This is a submission for the New Year, New You Portfolio Challenge Presented by Google AI
About Me
I am a full-stack software engineer based in South Africa, focused on building durable software that ships and lasts.
I care about clear system boundaries, low-maintenance architectures, and products that solve real problems without unnecessary complexity. Most of my work lives in production: SaaS tools, automation systems, payment flows, and community platforms.
This portfolio is meant to reflect how I actually work. Pragmatic, intentional, and biased toward execution.
Portfolio
This portfolio is structured like internal system documentation rather than a traditional marketing site. It highlights:
- Live and archived products I have shipped
- Clear product intent, status, and scope
- SaaS, automation, payments, and platform work
- Open-source and community contributions
AI Integration
This portfolio includes an interactive terminal (SYSTEM.QUERY) powered by Google Gemini 2.5 Flash.
Users can query product data directly:
Structured commands (handled locally for speed):
- help - list available commands
- list products - show all products with status
- show [product] [field] - show specific product data
- explain [product] - show full product breakdown
Natural language queries (powered by Gemini):
- "what tech does paychasers/[product] use?"
- "compare the infrastructure of all products"
- "which product uses blockchain?"
The system prompt constrains Gemini to portfolio data only, with terminal-style output formatting. Common queries are handled locally without an API call. Complex or natural language queries fall back to Gemini.
This demonstrates practical AI integration: fast where possible, intelligent when needed, without over-engineering.
How I Built It
- Framework: Next.js
- Language: Typescript, JavaScript
- Styling: Tailwind CSS
- AI: Google Gemini 2.5 Flash
- Deployment: Google Cloud Run (fully managed, container-based)
I used AI-assisted development to iterate on structure, copy clarity, and information hierarchy, while keeping the final implementation intentionally simple and deterministic.
The site favors static rendering, fast load times, and a small surface area for long-term maintainability. The terminal feature adds interactivity without compromising the minimal aesthetic.
What I'm Most Proud Of
- The restraint in the design. Nothing exists without a reason
- Clear labeling of product status (live, inactive, archived)
- Showing real shipped work instead of demo projects
- AI integration that fits the product's identity (terminal queries, not chatbot fluff)
- A portfolio that reflects engineering maturity, not trend-chasing
This is not a highlight reel. It is a snapshot of how I build software today.
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