app with React 19, Tailwind CSS v4, shadcn/ui, and Framer Motion. Design decisions for a unique chat experience.

25 Jul 2026
04 - Creating AI Characters with LLM-Generated Prompts
Prompt engineering

04 - Creating AI Characters with LLM-Generated Prompts

How I used ChatGPT to write detailed system prompts for 29 AI characters — from Yoda to the Terminator. Prompt engineering workflow, personality fade bugs, and lessons learned.

24 Jul 2026
03 - Streaming AI Responses with Server-Sent Events
Server-Sent Events

03 - Streaming AI Responses with Server-Sent Events

How I implemented real-time streaming for an AI chat app using SSE in FastAPI and OpenRouter free models. Why streaming matters and why PHP can't do it.

23 Jul 2026
02 - Learning Python & FastAPI in a Week
Learn Python

02 - Learning Python & FastAPI in a Week

What happens when a PHP developer with zero Python experience tries to learn FastAPI in seven days. Environment setup chaos, namespace pain, and missing curly braces.

22 Jul 2026
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AW

Amol Wankhede

Senior Full Stack Developer • Wellington, NZ

Years of professional experience building scalable web applications for enterprise and government clients. Specializing in modern PHP (Silverstripe, Laravel), React/Next.js, and AI/LLM integrations. Currently delivering solutions at Silverstripe Ltd.

16+

Years Exp.

80+

Projects

Python / Rust

Learning

Core Tech Stack

Silverstripe Laravel PHP 8.3 React Next.js TypeScript Tailwind CSS AI / LLM Docker Rust
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