Ilya is available for hire
Hire IlyaIlya Zykin
Verified Expert in Engineering
Full-stack Developer
İstanbul, Turkey
Toptal member since March 22, 2023
Bio
Ilya is a full-stack developer with 20 years of experience in programming, teaching, and coaching. Specializing in Ruby on Rails and React development, he has been an open-source contributor, team lead, and technical manager. As an independent expert, Ilya mentored and coached IT teams and consulted small and medium-sized businesses focusing on digital transformation. He can help companies solve technical tasks and conduct IT audits.
Portfolio
Fortune 500 Company (USA)
Ruby on Rails (RoR), React, PostgreSQL, Git, JavaScript, Vite, Docker...
PV Project (Pennsylvania State University)
Ruby, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Python, JavaScript, Full-stack Development...
Toptal
JavaScript, Ruby on Rails (RoR), TypeScript, Ruby, Node.js...
Experience
- JavaScript - 19 years
- Full-stack - 16 years
- Ruby on Rails (RoR) - 16 years
- React - 10 years
- Node.js - 10 years
- Mentorship & Coaching - 8 years
- TypeScript - 5 years
- AI Development - 3 years
Preferred Environment
MacOS, Linux, Slack, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), RubyMine, Storybook
The most amazing...
...project I've worked on is a Rails app on Docker container, which accelerated the setup of new Rails projects.
Work Experience
Senior Software Engineer | Development Leader | Consultant
2024 - PRESENT
Fortune 500 Company (USA)
- Built and maintained a dockerized local development environment that significantly improved developer experience and reduced onboarding time by up to 10x.
- Led the migration to modern front-end tooling from Webpack to Vite and actively supported similar migrations across three projects, improving build speed, reliability, and developer productivity.
- Designed and implemented SSO integration between the core platform and new services, ensuring secure and seamless authentication flows.
- Designed and delivered a localization validation system to improve translation quality and automatically detect missing or inconsistent locale keys.
- Delivered major UI improvements with a strong focus on accessibility (A11Y), including a large accessibility-driven redesign.
- Designed, planned, and contributed to the implementation of an internal event-tracking system and a new dashboard, enabling better product insights for customers.
- Improved mobile responsiveness and adaptive layouts across key user flows.
- Promoted and implemented atomic CSS methodologies, helping shape a more consistent and scalable design system within the project.
- Contributed actively to process improvement, documentation, and internal knowledge sharing, increasing team efficiency and long-term maintainability of the codebase.
Technologies: Ruby on Rails (RoR), React, PostgreSQL, Git, JavaScript, Vite, Docker, Single Sign-on (SSO), Accessibility, Web Accessibility, BEM, System Design, Full-stack Development, Large Language Models (LLMs), OAuth, OAuth 2, JSON, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Back-end Development, SQL, Message Queues, API Integration, REST APIs, Architecture, Technical Leadership, Workflow Automation, Continuous Delivery (CD), Continuous Integration (CI), Prompt Engineering, API Architecture, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Code Review, Code Refactoring, Source Code Review, Software Development, Manufacturing, Delivery Management, Workflows, Integration, Third-party Integration, Front-end Development, Cloud, Back-end, Playwright, Web Development, Full-stack, API Development, Containerization, Express.js, API Design, Analytics, Automation, Integrations, Reviews, Workflow, Databases, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Websites, Figma, B2B, Mobile-first Design, CSS3, Responsive Design, Solution Architecture, Technical Architecture, AWS Cloud Architecture, SCSS, Authentication, Dashboards, MVP Design, Consulting, Training, Maintainability, Best Practices, Performance, Reliability, ELT, ETL, Data Architecture, Data Security, Data Pipelines, Dynamics CRM 365, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Data Modeling, AI-generated Code, Storybook, Microfrontends, Design Systems, Web Application Architecture, AI Integration, Team Leadership & Supervision
Senior Software Engineer | Consultant
2023 - 2024
PV Project (Pennsylvania State University)
- Helped define goals and tasks for a computer vision and machine learning project as part of a research team for the Pennsylvania State University. I researched and recommended data annotation tools.
