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Steve giving a talk at API Platform Conference in France.

Speakeasy Hookdeck Zuplo Icehouse Ventures

These are some of the companies I work with, to name just a few.

A little about me

Steve giving a talk at Laracon EU in Lisbon.

Meet Steve

Hi, I’m Steve McDougall — known in the tech world as JustSteveKing. Hailing from the stunning Welsh Valleys, I’ve dedicated my career to tackling the intricate challenges of software engineering, particularly with PHP and Laravel.

By day, I work as a freelance developer and consultant CTO, collaborating with businesses worldwide to create solutions that are not just functional, but future-proof. I’m driven by a deep passion for building software that makes an impact — scalable, reliable, and built to last.

Beyond the code, I’m a storyteller. Whether it’s through my writing, YouTube channel, or conference talks, my goal is to break down complex topics, spark curiosity, and empower developers to grow. I love being part of a global community where knowledge is shared and celebrated.

To me, coding is more than just a skill — it’s about connecting with others, solving real problems, and continuously learning. I’m here to share my experiences, learn from yours, and help us all level up together.

Want to work with me?

Let's work together

I work with companies all over the world, from small startups to large enterprises. Why not reach out and see how I can help solve your next problem?

Talking at Laracon EU in Lisbon

Some of my articles

Insights & Articles

Explore in-depth articles on API design, Laravel best practices, and the latest trends in software development.

Advanced Authorization methods in Laravel

Unravel Laravels authorization built-in Gates, Policies & advanced ReBAC, ABAC, PBAC methods for secure, scalable app access control.

Posted on 13 February 2025

Deploying Laravel on Sevalla - A No-Nonsense Guide

Deploy your Laravel app with Sevalla using Docker & FrankenPHP for seamless, zero-downtime releases. Say goodbye to server hassles and Kubernetes headaches!

Posted on 10 February 2025

The definitive Guide to Webhooks in Laravel

Master webhooks in Laravel with this definitive guide. Learn setup, security, event handling, and more to build powerful real-time integrations.

Posted on 20 December 2024

View All My Articles

What people say about me

Chris Miller

Lead Developer @ MMS Marketing

Steve is a great developer with a wealth of knowledge that has contributed to many projects we have. His passion for API means we benefit from his aim for the best

Aaron Francis

Founder @ Try Hard Studies

Steve is one of the most thorough and thoughtful educators I've seen. He puts in a ton of effort and it clearly shows.

Alex Six

Head of Developer Relations @ Filament PHP

Steve is the teacher you wish you had in school. He’s informative, entertaining, and passionate about what he does. I’m always excited to see more of Steve’s content!

Davor Minchorov

Senior PHP Engineer @ Adeva

Steve is an awesome guy who knows a thing or two about APIs. I’ve learned so much from his content on his YouTube channel as well as his API video course.

Brent Roose

Developer Advocate @ jetBrains

To me, there's one word that comes to mind: 'passion'. There are only a handful of people with the same passion for programming as Steve.

Eric Barnes

Founder @ Laravel News

Steve is an awesome writer and communicator, he can take complex problems and communicate them in a way that anyone can understand.

Gary Clark

YouTuber @ Gary Clarke Tech

Steve is highly engaging and an expert in what he does. I bookmark everything he publishes and refer back to it on a regular basis. The API king!

Chris Miller

Lead Developer @ MMS Marketing

Steve is a great developer with a wealth of knowledge that has contributed to many projects we have. His passion for API means we benefit from his aim for the best

Aaron Francis

Founder @ Try Hard Studies

Steve is one of the most thorough and thoughtful educators I've seen. He puts in a ton of effort and it clearly shows.

Alex Six

Head of Developer Relations @ Filament PHP

Steve is the teacher you wish you had in school. He’s informative, entertaining, and passionate about what he does. I’m always excited to see more of Steve’s content!

