Hello, I’m Tom.

I work as a principal software engineer and architect through Chantler Solutions, the company my father and I founded in 2007. Clients have ranged from single-person start-ups to Microsoft, ClearBank, Expana and caffeine.ai. At caffeine.ai, for example, I designed and built the command-line interface and the MCP server from scratch, on my own, and took the MCP server through to a listing in Anthropic’s Claude directory. See more of my work.

Most of the work is done by me. When a job needs more hands or a particular specialism, I bring in a small number of trusted colleagues I’ve worked with before, and I stay responsible for the result.

My work sits where architecture meets hands-on engineering. I’m as comfortable in a design discussion with a CTO as I am deep in a query plan, and I think the best technical decisions come from people who do both.

What I care about most is simplicity. Most systems that are slow, expensive or fragile got that way by adding things. The most valuable work I do is often taking things away: fewer services, fewer moving parts, less infrastructure, so that what’s left is easier to understand, cheaper to run and safer to change.

Technology

Given the choice, I write Rust. I also work in Go, TypeScript and Node.js (most recently at caffeine.ai and Expana) and C#/.NET, with PostgreSQL and SQL Server, on Azure (for more than ten years), AWS and plain Linux servers. Over the years I’ve worked in a great many other languages and platforms, which mostly taught me that the fundamentals don’t change much.

Background

I came to software by way of science: a BSc and an MPhil in Chemistry, with published research in mass spectrometry. I’m a Member of the British Computer Society (MBCS).

I’ve written about software on my blog, tomssl.com, since 2014. I’ve also answered more than 200 questions on Stack Overflow, and I was a Friend of Redgate from 2016 to 2018.

Certifications

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• TOGAF 9.1 Certified
• Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I)

In memory of Alan Chantler

My father, Alan Chantler, co-founded Chantler Solutions with me in 2007.

Alan taught computer science at university for many years, ran his own consultancy, and wrote Programming Techniques and Practice (1981), which became an NCC course book. He was also the person who sat me in front of that Commodore PET.

Alan died in 2026, aged eighty.

Also from Chantler Solutions

• Rilbo: local-first project tracking. One Rust executable with the web UI, API and MCP server built in, and your data in a single SQLite file.
• Retro Game Studio: bespoke games for brands and events, made for classic machines such as the Commodore Amiga and the BBC Micro.
• Rust Primer: a hands-on Rust course for programmers who already code, built around reading, reviewing and steering Rust, with AI as a tutor rather than an authority. The articles are free to read, and the course itself is in private alpha.

The company

Chantler Solutions Ltd is registered in England and Wales, company number 06177916. VAT number GB 102 6991 24. The registered office is 167–169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, London W1W 5PF.