Tobias Schmidt
AWS & Azure Cloud Architect and Automation Expert
73728 Esslingen, Germany
Professional Summary
Passionate multi-cloud software engineer, architect, and technical writer with a proven track record in designing and operating highly reliable, observable cloud solutions. Experienced in building and modernizing large-scale ecosystems for industry leaders such as Porsche and STIHL, delivering mission-critical services across AWS and Azure. Security expert with strong experience in identity and access management. Skilled in technical writing and effective collaboration to solve complex problems.
- 20+ years experience in software development, 8+ years hands-on with AWS and 3+ years with Azure
- Authored two best-selling books in the AWS space
- Built containerized systems on AWS and Azure that handle millions of API requests and events per month
- Ability to work across the whole stack, from frontend to backend to cloud infrastructure and team leadership
Technical Skills
Here is a non-exhaustive list of my technical skills. I feel confident in learning new technologies, frameworks, and tools.
AWS & Azure
- Serverless Architecture
- Event-Driven Architecture
- Infrastructure as Code
- Observability & Monitoring
- IAM
- Container Services
- CI/CD Pipelines
- Cost Optimization
- Cloud Security
Fullstack Development
- TypeScript/JavaScript
- React.js
- Next.js
- GraphQL, REST APIs, Trpc
- Docker
- PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite
- DynamoDB
- MongoDB
- Redis
Professional Experience
Co-Founder, Educator & Software Engineer
since 01 / 2023
- Co-founded and built from the ground up, creating in-depth educational content and resources for cloud professionals.
- Authored two books with 2,700+ copies sold combined, generating $150k+ revenue.
- Built and maintained the platform serving thousands of learners through blog, newsletter, and educational materials.
- Developed full-stack applications to support the growing community of thousands of followers across social platforms.
Stack: AWS, SST, TypeScript, React, Next.js, GitHub Actions, Cognito & Federated Sign-In, Kit
Cloud Architect & Software Engineer(Contractor)
since 11 / 2021
- Developed a distributed identity-management solution for STIHL customers on Azure, serving 150k+ registered users.
- Led a small, cross-functional team of engineers maintaining and extending a mono-repository platform.
- Enabled multiple teams to quickly build and deliver applications via shared blueprints and libraries.
- Reduced deployment time through automated CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure as code practices.
Stack: Azure, AWS, Node.js, Nest.js, Pulumi, TypeScript, Azure DevOps, Next.js
Backend Engineer(Contractor)
08 / 2022 - 04 / 2023
- Built backend system for automated leasing contract management, reducing manual processing times and improving accuracy across stakeholder workflows.
- Designed scalable architecture handling thousands of contracts monthly with real-time synchronization between multiple systems.
Stack: AWS, Node.js, Nest.js, Terraform
Tech-Lead & Software Engineer(Contractor)
02 / 2017 - 10 / 2021
- Guided a team of engineers architecting and implementing mission-critical services for 1M+ users including Customer Profile Core Backend, Consent Management System, Vehicle Registration, and SAP CRM integrations.
- Designed Kafka-based event streaming architecture processing millions of events daily with 99.9% reliability across multi-region setup.
- Executed zero-downtime migration of legacy on-premise services to AWS cloud, reducing operational costs by 40%.
- Built public APIs through Apigee proxies serving millions of requests with 99.9% uptime using fail-over and traffic shifting strategies.
Stack: AWS, Java, Kotlin, Node.js, Nest.js, Terraform, Apigee
Developer Advocate(Contractor)
09 / 2021 - 03 / 2023
- Increased product awareness through technical talks, articles, and podcast appearances.
- Built and drove developer community, improving user engagement and product adoption.
- Served as technical liaison between developers and product team, influencing roadmap based on community feedback.
Software Engineer, Architect & Consultant
02 / 2017 - 10 / 2021
- Consulted clients on AWS cloud migrations, delivering tailored solutions while enhancing core products.
- Created serverless and containerized applications from scratch with 99.9% uptime, reducing operational overhead.
Publications
I've authored two books, one video course, and more than 40 blog articles about AWS. Here is a non-exhaustive list of my work.
2,200+ copies sold
2023
AWS Fundamentals teaches AWS for the real-world. We explain the top 16 services in all major categories and how to use them to actually build things. The focus is on mastering these services and reusing them in a real-world setup.
- 350+ pages covering core AWS services and their configurations
- Infrastructure as Code introduction (Terraform, CloudFormation, Serverless, CDK)
- Visual learning approach with custom infographics for all core services
- Practical examples and real-world best practices
500+ copies sold
2024
The CloudWatch Book teaches the full CloudWatch suite. We show you how to use CloudWatch to observe your overall AWS Application. From Logs, Metric, up to traces, anomaly detection, and more.
- In-depth coverage of CloudWatch features and best practices
- Accompanying video course (6+ hrs) with practical demonstrations
- GitHub repository with code examples and templates
- Real-world monitoring and alerting strategies
Speaking
Selected speaking engagements. Full list can be found here.
Rethinking CloudWatch
October 2025
AWS Community Day DACH 2025
Advanced AWS-native Observability That Can Save You $100k+ On 3rd Party Tools
Challenging common misconceptions about AWS CloudWatch and highlighting its often-overlooked capabilities. Providing a deep dive into CloudWatch, demonstrating why it deserves greater attention and consideration before committing to costly third-party observability solutions.
Education & Certifications
Academic Background
Master of Science - Computer Science
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 2016
Bachelor of Science - Computer Science
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 2014
AWS Certifications
tpschmidt.com/cv