- Explored tools and developed a single sign-on prototype to enhance workflow processes. The solution was to build using Python, Flask framework, Ruby, and Ruby on Rails.
- Сreated several mini-services that significantly improved data analysis and decision-making processes to enhance the data preparation system for machine learning.
- Designed, researched, prototyped, and contributed to the implementation of a system enabling supervised learning with human annotation and active learning for an agricultural solution, improving model training efficiency and data accuracy.
Technologies: Ruby, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Python, JavaScript, Full-stack Development, Prototyping, Research, Amazon, ECMAScript (ES6), React, Vue, REST, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, JSON, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Back-end Development, SQL, Message Queues, API Integration, Tailwind CSS, REST APIs, Architecture, Technical Leadership, Workflow Automation, Continuous Delivery (CD), Continuous Integration (CI), Prompt Engineering, API Architecture, Software Architecture, Code Review, Code Refactoring, Source Code Review, Software Design, Software Development, Agriculture, Front-end Development, Supabase, Firebase, Back-end, Web Development, Full-stack, API Development, Containerization, Command-line Interface (CLI), API Design, Integrations, Reviews, Workflow, Databases, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), SEO Tools, Optimization, Websites, Mobile-first Design, CSS3, Responsive Design, Solution Architecture, Technical Architecture, AWS Cloud Architecture, Fractional CTO, SCSS, Multi-tenant SaaS, Twilio, Authentication, Data Engineering, Dashboards, MVP Design, Training, Pipelines, Maintainability, Best Practices, Performance, Reliability, ELT, ETL, Data Architecture, Data Security, Data Pipelines, Data Modeling, AI-generated Code, Storybook, Microfrontends, Design Systems, Web Application Architecture, AI Integration, Workflow Automation & System Integration, Airtable, A/B Testing, Core Web Vitals
Senior Front-end Engineer, Coach, Software Engineer
2016 - 2023
Toptal
- Developed and implemented learning paths and approaches, which delivered exceptional results for novice engineers, enabling them to quickly acquire the necessary skills and knowledge and excel on the company's most technically advanced project.
- Acted as a software engineer while working on several key products for the company. Participated in various initiatives, including architecture calls, technical investigations, codebase improvements, and documentation preparations.
- Developed and implemented integrations with important services such as OFAC compliance and internal HR system, improving everyday toolsets and enhancing staff productivity.
Technologies: JavaScript, Ruby on Rails (RoR), TypeScript, Ruby, Node.js, Test-driven Development (TDD), React, Graph Query Language (GQL), Apollo, Cypress, Pact, Coaching, Mentorship & Coaching, Jasmine, HTML, Jest, CSS, Ruby Gems, Empathy, Mentorship, Team Mentoring, Moderation, Webpack, Async/Await, Promise, User Interface (UI), Confidentiality, Redis, Docker, Docker Compose, Docker Hub, Elastic, PostgreSQL, Sidekiq, CI/CD Pipelines, TypeScript 3, Full-stack, Front-end, Large-scale Projects, ECMAScript (ES6), APIs, GraphQL, HTTP, REST, Webhooks, JSON, Back-end Development, SQL, Message Queues, API Integration, Tailwind CSS, REST APIs, Architecture, Workflow Automation, Continuous Delivery (CD), Continuous Integration (CI), Electron, Code Review, Code Refactoring, Source Code Review, Software Design, Software Development, Workflows, Front-end Development, Cloud, Back-end, Playwright, Web Development, Full-stack Development, API Development, Containerization, Express.js, Command-line Interface (CLI), API Design, Integrations, Reviews, Workflow, Databases, Security, Websites, Figma, B2B, Mobile-first Design, CSS3, Responsive Design, Technical Architecture, AWS Cloud Architecture, Fractional CTO, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), SCSS, Multi-tenant Architecture, Multi-tenant SaaS, Dashboards, MVP Design, Training, Pipelines, Maintainability, Best Practices, Performance, Reliability, ELT, ETL, Data Architecture, Data Security, Data Pipelines, Storybook, Microfrontends, Design Systems, Web Application Architecture, Team Leadership & Supervision
Senior Front-end Developer
2016 - 2016
Kupibilet.ru
- Collaborated with the vice president of product to improve front-end data analysis process. Enhanced project sustainability through data collection and analysis.
