●Available

I design, build,
and ship software
that actually works.

websites · web apps · internal tools
AI integrations · custom software · since 2019
Book a callResume
Since
2019
Production
3 SaaS · 6+ yrs
Role
Solution Architect · Lead
Stack focus
Next.js · Rails · AI
Engagement
Direct · Remote
Who I work with

You might be one of these.

Four shapes of engagement I tend to be the right fit for.

  • The founder mid-build.

    You're sixty percent to launch. The first agency stalled. You need someone senior to take the codebase, finish what was promised, and ship it without rewriting from scratch.

  • The owner with a website costing customers.

    Your site loads slowly, looks dated, and converts worse than it should. You need a custom build that reflects the brand and actually moves the needle.

  • The team adding AI to the product.

    You see what's possible. You need someone who can wire up the LLMs, build the streaming UIs, and ship the feature before the trend window closes. Not vibe-code their way through it.

  • The CTO who needs senior bench depth.

    You're spinning up a critical project and don't want to onboard another junior. You need someone who can ship in your stack from day one. Next.js, Rails, AI, whatever's in production.

Selected work05 projects
01 / 05

KS Insight

Multi-tenant coaching, CRM, and operations platform powering an executive coaching firm from client portals to AI-powered meeting summaries.

role
lead engineer · full-stack
years
2024 → present
status
● live (gated access)
What I shipped
  • Built the entire admin platform end-to-end · CRM, project & phase management, time tracking, 360 assessments, and coaching booking flows
  • Designed the multi-tenant data architecture · per-client Firestore isolation, role-based access, and per-org admin provisioning
  • Built the AI meeting-summary pipeline · Zoom transcript ingest, LLM summarization, and automated task extraction
Next.jsTypeScriptFirebaseTailwindCSSRadix UIOpenAI / Claude
02 / 05

Genuity

Multi-tenant IT service management and asset platform. Built end-to-end for enterprise IT teams.

role
solution architect · team lead
years
2022 → 2025
status
● live (gated access)
What I shipped
  • Built every core module end-to-end · Helpdesk ticketing, Asset management, and Contract management on Vue, Rails, and PostgreSQL
  • Architected the reporting and async layers · query indexing, materialized views, and Sidekiq-backed refresh pipelines
  • Owned production reliability · Bugsnag, CloudWatch, incident response, and materially reduced downtime
VueJSRuby on RailsPostgreSQLAWSSidekiqDocker
03 / 05

HELM Boots

Custom Shopify storefront for a premium Austin-based boot maker. Loyalty program, brand storytelling, and 3,200+ reviews powering the buy.

role
shopify developer
years
2023 → 2024
status
● live
What I shipped
  • Built a custom Shopify theme end-to-end · product detail, collections, gallery, search, and add-on flows tailored to the brand
  • Integrated Swell Rewards into a branded loyalty program (HELM Crew) · point earning, tier benefits, and on-checkout redemption
  • Developed bespoke Liquid sections for brand storytelling · Our Story, Verified Reviews, 100-Day Worn-In Returns mechanics
ShopifyLiquidJavaScriptHTML/CSSSwell Rewards
Also shipped02 of many

A couple of highlights here. Most of what I ship is custom: web apps, SaaS platforms, and internal tools. Shopify and WordPress builds when the project calls for it. Happy to share the full list on request.

04 / 05●2023 → 2024

Lokai

Custom Shopify storefront for an inspirational bracelet brand. Brand storytelling, cause-driven collections, and a subscription membership powering $10M+ in charity donations.

role  shopify developer
ShopifyLiquidJavaScriptHTML/CSS+2
05 / 05●2022 → 2023

NTRL Look

Beauty editorial platform on WordPress. Makeup techniques, skincare, and wellness with affiliate monetization and category-driven discovery.

role  wordpress developer
WordPressPHPJavaScriptHTML/CSS+2
A working principle
“I’d rather ship one well-built thing than five half-built ones.”
About
Muhammad Akbar portrait

Muhammad Akbar·senior full-stack·remote

I'm Muhammad Akbar. Production engineering since 2019. I build production software for SaaS, HRTech, and retail teams. Ruby on Rails and Next.js on the backend. React, Vue, and modern frontend tooling on the surface. I integrate AI where it earns its place, not as a buzzword.

I think in systems: how a query plan shapes a dashboard, how a background job affects perceived latency, how an API contract dictates a team's velocity. The work I take on tends to be the kind where these things matter.

I take on a small number of contracts at a time so the work stays sharp. If you need a senior engineer who can think with you about product, not just write code to spec, you're in the right place. Websites, web apps, internal tools, AI integrations, full SaaS builds. Open to any.

Tools I reach for

Stack

Languages
TypeScript·JavaScript·Ruby·SQL·HTML·SCSS
Frameworks
Next.js·React·Vue·Ruby on Rails
AI & integrations
OpenAI·Anthropic Claude·LLM workflows·Vector search·Streaming UIs·Function calling
Databases
PostgreSQL·MongoDB·DynamoDB
Cloud
Vercel·AWS · EC2·Lambda·Cognito·S3·RDS·SES·SQS·CloudWatch
Async & queues
Sidekiq·Redis·SQS·WebSockets
Payments & APIs
Stripe·REST·GraphQL·Webhooks
Tooling
Docker·Git·Cursor·Bugsnag·Jira·Figma
Testing
RSpec·TestCafe·Playwright·Vitest
UI
TailwindCSS·shadcn/ui·Framer Motion·MUI·Bootstrap
Engineering principles

What I believe.

  • Production code is contract code.

  • Performance is a feature, not an afterthought.

  • The query plan tells the truth.

  • AI is leverage. Not replacement.

  • Simple code beats clever code.

  • Ship what you can defend.

Engagement notes

How I work

  1. Async-first.

    I work in your tools (Slack, Linear, GitHub, whatever your team lives in). Synchronous calls when they're useful, never when they're not.

  2. Weekly demo.

    Every week you see something running, not a status update. Builds trust faster than any timeline.

  3. Scope-clear contracts.

    Fixed-price or hourly, but always with a written brief naming what's in and what's out. No mid-project surprises.

  4. One contract at a time.

    Mostly. The work stays sharper when I'm not context-switching across three clients.

Let’s build something

Have a project worth shipping?

Tell me what you’re building, what’s blocking, and a rough timeline. I’ll respond within 48 hours.

Book a call
makbar89@gmail.com·LinkedIn·Resume