Publication
Finding a Better Framework than Vue.js, React, and Angular
https://www.toptal.com/developers/front-end/tips-and-practices
Michael is available for hire
Hire MichaelMichael Pontus
Verified Expert in Engineering
JavaScript Developer
Porto, Portugal
Toptal member since December 5, 2018
Bio
Michael is a full-stack web developer and an expert with front-end technologies, particularly React. He is a certified AWS Solutions Architect with industry experience in cloud development and release engineering. Michael has published tutorials as an SME, contributed to open source, and built an app for fleet management in the aviation industry. He is passionate about modular architectures and enjoys performing hybrid work between code and infrastructure to bring designs to life.
Portfolio
Freelance
AWS Cloud Architecture, AWS Lambda, Amazon DynamoDB, Shopify API, TypeScript...
Freelance Clients
TypeScript, NestJS, gRPC, Protobuf, Node.js, AWS Auto Scaling, Microservices...
K-f Dev AG
React, Gatsby, TypeScript, Styled-components, NixOS, Web Development
Experience
- JavaScript - 5 years
- Node.js - 4 years
- Redux - 3 years
- React - 3 years
- Docker - 3 years
- TypeScript - 2 years
- RxJS - 2 years
- GraphQL - 1 year
Work Experience
Back-end Developer
2020 - PRESENT
Freelance
- Developed a platform to connect Shopify with vendors' inventories and fulfillment providers.
- Implemented serverless architecture using AWS services: S3, Lambda, DynamoDB, and SNS/SQS.
- Developed a modular architecture for vendor integrations using AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK).
- Improved observability using AWS X-Ray, CloudWatch Dashboards, and CloudWatch Logs Insights.
- Created infrastructure to test vendor integrations by using AWS SDK, CucumberJS, and API mocks.
Technologies: AWS Cloud Architecture, AWS Lambda, Amazon DynamoDB, Shopify API, TypeScript, Node.js, AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK)
NestJS/TypeScript Developer
2025 - 2025
Freelance Clients
- Enabled horizontal scaling of trading accounts across ECS instances, improved system resilience, and provided clear operational visibility through metrics and monitoring dashboards.
- Proposed and implemented a distributed architecture using Temporal for task management.
- Deployed Temporal Server and UI secured with IAM-based authentication via IAM Identity Center and Amazon Cognito.
- Set up an ECS cluster, Redis, Prometheus, and Grafana using AWS CDK to support the infrastructure and observability.
- Configured CloudFormation and Application Load Balancer to handle SSL termination and serve Temporal UI.
Technologies: TypeScript, NestJS, gRPC, Protobuf, Node.js, AWS Auto Scaling, Microservices, API Integration, Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS), JavaScript, Express.js, Temporal Cloud, AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK), Amazon Cognito, AWS IAM Identity Center, Amazon CloudFront, AWS CodePipeline, Prometheus, Grafana
Gatsby and Jekyll Static Site Developer
2021 - 2022
K-f Dev AG
- Created multiple static websites using Gatsby, React, and TypeScript, ensuring a performant user experience and code maintainability.
- Implemented continuous integration and deployment pipelines with GitHub Actions and Netlify, streamlining the development process.
- Enabled automated preview deployments using IPFS and Pinata, integrating decentralized technologies into the workflow.
- Contributed to the build process of Centrifuge Chain by introducing Nix flakes, ensuring deterministic and reproducible builds for Rust packages.
Technologies: React, Gatsby, TypeScript, Styled-components, NixOS, Web Development
React Developer
2020 - 2020
Sundae
- Transformed a website from WordPress into GatsbyJS using Contentful as headless CMS.
- Built a component library using React and Storybook with styled-components and styled system.
- Created a workflow in GitHub Actions to run visual regression tests using BackstopJS.
Technologies: React, TypeScript, Gatsby, Contentful, Styled-components, Google Maps API, GitHub Actions
React and TypeScript Front-end Engineer
2019 - 2020
Skeduly
- Built an application for fleet and personnel management in the aviation industry.
- Developed a front end with a modular dashboard interface using React, TypeScript, and Jest.
- Contributed to the back end using Ruby on Rails, ActiveRecord, dry-monads, and RSpec.