- Conducted a comprehensive review of the project's front-end section, analyzing React and Node.js code. Following my recommendations, the team implemented testing practices, which significantly improved the quality of this part of the project.
- Collaborated closely with the DevOps team while playing a key role in improving the project's deployment and scaling process, particularly under high peak load conditions. This led to increased stability and better performance of the project.
Technologies: Node.js, React, Deployment, Management, Ruby, JavaScript, Ruby on Rails (RoR), HTML, Jest, Test-driven Development (TDD), CSS, Ruby Gems, Empathy, Coaching, Mentorship, Team Mentoring, Webpack, Async/Await, Promise, User Interface (UI), Confidentiality, Redis, Docker, Docker Compose, Docker Hub, Sidekiq, CI/CD Pipelines, Haml, Slim, Front-end, Large-scale Projects, ECMAScript (ES6), APIs, HTTP, REST, JSON, Back-end Development, SQL, Message Queues, API Integration, REST APIs, Architecture, SaaS, Software Architecture, Code Review, Code Refactoring, Source Code Review, IT Project Management, Software Development, Startups, Resource Management, Engineering Management, DevOps, Delivery Management, Integration, Third-party Integration, Front-end Development, Cloud, Back-end, Web Performance Optimization (WPO), Web Development, Full-stack, Full-stack Development, API Development, Express.js, Command-line Interface (CLI), API Design, Analytics, Integrations, Reviews, Workflow, Databases, MongoDB, Google Analytics, SEO Tools, Optimization, Websites, Social Media, Figma, B2B, Mobile-first Design, CSS3, Responsive Design, Shopify Liquid, Solution Architecture, Technical Architecture, AWS Cloud Architecture, Fractional CTO, CTO, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), SCSS, Multi-tenant Architecture, Multi-tenant SaaS, Dashboards, MVP Design, Audits, Auditing, Pipelines, Scalability, Maintainability, Best Practices, Performance, Reliability, ELT, ETL, Data Architecture, Data Security, Data Pipelines, Microfrontends, Design Systems, Web Application Architecture, eCommerce, A/B Testing, Core Web Vitals
Senior Full-stack Developer
2014 - 2015
IZI Travel
- Streamlined inter-departmental collaboration between back-end, front-end, and mobile application teams, resulting in reduced development time and timely release of new features.
- Collaborated closely with front-end developers to implement code organization improvements and identified tools to test code more effectively, which resulted in increased sustainability and functionality of the front end.
- Identified back-end bottlenecks and managed the refactoring process to improve project performance. My effective refactoring methods, organized approach, and management led to significant improvements in project performance.
