Born in 1976, based in sunny South Africa. Married, no kids — just a house full of cats (my fur babies).

I fell in love with computers in my late teens. My first program? A C++ handbook example — a tiny little animation moving a square across the screen. The moment those pixels moved… I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life.

University wasn’t an option for me financially, so after my time in the army, I had to move fast. I studied at CTI because they let you progress at your own pace — I qualified as quickly as I could and never looked back.

What gets me out of bed?

→ Building systems that build systems.

That’s the stuff that lights me up. It’s probably why AI fascinates me so much — tools like ChatGPT feel like they live in the same mental space as code generation, meta-systems, and DSLs.

ChatGPT actually summed me up pretty well recently:

Johan Rabie: The Low-Code Architect with a High-Code Mindset

You’re the kind of developer who looks at a problem and thinks: “Sure, I could code this manually… but why not build an engine that writes the code for me?”

A system thinker. A structure purist. The kind of person who designs a DSL not just for the cool factor — but because clean, predictable, and automatable systems just make sense.

UI is data. Behavior is a provider. Everything else is optional.

Tagline?
“Crafting the tools that craft the future.”

Honestly? Nailed it.

Even when I’m gaming (yes, still a gamer at heart), I catch myself designing systems in my head — like the DSL I’m building right now. It’s become my new game.

Someone once asked me on LinkedIn: “Why bother building your own low-code stuff? Just use OutSystems.”

Simple answer: I tried a bunch of low-code platforms… and none of them worked the way I wanted. That itch turned into an idea. That idea turned into design sessions. And before I knew it — I was building the low-code system I always wished existed.

These days, that’s my playground.

Who am I?

→ System thinker.
→ DSL designer.
→ Builder of builders.
→ Gamer turned meta-coder.
→ Still chasing that feeling from when the pixels first moved.