Erik is available for hire
Hire ErikErik Escobedo
Verified Expert in Engineering
Web Development Developer
Hunucmá, Mexico
Toptal member since October 3, 2017
Bio
Erik is a hands-on software architect and full-stack engineer with 16+ years of experience, including 3 years at Google Classroom. He specializes in managing technical debt and transforming legacy complexity into maintainable architecture. Erik has more than a decade of remote-first experience, bridging the gap between business goals and technical execution, ensuring reliability and performance in every project he is involved in.
Portfolio
Google
Java, TypeScript, Google Guice, Google Cloud Spanner, Python, SQL...
FanMaker
Ruby on Rails 3, React Native, GitHub, Software Engineering, React, CSS...
Freelance Work
CSS, HTML, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Ruby on Rails (RoR), React, SQL, JavaScript, Ruby...
Experience
- Web Development - 16 years
- MySQL - 15 years
- GitHub - 12 years
- REST APIs - 10 years
- Ruby on Rails (RoR) - 10 years
- React - 6 years
- Google API - 5 years
- TypeScript - 3 years
Preferred Environment
GitHub, Git, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Linux, Java, Python 3, Ruby, TypeScript
The most amazing...
...project I've architected was a zero-downtime database migration for Google Classroom, using a Dark Launch approach to validate data for millions of users.
Work Experience
Software Engineer
2023 - 2026
- Designed and implemented the database migration for the Google Classroom API: Registrations service, using a Dark Launch approach to validate data for millions of users.
- Architected a synthetic SIS sandbox to facilitate integration testing and AI agent crawling, fed by Google Spreadsheets as a flexible data source for two-way verification across OneRoster 1.1 and 1.2 protocols.
- Mentored junior engineers on software engineering best practices, guiding them through complex system designs, Google’s rigorous code review standards, and career development paths.
- Led the End-of-Life (EOL) process for a legacy platform, coordinating phased account closures and resolving critical data conflicts to ensure a smooth transition for clients before final decommissioning.
- Co-architected a comprehensive test coverage suite for legacy pipelines using SQLT to ensure reliability during system integration of an acquired third party.
Technologies: Java, TypeScript, Google Guice, Google Cloud Spanner, Python, SQL, Systems Design, OneRoster, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Google API, Software Engineering, Pydantic, FastAPI, CSS, Full-stack, Software Architecture, Code Review, Scalable Architecture, API Integration, Pub/Sub, Relational Databases, RESTFul APIs, Test-driven Development (TDD), REST APIs, Data Pipelines, Terraform, Architecture, Full-stack Development, System Architecture, Real-time Data, Back-end, Infrastructure, Authentication, Role-based Access Control (RBAC), SaaS, Dashboards, JSON, Web Applications, RESTful Development, Java 9, Scalability, Education Technology (Edtech), Databases, APIs, Unit Testing, Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Software Engineer
2018 - 2023
FanMaker
- Maintained and extended a Ruby on Rails application providing back-end services for a network of 30+ mobile applications.
- Single-handedly migrated the codebase from Ruby on Rails 2 to Ruby on Rails 3 on a secondary branch while maintaining and adding new features to it in parallel.
- Architected and deployed legal compliance frameworks, enabling the acquisition of a new enterprise-tier client base.
- Engineered a robust double-entry accounting engine for virtual currency, featuring point-in-time reporting capabilities to accurately reconstruct balances and audit logs for any historical or future date.
- Independently managed a Rails 2 to 3 migration by engineering a compatibility layer that supported parallel development and stable feature releases throughout the upgrade process.
- Scaled a high-availability AWS infrastructure to support 1+ million concurrent users, implementing predictive auto-scaling to eliminate manual intervention during peak live event traffic.
Technologies: Ruby on Rails 3, React Native, GitHub, Software Engineering, React, CSS, Full-stack, Software Architecture, Code Review, Scalable Architecture, API Integration, Mobile, Mobile Development, Relational Databases, RESTFul APIs, Test-driven Development (TDD), REST APIs, Redux, Full-stack Development, System Architecture, Real-time Data, Back-end, Infrastructure, Authentication, Role-based Access Control (RBAC), GIS, SaaS, Dashboards, JSON, Web Applications, RESTful Development, Mobile App Development, Web App Development, Scalability, Mobile Apps, Databases, 3D, Payment APIs, Stripe, APIs, Unit Testing
Founder & Team Leader
2013 - 2018
Freelance Work
- Led a freelancer guild group—composed of local programmers sharing an office space; sometimes working independently, sometimes working on the same projects.
- Interviewed and met with leads and customers—helping them to design product strategies and software solutions.
- Mentoring and empowering the most junior members of the group, as well as consulting on their projects.
- Led shared projects and made technology decisions—like what platform to use, what libraries to implement, and what code styles to follow.
- Designed a system and database for both shared and individual projects.
Technologies: CSS, HTML, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Ruby on Rails (RoR), React, SQL, JavaScript, Ruby, RSpec, Android, iOS, Geolocation, GitHub, Full-stack, Code Review, App Store, Relational Databases, RESTFul APIs, REST APIs, Redux, Technical Leadership, Full-stack Development, Back-end, Authentication, Role-based Access Control (RBAC), JSON, Web Applications, APIs, Unit Testing
Web Developer
2014 - 2016
Simulation Curriculum
- Worked alongside David Whips (the winner of the Apple Design Awards 2013).
- Led a three-person team assembled by the client—delegating tasks and reporting directly to the client.
- Implemented an independent AngularJS module by using a private API provided by the client.
- Worked with vectors and geometry figures to allow students to draw, drag, split, and reassemble colorful geometric shapes.
- Designed equations that allowed the user to add momentum when dragging movable panels.
