Software engineer · Singapore
Hello, I’m Ernest.I like finding out how things work.
I’m a software engineer interested in the quiet machinery behind useful things: systems, networks, infrastructure, and the people who rely on them.
That curiosity started with my dad’s Windows Vista computer. These days it leads me through cloud infrastructure, security research, teaching, books, films, and the occasional overly ambitious home-lab project.
A map of attention
Technical work is one part of a larger life.
This is less a scorecard than a snapshot: the subjects I return to, and the ways they quietly feed one another.
Build
4 selected projects
Security tools, cloud systems, applied AI, and a home server.
Work
4 chapters
Public service, teaching, research, and operations.
Learn
71+ connected notes
From computer architecture and networks to AI and investing.
Read
An open reading log
Keeping summaries and ideas worth returning to.
Watch
Films, then reflection
Stories are more useful when there is time to sit with them.
Tinker
Systems after hours
Linux, self-hosting, small experiments, and useful rabbit holes.
Selected work
A few things I’ve cared enough to make work well.
I’m drawn to projects where the invisible details matter—reliability, understandable failure modes, and enough context for people to make a good decision.
Infrastructure · Security research
PhishIntel
I designed the infrastructure behind a high-concurrency phishing-detection API. Terraform made the system repeatable; better observability made it understandable when things went wrong.
10,000+ users · 50% lower cloud cost · published at WWW 2025
Browser extension · Hack&Roll 2025
Qracked
QR codes ask for trust before they offer context. Qracked is a Chromium extension that gives people a moment to understand a destination before opening it.
Hack&Roll 2025 winner
Applied AI · Experiment
Agentic Content Lab
A multi-model pipeline for generating, testing, and iterating short-form content. The interesting part was not generation alone, but making the process observable enough to learn from it.
2,000+ followers in month one · 400,000+ peak views
Linux · Always in progress
HomeLab
My personal server is where abstractions become physical again: storage fills up, networks fail, and maintenance matters. It is a small, useful place to keep learning operations by doing them.
Docker · OpenMediaVault · Cloudflare Tunnel
Along the way
Work has been a way to keep learning in public.
Now
Software Engineer
GovTech Singapore
Building reliable public-interest software.
Present
Teaching Assistant
National University of Singapore
Helping students build sound programming habits in CS2030S.
2024—25
Research Assistant
NUS–NCS Cybersecurity Lab
Researching scalable, observable phishing-detection systems.
2023
Deputy Head, Ops & Security
Singapore Armed Forces
Planning training and communications for a 300-person unit.
Also: AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate. I value the credential, but value knowing when not to add another service more.
View credentialSay hello
I like a thoughtful conversation.
If you’re building something useful, puzzling over a system, or simply want to trade a good book or film recommendation, I’d be glad to hear from you.
ernest.tanhk@gmail.com