The latest articles on DEV Community by Manfred__ (@uchindami). https://dev.to/uchindami https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3725634%2F3e0833af-dba8-4333-bb39-7e2746e393ad.jpeg https://dev.to/uchindami en Manfred__ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 14:33:25 +0000 https://dev.to/uchindami/tired-of-https-guis-try-ssh-try-tui-new-year-new-braincells-cde https://dev.to/uchindami/tired-of-https-guis-try-ssh-try-tui-new-year-new-braincells-cde <p>_<em>This is a submission for the <a href="https://dev.to/challenges/new-year-new-you-google-ai-2025-12-31">New Year, New You Portfolio Challenge Presented by Google AI</a></em></p> <p><strong>Did I clickbait you?</strong><br><br> Yes—but also no. Hear me out.</p> <p>I'm exhausted by these AI-generated UIs. You know the ones: neon buttons slapped together with whatever AI chatbot tutorial is trending on YouTube. It’s giving WordPress circa 2008 (I'm not old i just spend a lot of time on yt)</p> <h2> About Me </h2> <p>Hi! I'm Uchindami (Manfred), a Full Stack Developer from Malawi 🇲🇼.<br> I am mostly </p> <ul> <li>coding with antigravity</li> <li>playing 5-a-side football</li> <li>playing wildrift</li> </ul> <h2> The Portfolio </h2> <p><strong>Live Demo:</strong> <a href="https://portfolio-tui-885989915110.us-central1.run.app" rel="noopener noreferrer">portfolio-tui-885989915110.us-central1.run.app</a></p> <p> </p> <div class="ltag__cloud-run"> <iframe height="600px" src="https://portfolio-tui-885989915110.us-central1.run.app"> </iframe> </div> <p><strong>SSH?</strong><br><br> This isn’t SSH (Cloud Run only exposes port 8080, so no dice), but it’s the closest <em>legal</em> hack I could ship: a web-based terminal streaming Ratatui over HTTP via ttyd. There’s also a “normal” version if you’re allergic to the command line.</p> <p>When you visit, you choose your path:</p> <ol> <li> <strong>Terminal Mode (SSHish):</strong> A full Linux-like shell environment running in your browser.</li> <li> <strong>Web Mode (Normal):</strong> A standard, responsive modern portfolio website.</li> </ol> <h2> How I Built It </h2> <p><strong>Tech Stack:</strong></p> <ul> <li> <strong>Core:</strong> Rust (Ratatui) for the TUI, Astro/Tailwind for the Web version.</li> <li> <strong>Server:</strong> Docker (Multi-stage build) on <strong>Google Cloud Run</strong> (Serverless).</li> <li> <strong>Web Terminal:</strong> <code>Ttyd</code> exposes the shell over WebSockets.</li> <li> <strong>CI/CD:</strong> GitHub Actions -&gt; Google Artifact Registry -&gt; Cloud Run.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Google Gemini 3</strong> was my pair programmer, helping critically with:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Rust/Ratatui Logic:</strong> Generating complex TUI layouts and the virtual filesystem.</li> <li> <strong>Docker Config:</strong> Optimizing the multi-stage build to serve both apps.</li> <li> <strong>Animation:</strong> Debugging the threaded boat animation logic.</li> <li>I also used Opus 4.5, but the judges don't want to hear that. </li> </ul> <h2> Highlights </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Real Shell Experience:</strong> Use <code>ls</code>, <code>cd</code>, <code>cat</code>, and tab completion.</li> <li> <strong>Interactive Dashboard:</strong> Run <code>./dashboard</code> for a TUI graphics overlay.</li> <li> <strong>Easter Eggs:</strong> Try <code>neofetch</code>, <code>matrix</code>, <code>fortune</code>, or even <code>sl</code>.</li> <li> <strong>Dual Mode:</strong> Seamless switching between CLI and GUI experiences.</li> </ul> <h3> Screenshots </h3> <p><strong>The Choice (Landing Page)</strong><br> <a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fte45gp8xcwy6taoy7mwp.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fte45gp8xcwy6taoy7mwp.png" alt="Landing"></a></p> <p><strong>Terminal Mode (TUI)</strong><br> <a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Filbjx689t65qnyfyeemk.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Filbjx689t65qnyfyeemk.png" alt="Dashboard"></a></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fsi2uee0qgw4gyvx12wgr.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fsi2uee0qgw4gyvx12wgr.png" alt="Resume"></a></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fgrf9ai0mi9sxsdfifpov.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fgrf9ai0mi9sxsdfifpov.png" alt="more terminal ui"></a></p> <p><strong>Web Mode (Normal)</strong><br> <a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fs4ke9w04wamfelu8oryk.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fs4ke9w04wamfelu8oryk.png" alt="normal site"></a></p> <p>Thanks for checking it out! 🚀</p> devchallenge googleaichallenge portfolio gemini