About · nealvdv

Neal Van de VeldeBrussels · NL, FR, ENAvailable for new projects

I’m Neal, a web developer from Brussels. By day I’m a mainframe developer: I maintain COBOL systems that have to get the numbers right, every day. Alongside that I build websites, webshops and software for self-employed professionals and small businesses. From the first conversation to the maintenance, you work with me directly.

“Reliable systems aren’t glamorous, but they’re the ones everything else depends on.”

↗ Certifications on Credly

Experience

Two worlds, one way of working: what has to be right on a mainframe has to be right on your site too.

My businessWebsites and software for businesses

Self-employed alongside my job, I build websites, webshops and admin areas for small businesses.

Web Developer · self-employed (part-time)nealvdv.be · BrusselsFrom Nov 2026

Websites, webshops and custom software for self-employed professionals and small businesses in Flanders and Brussels, from design to maintenance.
Online booking, admin areas and client portals, built with Next.js, React and TypeScript.
One point of contact throughout: the first call, a fixed-price proposal, the build, the launch and the upkeep.

By dayMainframe development

Since 2022 I have written and maintained COBOL software on IBM and Unisys mainframes: systems that process salaries, payments and documents every day.

Mainframe DeveloperING · BrusselsOct 2024 – Present

Developing, testing, and maintaining COBOL applications on a Unisys mainframe within a banking environment.
Working in Data Quality and KUBE-related environments to support stable, accurate, requirement-compliant processing.
Contributing to migration activities from COBOL applications to a Java-based environment.

Mainframe DeveloperPartena Professional · BrusselsJul 2022 – Sep 2024

Developed and supported business-critical COBOL applications on an IBM mainframe, driving payroll processing and content management workflows.
Managed data migration initiatives, implementing detailed validation processes to safeguard data accuracy.
Delivered high-availability document output services, consistently meeting strict SLAs in a high-volume environment.

What the mainframe taught me ends up in your site

Testing before going liveOn a mainframe nothing goes into production untested. Your site is checked on every device before launch.
Data that adds upPayroll allows no mistakes. Your bookings, customers and invoices are correct and kept safe.
Systems that keep runningOvernight batches have to run every day. Your site gets backups, updates and monitoring.

What I work with

What I use, each with what it is and what it means for you. Open one for more.

Websites & apps

What I build for you: fast sites, webshops, admin areas and apps for iPhone and Android.

HTML & CSSThe structure and the styling of every web page.

Used for: Accessible pages that look right on every screen, light and dark.
For you: A site Google reads well and screen readers understand.

JavaScriptThe programming language of every browser.

Used for: Everything that moves or responds on a site: menus, forms, calendars.
For you: Interaction that works in every browser, without plug-ins.

TypeScriptJavaScript that catches mistakes before the code runs.

Used for: Software that has to last for years and grow.
For you: Fewer bugs that only your customers find, and code another developer can take over.

Node.jsJavaScript on the server.

Used for: Handling forms, sending email, connecting other services.
For you: What happens behind the scenes, in the same language as the rest of your site.

ReactA library for interactive screens in the browser.

Used for: From a booking calendar to a complete admin area.
For you: A site that responds as you click, without loading a new page every time.

Next.jsA framework for building fast websites and web apps with React.

Used for: This site and my clients’ sites run on it.
For you: Pages that open quickly and that Google can read easily.

React NativeReact for apps on iPhone and Android, from one codebase.

Used for: Apps for your customers or your staff.
For you: One app for both kinds of phone, so it is built and maintained once.

Java + SpringA widely used language and framework for business software on the server.

Used for: Large business applications and links between systems.
For you: If your software has to talk to a larger company’s systems, I speak that language.

Data & hosting

Where your data lives and how your site stays online.

PostgreSQLAn open-source database, reliable and widely used.

Used for: Bookings, customers, quotes and invoices in the admin areas I build.
For you: Your data sits in a standard database, not locked in a closed system.

NeonPostgreSQL in the cloud, scaling with use.

Used for: The database behind admin areas, bookings and webshops.
For you: Your data lives in a managed database with restore points, without a server to run.

UpstashFast storage for counters and short-lived data.

Used for: Limits how many messages someone can send per minute.
For you: Your form keeps working, even when a bot tries to flood it.

VercelHosting for modern websites, with servers spread around the world.