Technologies: AngularJS, Ruby, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Redis, Deployment, Jasmine, JavaScript, HTML, Jest, Test-driven Development (TDD), CSS, Ruby Gems, Empathy, Coaching, Mentorship, Team Mentoring, Webpack, Async/Await, Promise, User Interface (UI), Confidentiality, Management, Docker Hub, Sidekiq, CI/CD Pipelines, Front-end, Large-scale Projects, APIs, HTTP, REST, JSON, Back-end Development, SQL, API Integration, REST APIs, Architecture, Technical Leadership, API Architecture, SaaS, Software Architecture, Code Review, Code Refactoring, Source Code Review, Software Design, Software Development, Startups, Engineering Management, DevOps, Integration, Third-party Integration, Front-end Development, Cloud, Back-end, Web Performance Optimization (WPO), Web Development, Full-stack, Full-stack Development, API Development, Express.js, Command-line Interface (CLI), API Design, Analytics, Role-based Access Control (RBAC), Automation, Integrations, Reviews, Workflow, Databases, Security, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Google Analytics, SEO Tools, Optimization, Websites, Social Media, B2B, Mobile-first Design, CSS3, Responsive Design, Shopify Liquid, Solution Architecture, Technical Architecture, SCSS, Multi-tenant Architecture, Multi-tenant SaaS, Stripe, Dashboards, MVP Design, CRM, Training, Auditing, Pipelines, Scalability, Maintainability, Best Practices, Performance, Reliability, ELT, ETL, Data Architecture, Data Security, Data Pipelines, Microfrontends, Design Systems, Web Application Architecture, Team Leadership & Supervision, eCommerce, A/B Testing, Core Web Vitals
Team Leader
2013 - 2014
CreateDigital.me
- Acted as an anti-crisis manager and successfully helped the company retain key clients. Provided technical guidance to significantly improve development speed and product quality.
- Identified and resolved critical technical and management issues efficiently, often in a short time frame, while working as a Ruby on Rails developer with a background in open-source development.
- Encouraged transparent communication by creating a friendly and comfortable environment where team members shared ideas and collaborated to solve challenging tasks. Optimized work organization and streamlined teamwork.
Technologies: JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Ruby, Ruby on Rails (RoR), PHP, Test-driven Development (TDD), MySQL, Apache, LAMP, Ruby Gems, Empathy, Coaching, Mentorship, Team Mentoring, Moderation, Promise, Confidentiality, Redis, Management, PostgreSQL, Sidekiq, CI/CD Pipelines, Haml, Slim, Front-end, APIs, HTTP, REST, JSON, Back-end Development, SQL, Message Queues, API Integration, REST APIs, Technical Leadership, Continuous Delivery (CD), Continuous Integration (CI), SaaS, Code Review, Code Refactoring, Source Code Review, Software Design, IT Project Management, Software Development, Resource Management, Engineering Management, DevOps, Delivery Management, Python, Integration, Third-party Integration, Front-end Development, Back-end, Web Performance Optimization (WPO), Web Development, Full-stack, Full-stack Development, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), API Development, API Design, Analytics, Role-based Access Control (RBAC), Automation, Integrations, Reviews, Workflow, Databases, Security, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Google Analytics, SEO Tools, Optimization, Websites, Social Media, B2B, Mobile-first Design, CSS3, Responsive Design, Shopify Liquid, Solution Architecture, Technical Architecture, Fractional CTO, CTO, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), SCSS, Multi-tenant Architecture, Authentication, Dashboards, MVP Design, Audits, Auditing, Pipelines, Scalability, Maintainability, Best Practices, Performance, Reliability, ELT, ETL, Data Architecture, Data Security, Data Pipelines, Data Modeling, Microfrontends, Design Systems, Web Application Architecture, Team Leadership & Supervision, A/B Testing, Core Web Vitals
Senior Software Engineer
2012 - 2013
Kupibilet.ru
- Served as the front-end developer for a startup and selected appropriate technologies and approaches for the project to ensure the scalability and optimal performance of the minimum viable product (MVP).
- Took on additional responsibilities such as organizing efficient collaboration with the back-end team, hiring new developers, and streamlining the deployment process to improve overall project effectiveness.
- Worked actively on new challenges as the company grew from 7 to 200+ employees. Played a significant role in the company's success as a senior developer and leader of the front-end department.
