C

Languages

  • TypeScript/JavaScript- Most of my work is in TypeScript. I make sure to stay up to date with every feature release, and I try to learn everything I can about how people use JavaScript, and how the ECMAScript spec works.
  • Python - For over a year, my job consisted primarily of writing Python scripts. During this time I also built and maintained a Django REST API. In other words, I'm fairly comfortable working with Python, but I pay less attention to it, and I don't use it as regularly, so I'm not as fluent.
  • Rust - I'm a newbie when it comes to Rust. I've read the tutorial book and the Rustonomicon cover to cover, and I've built a few simple experimental things (a CLI application, a couple actix-web APIs, some WASM binaries), but I haven't done any professional work yet in Rust. I enjoy using Rust a lot though, so I would jump at the chance to do more lower level programming.

Front End Frameworks

  • React - I've used React a lot, and I enjoy working with it, so it's my default choice for front end work. This site was made using React - Gatsby more specifically.
  • Angular - Angular was the first tool that I learned when I got my start doing web development. My most complex front end projects were built with Angular, and I've kept up with it over the years. That said, it's not my first choice.

Back End (APIs)

  • NodeJS - I've been working with Node for as long as I have been programming. I've built several REST APIs using Express, and I've also built APIs using Fastify and Nest.js. I've taken the time to get a decent enough grasp of libuv, the V8 engine, and how Node uses these under the hood.
  • rust-actix-web - Although I'm relatively new to Rust, I've been looking seriously at the possiblity of replacing Node as my go-to for building API endpoints. An Actix-web API image is dozens of times smaller (no 120mb node_modules!), starts up almost instantly, and can serve many times more requests per second. On top of that, I haven't even found it significantly harder to use so far. I would love a chance to work more with rust-actix-web in the future.

Docker

Docker is another toolthat I have been using for as long as I have been programming. Every time I've deployed an application without Docker. I've regretted it. Docker is another one of the tools that I've taken the time to develop a pretty good understanding of.

Kubernetes

I have been learning and using Kubernetes for a couple years now. I have 1 four-node cluster active on GKE right now. I would say that I'm decently comfortable with it. By that I meann I know how to set up a cluster, deploy an application to it, set up basic security and monitoring, and I know how to inspect what I need to inspect to troubleshoot an application. That said, Kubenetes is a complicated beast, there is a lot left for me to learn.

Redis

I've mostly used Redis as a session store. I also used it as a pub/sub messaging system in one application. I know the basics of Redis, and I'm comfortable configuring it on its own, and within a Kubernetes cluster. I wouldn't say that I'm an expert, or that I have a very in depth understanding of it though.

Databases

  • MongoDB - I have both availble MongoDB certifications: the Database Administrator certification, and the Database Developer certification. I've also built several applications using MongoDB. I have a very good understanding of how and when to use MongoDB
  • PostgreSQL - I've used Postgres in a few learning projects, and I have a decent grasp of at least basic usage. However, my Postgres skills don't extend very far beyond that. Changing this is pretty close to the top of my priority list at the moment.

Networking/Servers

  • Nginx - I've used nginx to serve static files, and as a reverse-proxy. It has a lot of modules that I haven't used, but I'm very comfortable with the core concepts.
  • Istio - Istio is my go-to for networking whenever I'm using Kubernetes. When it comes to managing requests to and from a cluster, Istio can do literally anything, so I've never felt compelled to use anything else.

Cloud Providers - Google Cloud Platform

Although I have used AWS a tiny bit, I prefer using GCP over it and other alternatives. Using GCP means workspace resources (e.g. drive, email, sheets), cloud storage, GKE, APIs (e.g. Google Maps), domains, analytics, container registry etc. can all be managed from one place. Also, GCP tends to be relatively cost efficient for Kubernetes.

CI/CD - Github Actions

I've been using Github Actions for a while now and I'm pretty happy with it. I've used it to build and deploy images to Kubernetes clusters. I've used it to run unit and integration tests, and I've used it to lint code. I'm generally happy with it. I'm a fan of anything that helps me reduce the number of companies I need to interact with. Also, being able to make re-usable CI/CD packages is extremely useful.

© Charles Desbiens - 2022