Used for: Where this site and my clients’ sites are online.
For you: A new version of your site goes live without it going offline in between.

CloudflareNetwork and security services for websites.

Used for: Here Turnstile: the check that keeps spam out of forms.
For you: Messages from real people, without puzzles for your visitors.

ResendA service that reliably delivers your site’s emails.

Used for: Contact messages, booking confirmations and reminders.
For you: Emails that arrive, not in spam.

Mainframe

My day job: COBOL on IBM and Unisys mainframes, where every mistake costs money. I bring that care along.

TSO/ISPFThe workspace for programming on an IBM mainframe.

Used for: Writing code, running jobs and checking results.
For you: Experience with strict, proven ways of working.

COBOLA programming language for large business systems, in use since the 1960s.

Used for: Many payments, insurance policies and payroll runs still go through it.
For you: I’m used to software that has to get the numbers right every day, without exception.

JCLThe language that tells a mainframe which programs to run, and in what order.

Used for: Overnight processing, such as statements and payslips.
For you: Experience with jobs that run on their own and on time, even when nobody watches.

VSAMA way to store files on a mainframe and find records quickly.

Used for: Large files of customer or payroll data.
For you: An eye for how data is stored, not only for how it looks on screen.

SQLThe language for querying and changing data in a database.

Used for: Reports, checks and corrections on large amounts of data.
For you: Your figures and customer data can be pulled quickly and correctly.

DB2IBM’s database for large amounts of business-critical data.

Used for: Storing and processing structured data reliably, in large business systems.
For you: I know how to organise data so it stays correct and quick to find.

IMS (DB/DC)IBM’s database and transaction system, in service for decades.

Used for: Fast processing of large volumes of data.
For you: Experience changing systems that must not stop.

CICSA system that handles many transactions at once on a mainframe.

Used for: What happens behind a counter or a terminal.
For you: I think ahead about what happens when many people use your system at once.

REXXA scripting language on the mainframe.

Used for: Automating repetitive work, such as checks and reports.
For you: I quickly see what can be automated.

DMSIIThe database of Unisys mainframes.

Used for: Data that has to be available day and night.
For you: Respect for data that must never get lost.

InfoConnectTerminal software for working with a Unisys mainframe.

Used for: Daily work on the mainframe.
For you: At home in large, older systems many companies still run on.

SURE for WindowsWindows software for work on a Unisys mainframe.

Used for: Daily work on the mainframe, alongside InfoConnect.
For you: I work easily with the tools a large company already uses.

Way of working & tools

Planning, documenting and automating smartly, so your project stays clear and on time.

GitVersion control: every change to the code is kept.

Used for: Working on something new without touching the live site.
For you: No work gets lost, and every change can be rolled back.

ESLint & PrettierTools that check code and keep it tidy.

Used for: Catching mistakes before the site goes live.
For you: Readable code another developer can take over.

VitestAutomatic tests that check the code on every change.

Used for: Forms, prices, translations and addresses are checked every time.
For you: A change doesn’t quietly break something else.

UMLDiagrams to plan software before it is built.

Used for: Mapping out the processes and data of a project.
For you: You see up front how your software will work.

AI toolsLanguage models that help with writing, code and analysis.

Used for: Working faster, with a person checking everything.
For you: More time for what your project needs.

AlsoGitHub · Microsoft Office

Languages

The languages you can talk to me in.

DutchNative.

Used for: Conversations, proposals and web copy.
For you: You talk to me in your own language, with no go-between.

FrenchFluent.

Used for: Clients in Brussels and Wallonia, French versions of your site.
For you: Your French-speaking customers get a site that reads naturally.

EnglishFluent.

Used for: International clients, technical documentation.
For you: Expats and tourists find their way on your site too.

Why work with me

Why I build this way →

€0of extra work without your say-so
Fixed price up front
You get a proposal with a price that doesn’t change. Extra work only happens if you ask for it.
30days of guarantee after delivery
Built to keep working
By day I work on mainframes, where an outage is not an option. Your site gets the same care and is tested on every device before it goes live.
1person, from first call to maintenance
One point of contact
You always talk to me, from the first conversation to the maintenance years later.
4languages, more through translators
In every language
Your site can be in Dutch, French, English and German. Spanish or Turkish work too, through a translator.