Developer & Creator

Stuff & Things

I build tools that solve real problems. Most of my work lives behind closed doors — this is where I share what I can.

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Latest Stuff

Thoughts on development, tools, and building things.

Latest 5 min read

Automated Multi-Server PostgreSQL Backups with a Simple Bash Script

A JSON-configured Bash script that backs up every database on every PostgreSQL server you own, with daily/monthly rotation and automatic retention cleanup.

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4 min

Dynamic OG Images in Laravel with Intervention Image

Generate branded social cards for your blog posts on the fly using Intervention Image v4, with caching, custom fonts, and zero external services.

5 min

Replacing Two Legacy Systems with a Single Python Service

For years, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History relied on two separate systems to track changes on the preservation storage array: a bash script (`pres-audit.sh`) that logged file changes, and a multi-server ZFS snapshot pipeline (`pres_snap`) that involved TrueNAS cron jobs, a Redis queue, and a dedicated Ubuntu processing server. They worked, mostly, but the complexity was becoming a liability. When something broke, debugging meant jumping between three different machines and piecing together what happened.

Featured Things

A selection of things I've built.

DigiAdmin

A digital asset management platform built for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to streamline archival operations and preservation workflows. The first commit to this project was in 2015.

Laravel / Filament / Tailwind / Livewire

Digital Archives Platform

A digital archive platform for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, providing public access to digitized historical documents, photographs, government records, and other archival materials from Mississippi's rich history.

Laravel / Livewire / Bootstrap / Javascript

Chores

A family chore management app with rotating schedules, kid-friendly PIN check-in, and SMS reminders.

Process Files

A modular batch file processing toolkit that converts archives of TIFFs, documents, audio, and video into web-ready access copies — with optional watermarking and deep-zoom tileset generation.

Preservation Monitor

A real-time file change monitoring system for the MDAH preservation storage array, replacing two legacy tools with a single lightweight service.

Opac2

A modern search and discovery platform for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, providing unified access to 25+ historical record collections including genealogical files, court records, newspaper holdings, and Civil War-era documents.

Mack Hankins

A bit about me

Hi, I'm Mack — a developer who loves building things that work.

What I work with

Backend

PHP PHP
Laravel Laravel
Python Python
GNU Bash Bash
Node.js Node.js

Frontend

Livewire Livewire
Alpine.js Alpine.js
React React
Tailwind CSS Tailwind

Data & Infrastructure

MySQL MySQL
PostgreSQL PostgreSQL
Redis Redis
Docker Docker
GitHub Actions CI/CD

Tools & Interests

Filament Filament
Git Git
Anthropic Claude

Experience

Senior Systems Specialist

Sep 2014 — Present
Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Lead legacy-to-modern application conversions, build terminal and desktop applications with PHP, Laravel, Python, and JavaScript. Optimize SQL queries and database architectures in PostgreSQL and MySQL. Administer Ubuntu Linux server environments supporting mission-critical applications

Programmer Analyst I

Sep 2012 — Sep 2014
Mississippi State Hospital

Developed and maintained web applications. Designed and documented database architectures for healthcare information systems. Translated business requirements into technical specifications.

Systems Operator II

Jun 2009 — Sep 2012
Mississippi State Hospital

Administered IT help desk operations and technical support for 500+ end users. Resolved hardware, software, and application issues with minimal downtime.

Administrative Assistant I

Jul 2008 — Jun 2009
Mississippi State Hospital

Provided tier-1 technical support via help desk for hardware and software issues.

CEO / IT Director / Graphic Designer

Sep 2002 — Jun 2008

Triple H Enterprises

Developed custom web applications for e-commerce retail and wholesale operations. Directed all IT operations including network administration and system maintenance.

Certifications

Basic Supervisory Course

Mississippi State Personnel Board · Jan 2026

Anthropic

Claude 101

Anthropic Education · Apr 2026

 Anthropic

Claude Code in Action

Anthropic Education · Apr 2026

 Anthropic

AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations

Anthropic Education · Apr 2026