I’m André Graf, a software engineer based in Switzerland, currently working as a DevOps Solution Architect at Helvetia Baloise Group, focusing on platform systems, developer enablement, and the governance of distributed infrastructure.
I build systems that are correct under pressure, simple to operate, and honest about trade-offs. Previously, I created VerneMQ, a distributed MQTT broker for IoT at scale, and built a company around it. More recently, I’ve been working on ProxyConf, a spec-driven control plane for Envoy Proxy, and exploring how AI is reshaping the boundaries between agents, infrastructure, and governed execution.
Dad of two. I spend my free time trying to stay upright on an indoor rowing machine, experimenting with cooking without burning the kitchen down, and bravely learning the piccolo flute in preparation for Basel Fasnacht.
This site is where I think out loud. Notes on systems, constraints, infrastructure, AI, and things I’m currently building, learning, or reconsidering.
Now
- Experimenting with spec-driven control planes — using OpenAPI as the source of truth for Envoy configuration
- Exploring how LLMs can reason about API specifications and generate proxy policy
- Revisiting OTP supervision patterns for long-lived control plane processes
- Reading and thinking across distributed systems, developer tooling, and AI-assisted engineering
Projects
- ProxyConf Elixir
Spec-driven API management for Envoy Proxy. Control plane built with Elixir/OTP.
- VerneMQ Erlang
Distributed MQTT message broker for IoT at scale. Founded as a company.
- API-Fence Rust
Envoy HTTP filter for OpenAPI-based request and response validation. Written in Rust.
- ExControlPlane Elixir
Elixir library implementing the Envoy xDS protocol for building custom control planes.
- Canister Rust
A lightweight sandbox for running untrusted code safely on Linux. No root required.