Technologies: Node.js, SQL, JavaScript, Ruby, RSpec, GitHub, CSS, Full-stack, Relational Databases, Redux, JSON, Web Applications, Web App Development, APIs
Web Developer
2010 - 2013
MojoTech
- Worked alongside great people like Christopher Shoemaker, a former member of the Mozilla team.
- Built a beautiful human resources management tool using the most advanced front-end technologies available at the time.
- Contributed to a huge real estate application for which I designed a powerful neighborhood search engine.
- Communicated remotely using tools like HipChat, Basecamp, and more for almost 3 years.
- Migrated an existing application from PHP to Ruby on Rails 3.0.
Technologies: GitHub, Git, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Ruby, SQL, JavaScript, RSpec, Web Development, CSS, Full-stack, JSON, APIs
Experience
Lick - Metronome
https://apps.apple.com/mx/app/lick-metronome/id6783994002Lick is a precision metronome for iOS and Android, built with React Native and a fully native audio core. I designed and built the entire product solo—architecture, native audio engines in Swift and Kotlin, the UI system, in-app purchases, localization, and App Store submission.
The JavaScript runtime cannot provide the timing guarantees a click track requires, so the application is partitioned into a thin declarative UI layer over purpose-built native engines: AVAudioEngine on iOS and the low-latency AudioTrack path on Android. Both are driven by a native scheduler and exposed to JavaScript through a single shared TurboModule contract.
The JavaScript runtime cannot provide the timing guarantees a click track requires, so the application is partitioned into a thin declarative UI layer over purpose-built native engines: AVAudioEngine on iOS and the low-latency AudioTrack path on Android. Both are driven by a native scheduler and exposed to JavaScript through a single shared TurboModule contract.
Network of 30+ iOS/Android Apps
https://apps.apple.com/mx/developer/row27-mobile/id330236857?l=en#see-all/i-phone-appsI led a very small team tasked with maintaining and upgrading all the iOS/Android apps in the company's portfolio, as well as onboarding new apps for new clients.
I redesigned and reimplemented the shared back end to support these apps as clients demanded new features. I also maintained and extended the original proprietary framework used to build apps from configuration files to support these new features.
I redesigned and reimplemented the shared back end to support these apps as clients demanded new features. I also maintained and extended the original proprietary framework used to build apps from configuration files to support these new features.
Red-black Tree Visualizer
https://rbtrees-escoberik.vercel.app/An interactive educational tool for exploring red-black tree operations step by step. The user inserts, searches for, or deletes a value, then walks through every comparison, rotation, and recoloring the algorithm performs.
I designed and implemented the entire project from scratch, including a custom discrete grid system for node positioning and SVG-based animations driven by RequestAnimationFrame. The RBT algorithm is fully decoupled from React, making it independently testable. The component is published to npm as rbtrees and works as a zero-configuration drop-in.
I designed and implemented the entire project from scratch, including a custom discrete grid system for node positioning and SVG-based animations driven by RequestAnimationFrame. The RBT algorithm is fully decoupled from React, making it independently testable. The component is published to npm as rbtrees and works as a zero-configuration drop-in.
Neighborhood Scout
http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/This is a real estate network with information on all the neighborhoods in the US.
I worked as part of the team that migrated the back-end codebase from PHP to Ruby on Rails 3.0.
Once the migration was complete, I served as the main programmer involved in the implementation of a multi-layer search engine designed to find neighborhoods with a similar lifestyle but in different locations across the USA.
I worked as part of the team that migrated the back-end codebase from PHP to Ruby on Rails 3.0.
Once the migration was complete, I served as the main programmer involved in the implementation of a multi-layer search engine designed to find neighborhoods with a similar lifestyle but in different locations across the USA.
Allocate
This is a human resource management tool with a beautiful and simple design.
I used Backbone and Marionette (a front-end framework) to build the user interface for this project. Since this was a home project for the company I was working for at the time, I worked alongside and communicated with a large number of developers.
I used Backbone and Marionette (a front-end framework) to build the user interface for this project. Since this was a home project for the company I was working for at the time, I worked alongside and communicated with a large number of developers.
Education
2006 - 2010
Completed Credits Toward a Bachelor's Degree in Mechatronic Engineering
National Autonomous University of Mexico | UNAM - Mexico City, Mexico
Skills
Libraries/APIs
Google API, REST APIs, React, Node.js, Pydantic, Stripe
Tools
GitHub, RSpec, Git, Terraform, GIS, Claude Code, Expo, Xcode, Claude
Languages
SQL, JavaScript, Ruby, TypeScript, CSS, HTML, Python, Java 9, Java, Python 3, Swift
Frameworks
Ruby on Rails (RoR), React Native, Ruby on Rails 3, Google Guice, Next.js, Redux
Paradigms
RESTful Development, Test-driven Development (TDD), Role-based Access Control (RBAC), Unit Testing, Mobile Development
Storage
PostgreSQL, Relational Databases, JSON, Databases, MySQL, Data Pipelines, Google Cloud Spanner
Platforms
Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Mobile, iOS, Linux, Android, Vercel, Visual Studio Code (VS Code)
Other
Web Development, Software Engineering, FastAPI, Full-stack, Code Review, API Integration, RESTFul APIs, Full-stack Development, Real-time Data, Back-end, Infrastructure, Authentication, SaaS, Dashboards, Web Applications, Mobile App Development, Web App Development, Scalability, Education Technology (Edtech), APIs, Algorithms, Software Architecture, Scalable Architecture, Pub/Sub, Architecture, Technical Leadership, System Architecture, Mobile Apps, 3D, Payment APIs, Engineering, Geolocation, Systems Design, OneRoster, App Store, SVG, Audio, Music, In-app Purchase (IAP), Internationalization, App Store Connect, App Store Acceptance Process, Google Play Store, Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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