Technologies: React, TypeScript, Jest, Ruby on Rails (RoR), ActiveRecord, Dry-rb, RSpec, Full-stack, Web App Development, Full-stack Development
Back-end and Front-end Developer
2019 - 2019
Wendero GmbH
- Developed a lead management application for a manufacturing company focused on lead data collection and synchronization with Salesforce.
- Implemented user authentication and file upload for authorized distributors with local storage and file parsing capabilities.
- Prioritized maintainable code with TypeScript and comprehensive Jest unit tests.
Technologies: JavaScript, Salesforce API, Preact, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, PostgREST, React, Node.js, CSS, HTML, Docker
Front-end Developer
2018 - 2019
Untaylored
- Developed user-facing functionality for a Belgium-based fashion store.
- Conceptualized component library based on the design reference.
- Ensured operational safety though static analysis, runtime type checking, and E2E tests.
Technologies: Cypress, Styled-components, GraphQL, RxJS, Redux, React, TypeScript
Full-stack Developer
2018 - 2018
Freelance
- Developed map-based mobile application and invite-based CRM system using React Native and Firebase.
- Established CI/CD pipeline for a monorepo using CircleCI, Lerna, and Firebase CLI.
- Implemented strategies for automated testing for Firebase security rules and cloud functions.
- Optimized spatial data retrieval using a custom algorithm for a discrete number of regions.
Technologies: Firebase, React Native, RxJS, Redux, React
Project History
React-modal-hook
https://github.com/mpontus/react-modal-hookA React library that provides a hook to create modal windows. The hook is responsible for state management and rendering of the modal, making it more convenient to create modals from other components. Complete test coverage is completed with Jest and react-testing-library.
k/factory
k/factory is a software studio that builds and supports a financial ecosystem on the Centrifuge protocol, an open-source platform for decentralized finance. It provides core infrastructure and works with users to ensure adoption.
Certifications
JULY 2024 - JULY 2027
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
JANUARY 2024 - JANUARY 2027
AWS Certified Security - Specialty
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
JULY 2020 - JULY 2023
AWS Solutions Architect Associate
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
Skills
Libraries/APIs
React, Node.js, RxJS, Redux-Saga, Shopify API, Google Maps API, RxJava, ActiveRecord, Salesforce API, Preact, PostgREST, Protobuf
Tools
AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK), Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS), Amazon CloudWatch, AWS SDK, Git, Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS), AWS CloudFormation, AWS IAM, AWS Key Management Service (KMS), RSpec, Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), AWS ELB, Amazon CloudFront, Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS), AWS CodeBuild, AWS CodeDeploy, Amazon WorkSpaces, AWS Directory Service, AWS Systems Manager, AWS Shield, Amazon Cognito, Grafana
Languages
TypeScript, JavaScript, GraphQL, PHP, Ruby, SQL, CSS, HTML, CSS3, HTML5, Java
Frameworks
Redux, Jest, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Cypress, NestJS, Express.js, Symfony, Django, Kohana, Knockout (Knockout.js), React Native, Cycle.js, Dagger 2, Next.js, gRPC
Platforms
Linux, Docker, AWS Lambda, Firebase, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Contentful, MacOS, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), WordPress, Drupal, OpenCart, Android, Amazon EC2, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Temporal Cloud
Paradigms
Reactive Programming, Functional Programming, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Test-driven Development (TDD), Microservices
Storage
PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), MySQL, Amazon EFS, Amazon FSx, AWS Storage Gateway, Amazon Aurora
Other
Styled-components, AWS Cloud Architecture, Gatsby, GitHub Actions, Amazon API Gateway, Dry-rb, NixOS, Full-stack, Web Development, Web App Development, Full-stack Development, AWS Database Migration Service (DMS), AWS Application Migration Service (MGN), Amazon RDS, Amazon Redshift, AWS VPN, AWS Direct Connect, AWS CodePipeline, Amazon GuardDuty, Amazon Inspector, Amazon Detective, AWS Config, Amazon CloudHSM, AWS Secrets Manager, AWS Control Tower, AWS WAF, AWS Auto Scaling, API Integration, AWS IAM Identity Center, Prometheus
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