Davor Minchorov

Senior PHP Engineer @ Adeva

Steve is an awesome guy who knows a thing or two about APIs. I’ve learned so much from his content on his YouTube channel as well as his API video course.

Brent Roose

Developer Advocate @ jetBrains

To me, there's one word that comes to mind: 'passion'. There are only a handful of people with the same passion for programming as Steve.

Eric Barnes

Founder @ Laravel News

Steve is an awesome writer and communicator, he can take complex problems and communicate them in a way that anyone can understand.

Gary Clark

YouTuber @ Gary Clarke Tech

Steve is highly engaging and an expert in what he does. I bookmark everything he publishes and refer back to it on a regular basis. The API king!

Chris Miller

Lead Developer @ MMS Marketing

Steve is a great developer with a wealth of knowledge that has contributed to many projects we have. His passion for API means we benefit from his aim for the best

Aaron Francis

Founder @ Try Hard Studies

Steve is one of the most thorough and thoughtful educators I've seen. He puts in a ton of effort and it clearly shows.

Alex Six

Head of Developer Relations @ Filament PHP

Steve is the teacher you wish you had in school. He’s informative, entertaining, and passionate about what he does. I’m always excited to see more of Steve’s content!

Davor Minchorov

Senior PHP Engineer @ Adeva

Steve is an awesome guy who knows a thing or two about APIs. I’ve learned so much from his content on his YouTube channel as well as his API video course.

Brent Roose

Developer Advocate @ jetBrains

To me, there's one word that comes to mind: 'passion'. There are only a handful of people with the same passion for programming as Steve.

Eric Barnes

Founder @ Laravel News

Steve is an awesome writer and communicator, he can take complex problems and communicate them in a way that anyone can understand.

Gary Clark

YouTuber @ Gary Clarke Tech

Steve is highly engaging and an expert in what he does. I bookmark everything he publishes and refer back to it on a regular basis. The API king!

Chris Miller

Lead Developer @ MMS Marketing

Steve is a great developer with a wealth of knowledge that has contributed to many projects we have. His passion for API means we benefit from his aim for the best

Aaron Francis

Founder @ Try Hard Studies

Steve is one of the most thorough and thoughtful educators I've seen. He puts in a ton of effort and it clearly shows.

Alex Six

Head of Developer Relations @ Filament PHP

Steve is the teacher you wish you had in school. He’s informative, entertaining, and passionate about what he does. I’m always excited to see more of Steve’s content!

Davor Minchorov

Senior PHP Engineer @ Adeva

Steve is an awesome guy who knows a thing or two about APIs. I’ve learned so much from his content on his YouTube channel as well as his API video course.

Brent Roose

Developer Advocate @ jetBrains

To me, there's one word that comes to mind: 'passion'. There are only a handful of people with the same passion for programming as Steve.

Eric Barnes

Founder @ Laravel News

Steve is an awesome writer and communicator, he can take complex problems and communicate them in a way that anyone can understand.

Gary Clark

YouTuber @ Gary Clarke Tech

Steve is highly engaging and an expert in what he does. I bookmark everything he publishes and refer back to it on a regular basis. The API king!

Jack Ellis

Co-Founder @ Fathom Analytics

Steve is one of the top API experts in the world and has been teaching our community for years.

Laravel Jutsu

YouTuber @ Laravel Jutsu

Steve has a profound mastery of APIs and a public-serving teaching approach.

Luke Downing

Educator @ Laracasts

Steve is a stream of knowledge. If you like clean, strict code and silky APIs, there’s nobody I’d sooner turn to for advice!

Peter Thomson

Chief Technology Officer @ Ice House Ventures

Steve is an absolute weapon. We came for the APIs but we stayed for the clean code, robust systems architecture and deep knowledge of Laravel conventions. Steve made our code faster, more stable and easier to maintain ourselves in the future.

Stephen Rees-Carter

Friendly Hacker @ Valorin Security

Steve is one of my favourite people. He has a huge passion for teaching developers about APIs and good coding practices.