Technologies: Ruby, Ruby on Rails (RoR), JavaScript, CSS, HTML, React, Test-driven Development (TDD), MySQL, Ruby Gems, Empathy, Coaching, Mentorship, Team Mentoring, Promise, User Interface (UI), Confidentiality, Management, CI/CD Pipelines, Haml, Slim, Front-end, APIs, HTTP, REST, Back-end Development, SQL, API Integration, REST APIs, Technical Leadership, API Architecture, SaaS, Software Architecture, Code Review, Code Refactoring, Source Code Review, Software Design, Software Development, Startups, Integration, Third-party Integration, Front-end Development, Back-end, Web Performance Optimization (WPO), Web Development, Full-stack, Full-stack Development, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Automation, Reviews, Workflow, Databases, MongoDB, Security, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Google Analytics, SEO Tools, Optimization, Websites, Social Media, Mobile-first Design, CSS3, Responsive Design, Shopify Liquid, SCSS, Scalability, Best Practices, Data Pipelines, eCommerce
Software Engineer
2008 - 2012
Freelance Clients
- Assisted small businesses in establishing an online presence, facilitated sales through website platforms, and addressed their business needs by designing and developing websites with specific functionalities.
- Delivered solutions that resulted in one of my clients successfully attracting investments and organizing a large-scale real estate project.
- Helped a social networking project succeed in its domain by contributing to its development with Ruby on Rails.
Technologies: JavaScript, CSS, PHP, HTML, Apache, LAMP, WordPress, Ruby, Ruby Gems, Ruby on Rails (RoR), MySQL, Empathy, Mentorship, Confidentiality, HTTP, Back-end Development, SQL, Open Source, Software Architecture, Front-end Development, Web Development, Full-stack, Full-stack Development, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Reviews, Google Analytics, SEO Tools, Websites, CSS3, CTO, eCommerce
Experience
Rails 7. Start Kit
https://github.com/the-teacher/rails7-startkitRails 7. Start Kit is a Rails application based on Docker container with preinstalled tools such as Postgres, Redis, Sidekiq, and Elasticsearch. It is designed to accelerate the setup of new Rails projects and provide a safe playground for experimentation.
Authorization Solution for Ruby on Rails
https://github.com/the-teacher/the_roleTheRole is a Ruby on Rails authorization library that enforces restrictions on user access to resources. It provides a simple and flexible way to manage roles and permissions for different users, ensuring secure access to sensitive data.
TheSortableTree
https://github.com/the-teacher/the_sortable_treeTheSortableTree is a UI solution that enables the efficient rendering of large amounts of nodes with drag-and-drop functionality. It provides a significant performance boost, making managing complex hierarchical data structures easier.
ActiveHarness | AI Agents Framework
https://github.com/the-teacher/active_harnessActiveHarness is a Ruby framework for building AI agents with support for multiple LLM providers, lifecycle hooks, and a simple DSL. Designed for Rails but compatible with plain Ruby applications, it helps organize prompts, agents, and pipelines in a clean and reusable way.
Education
2023 - 2024
Diploma in Professional Development (Coaching) in Applied Psychology and Coaching
Institute of Applied Psychology in the Social Sphere - Moscow, Russia
2002 - 2007
Master of Education Degree in Teaching
Ivanovo State University - Ivanovo, Russia
Certifications
MARCH 2026 - PRESENT
Claude 101
Anthropic Education
MARCH 2026 - PRESENT
Claude Code in Action
Anthropic Education
SEPTEMBER 2023 - PRESENT
Speak Like a Pro: Public Speaking for Professionals
Udemy
SEPTEMBER 2023 - PRESENT
TypeScript for Professionals
Udemy
SEPTEMBER 2023 - PRESENT
Master Public Speaking to Become a Leader at Work. Speak Up!
