Zalando's central event-streaming platform. Open-source HTTP API on top of Kafka, enabling scalable event-driven architecture across enterprises.
Berlin, Germany
Chaitanya Waikar
Senior Software Engineer
Infrastructure and platform engineer with 10+ years building and operating large-scale, high-throughput distributed systems. Specializing in event-driven architecture, operational excellence, and infrastructure at scale.
About
I'm a software engineer with 10+ years of experience building and operating large-scale distributed systems. Currently at Zalando, I operate Nakadi, a central event-streaming platform serving 2M requests per second. I specialize in infrastructure management, high-throughput data systems, event-driven architecture, and operational excellence. My career spans backend engineering, microservices architecture, and platform engineering, with a focus on performance optimization and business impact.
Technologies
Programming Languages
Backend Frameworks
Message Streaming & Event-Driven
In-Memory & Caching
Relational Databases
NoSQL & Distributed Databases
Container & Orchestration
Cloud & Infrastructure (AWS)
Experience
Zalando • Berlin
Perseus • Berlin
Thoughtworks • Pune, India
Infosys • Pune, India
Open Source
High-performance Data Generation Engine for creating massive production-like datasets covering PII, financial, and network data types. Incubated by Infosys Open Source.
Self-hosted Kafka solution for managing Kafka clusters. Provides automated rebalancing, cluster management, and operational tools.
Certifications
Certified Kubernetes Application Developer
Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)
Issued: Nov 2022
Professional certification demonstrating proficiency in designing, building, deploying, and maintaining applications on Kubernetes.
Credential ID: LF-ssba0y6aza
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Issued: Aug 2022 · Valid until: Aug 2025
Validates expertise in designing distributed systems on AWS, including architectural best practices, cost optimization, and operational excellence.
Credential ID: H520JVB2YM11QYK1
Courses
Parallel Programming
Coursera
Issued: Sep 2018
Comprehensive course covering parallel programming concepts, algorithms, and practical implementation for multi-core and distributed systems.
Credential ID: 4HEMMD5TRYMB
Functional Program Design in Scala
Coursera
Issued: Apr 2018 · Grade: 100%
Advanced course on functional programming design patterns, reactive systems, and asynchronous programming in Scala.
Credential ID: AD8CLEUBN89W
Functional Programming Principles in Scala
Coursera
Issued: Jan 2018 · Grade: 100%
Foundational course on functional programming principles, immutability, higher-order functions, and functional data structures in Scala.
Credential ID: KFT4WUZ6ZB4N