Steven Tey

Founder @ Dub.co

Steve brings knowledge and passion to the community, with easy to follow content that adds real value to any company that uses him.

Sam Carré

Head of Engineering @ Plannr CRM

Steve’s enthusiasm and positive attitude makes his educational content super easy to digest and makes learning new tools and languages really fun.

Jack Ellis

Co-Founder @ Fathom Analytics

Steve is one of the top API experts in the world and has been teaching our community for years.

Laravel Jutsu

YouTuber @ Laravel Jutsu

Steve has a profound mastery of APIs and a public-serving teaching approach.

Luke Downing

Educator @ Laracasts

Steve is a stream of knowledge. If you like clean, strict code and silky APIs, there’s nobody I’d sooner turn to for advice!

Peter Thomson

Chief Technology Officer @ Ice House Ventures

Steve is an absolute weapon. We came for the APIs but we stayed for the clean code, robust systems architecture and deep knowledge of Laravel conventions. Steve made our code faster, more stable and easier to maintain ourselves in the future.

Stephen Rees-Carter

Friendly Hacker @ Valorin Security

Steve is one of my favourite people. He has a huge passion for teaching developers about APIs and good coding practices.

Steven Tey

Founder @ Dub.co

Steve brings knowledge and passion to the community, with easy to follow content that adds real value to any company that uses him.

Sam Carré

Head of Engineering @ Plannr CRM

Steve’s enthusiasm and positive attitude makes his educational content super easy to digest and makes learning new tools and languages really fun.

Jack Ellis

Co-Founder @ Fathom Analytics

Steve is one of the top API experts in the world and has been teaching our community for years.

Laravel Jutsu

YouTuber @ Laravel Jutsu

Steve has a profound mastery of APIs and a public-serving teaching approach.

Luke Downing

Educator @ Laracasts

Steve is a stream of knowledge. If you like clean, strict code and silky APIs, there’s nobody I’d sooner turn to for advice!

Peter Thomson

Chief Technology Officer @ Ice House Ventures

Steve is an absolute weapon. We came for the APIs but we stayed for the clean code, robust systems architecture and deep knowledge of Laravel conventions. Steve made our code faster, more stable and easier to maintain ourselves in the future.

Stephen Rees-Carter

Friendly Hacker @ Valorin Security

Steve is one of my favourite people. He has a huge passion for teaching developers about APIs and good coding practices.

Steven Tey

Founder @ Dub.co

Steve brings knowledge and passion to the community, with easy to follow content that adds real value to any company that uses him.

Sam Carré

Head of Engineering @ Plannr CRM

Steve’s enthusiasm and positive attitude makes his educational content super easy to digest and makes learning new tools and languages really fun.

Jack Ellis

Co-Founder @ Fathom Analytics

Steve is one of the top API experts in the world and has been teaching our community for years.

Laravel Jutsu

YouTuber @ Laravel Jutsu

Steve has a profound mastery of APIs and a public-serving teaching approach.

Luke Downing

Educator @ Laracasts

Steve is a stream of knowledge. If you like clean, strict code and silky APIs, there’s nobody I’d sooner turn to for advice!

Peter Thomson

Chief Technology Officer @ Ice House Ventures

Steve is an absolute weapon. We came for the APIs but we stayed for the clean code, robust systems architecture and deep knowledge of Laravel conventions. Steve made our code faster, more stable and easier to maintain ourselves in the future.

Stephen Rees-Carter

Friendly Hacker @ Valorin Security

Steve is one of my favourite people. He has a huge passion for teaching developers about APIs and good coding practices.

Steven Tey

Founder @ Dub.co

Steve brings knowledge and passion to the community, with easy to follow content that adds real value to any company that uses him.

Sam Carré

Head of Engineering @ Plannr CRM

Steve’s enthusiasm and positive attitude makes his educational content super easy to digest and makes learning new tools and languages really fun.

© 2025 JustSteveKing. All rights reserved.