Udemy
AUGUST 2022 - PRESENT
Asynchronous JavaScript: Promises, Callbacks, Async Await
Udemy
AUGUST 2022 - PRESENT
Webpack 5 in 2023: The Complete Guide For Beginners
Udemy
JULY 2022 - PRESENT
TopAcademy Coach: Moderator Training Program
Toptal
JULY 2022 - PRESENT
Be a Great Mentor: A Practical Guide to Mentorship
Udemy
JULY 2022 - PRESENT
Coaching for Growth and Success
Udemy
MAY 2021 - PRESENT
Confidential Information and Asset Security Training
Toptal
JANUARY 2021 - PRESENT
Incident Management Framework for Engineering Teams
Toptal
DECEMBER 2020 - PRESENT
Typescript 3.0: A Practical Guide
Udemy
Skills
Libraries/APIs
React, Node.js, REST APIs, Claude API, Playwright, API Development, Sidekiq, Vue, SerpApi, OpenAI API, Stripe, Rails Engines
Tools
Claude, Claude Code, Google Analytics, Figma, Claude Agent SDK, Slack, RubyMine, Apache, Webpack, Docker Compose, Docker Hub, Elastic, Git
Languages
Ruby, JavaScript, HTML, TypeScript, CSS, ECMAScript (ES6), SQL, CSS3, SCSS, Haml, TypeScript 3, Python, GraphQL, Shopify Liquid, PHP
Frameworks
Ruby on Rails (RoR), Jest, Jasmine, Tailwind CSS, Express.js, Agentic Frameworks, Cypress, Slim, OAuth 2, Electron, Next.js, AngularJS
Paradigms
REST, API Architecture, Code Refactoring, Web Performance Optimization (WPO), Role-based Access Control (RBAC), Model Context Protocol (MCP), Automation, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Maintainability, Best Practices, ETL, Microfrontends, Web Application Architecture, Test-driven Development (TDD), Continuous Delivery (CD), Continuous Integration (CI), Microservices, DevOps, B2B, Promise, Management, BEM
Platforms
Microsoft Dynamics 365, Harness, Firebase, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Twilio, MacOS, Linux, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), LAMP, WordPress, Docker, Amazon, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Storage
JSON, Data Pipelines, PostgreSQL, Databases, MongoDB, MySQL, Redis
Industry Expertise
Social Media
Other
Mentorship & Coaching, Full-stack, Full-stack Development, Communication, Front-end, APIs, HTTP, Architecture, API Integration, Back-end Development, Large Language Models (LLMs), Technical Leadership, AI Development, AI Agents, Open Source, SaaS, Software Architecture, Audits, IT Audits, Authentication, Authorization, Content Management Systems (CMS), AI Integration, Consulting, IT Consulting, Code Auditing, User Experience (UX), UI Components, Code Review, Source Code Review, Software Design, Software Development, Startups, Resource Management, Workflows, Integration, Third-party Integration, Front-end Development, Back-end, Web Development, Agentic RAG Systems, Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Agentic Workflow Design, Containerization, Command-line Interface (CLI), API Design, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Integrations, Reviews, Workflow, SEO Tools, Optimization, Websites, Mobile-first Design, Responsive Design, Solution Architecture, Technical Architecture, Fractional CTO, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Multi-tenant Architecture, Multi-tenant SaaS, Data Engineering, Dashboards, MVP Design, CRM, Training, Auditing, Pipelines, LLM Agents, Scalability, Performance, Reliability, ELT, Data Architecture, Data Security, AI-generated Code, Design Systems, Team Leadership & Supervision, A/B Testing, Core Web Vitals, Coaching, Career Coaching, Large-scale Projects, Message Queues, OAuth, Webhooks, Agentic AI, Agentic AI Systems, Workflow Automation, Prompt Engineering, Perplexity, Anthropic, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Vibe Coding, AI Model Integration, AI Consulting, Storybook, LLM Integration, OpenAI, OpenAI APIs, IT Project Management, Engineering Management, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Delivery Management, Supabase, Cloud, Analytics, AI Agent Orchestration, Security, Cursor AI, CTO, Dynamics CRM 365, Data Modeling, Workflow Automation & System Integration, Airtable, eCommerce, Ruby Gems, University Teaching, Empathy, Education, Mentorship, Team Mentoring, Moderation, Async/Await, User Interface (UI), Confidentiality, Incident Management, Incident Response, Deployment, Graph Query Language (GQL), Apollo, Pact, CI/CD Pipelines, Public Speaking, Prototyping, Research, Personal Development, Motivation Strategies, Vite, Single Sign-on (SSO), Accessibility, Web Accessibility, System Design, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, AI Assistants, AI-assisted Development, AWS Cloud Architecture
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