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matthewboback.comBackend & Platform Engineer
Skills

A focused stack shaped by the kinds of systems I like to own.

Intentionally curated for hiring review — not every tool I have touched, but the ones that show up repeatedly in the work I am strongest at.

How I read the stack

Backend first

I usually start from contracts, jobs, data flow, and operations, then work outward into the product surface.

Shipped systems

Most highlighted tools link back to a shipped system — StageFlow, AlchemizeCV, or the access-control platform — where they show up in real product behavior rather than isolated experiments.

Operator clarity

I value systems that are easier to debug, easier to explain, and less dependent on hidden process knowledge.

Core languages

The languages I reach for most when the work needs to ship and stay maintainable.

4 tools

Go

core

APIs, orchestrators, service boundaries

Python

core

Backend services, job logic, data tooling

TypeScript

core

UI, tooling, and browser-facing product work

SQL

Relational modeling, projections, and operational queries

Backend systems

The work here is mostly about durable jobs, typed contracts, and keeping distributed behavior understandable.

6 tools

FastAPI

core

Typed API work

Chi / net-http

core

Lean Go APIs

Temporal

core

Durable workflows for long-running pipelines

WebSockets & SSE

core

Real-time product feedback

NATS JetStream

core

Durable event flow

Pydantic / SQLAlchemy

Validation and persistence

Product frontend

I do frontend work to make systems usable and legible, especially for technical users and operator workflows.

4 tools

SvelteKit

core

Primary product UI framework in shipped work

React

Portfolio and product-side interface work

Tailwind CSS

core

Design systems and interface implementation

Vite

Fast local and production builds

Infrastructure & delivery

I am comfortable owning the release path as well as the application code.

6 tools

Podman

core

Rootless workloads and container operations

PostgreSQL

core

Durable production state

SQLite

Embedded source-of-truth and projection state

MinIO

core

Artifact storage and durable batch sync

WireGuard

Outbound-only site connectivity for hybrid systems

Caddy & systemd

core

Routing, TLS, service management

Testing & automation

I use tests and automation to protect delivery speed, not as ceremonial coverage.

5 tools

Playwright

core

Browser automation and regression checks

Pytest

Fast backend confidence loops

axe-core

core

Accessibility checks tied to product quality

Vitest

Frontend and tooling coverage

GitHub Actions

CI and repeatable verification