Backend Engineer · Full Stack Developer · Open Source Builder
Crafting robust systems from the ground up — Go, APIs, and everything in between.
Backend-first engineer and Zone01 Kisumu apprentice based in Kenya. I build things that work reliably under the hood — from high-performance Go frameworks and CLI tooling to full-stack applications tackling real-world problems in healthcare and agriculture. I care deeply about developer experience, clean architecture, and open source as a vehicle for community growth.
When I'm not writing Go, I'm probably thinking about routing algorithms, database internals, or how to make tools that don't get in your way.
| Apprenticeship | Zone01 Kisumu — Go, full-stack development |
| Active Builds | NeoTrack · Vodka framework · production-api |
| Passionate About | Backend systems · API design · Developer tooling · Open Source |
| Open to | Collaborations · Open source contributions · Backend roles |
| Project | Description | Stack | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| NeoTrack | AI-powered early warning system for neonatal deterioration in low-resource Kenyan health facilities. Built to save lives where infrastructure is limited. | Go · AI/ML | In Progress |
| AgriTourism | Agro-tourism platform connecting visitors with agricultural experiences across Kenya. One of my favourite projects — live and running. | — | Deployed |
| Scam Guide | Mobile-focused scam detection guide built during the Build From Here conference. Helping everyday users stay safe online. | — | Built |
| Library Management | Full-featured library management system — books, members, borrowing records, and fines. Undergraduate capstone project. | Java · MySQL · PostgreSQL | Archived |
| Project | Description | Stack | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groupie Tracker | Web app for exploring music artists and bands — members, discography, creation dates, and concert locations. | Go | Complete |
| ASCII Art | CLI program that converts strings into graphical ASCII representations using predefined banner templates. | Go | Complete |
| Lem-in | Algorithmic ant colony simulation — move ants from start to end through a tunnel graph in the fewest turns. | Go | Complete |
| My Portfolio | Personal portfolio site. | — | In Progress |
Open source is where I sharpen my tools and share them back.
| Project | Description | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vodka | Modern Go web framework focused on developer experience, hot-reload, and full-stack workflow. Lightweight, high-performance HTTP routing with a powerful CLI. | Author | Active |
| pgxcli | Interactive PostgreSQL CLI built in Go — syntax highlighting, keyword autocompletion, command history, and backslash command support. | Author | Active |
| production-api | Production-ready HTTP API server in Go with middleware for logging, rate limiting, CORS, compression, tracing, panic recovery, and timeout handling. | Author | New |
| first-contributions | Guides beginners through making their very first open source contribution, step by step. | Maintainer | Active |
| guestbook | A place for new contributors to take their first steps into open source — part of the Intro to Open Source course. | Maintainer | Active |
| awesome-for-beginners | Curated list of beginner-friendly open source projects with first-timers-only labels. |
Contributor | Active |
| pizza-verse | A repository for all things pizza. Everyone starts somewhere. | Author | Active |
Fast routing with Radix Tree architecture
Built-in hot reload for Go backends
Vite + React full-stack scaffolding
Middleware chaining system
Authentication helpers and JWT validation
Request validation support
Clean and ergonomic API design
One-command development workflow
Algorithmic and systems challenges from my apprenticeship — all written in Go.
| Project | Description |
|---|---|
| Lem-in | Graph traversal and ant colony simulation |
| ASCII Art | CLI string-to-ASCII renderer with banner templates |
| Groupie Tracker | REST API-powered music artist explorer |
| Transfer | Archived ASCII Art web version |
| Repository | Focus |
|---|---|
| skills-introduction-to-github | Introduction to GitHub |
| skills-introduction-to-git | Introduction to Git |
| skills-communicate-using-markdown | Markdown communication |
| skills-code-with-codespaces | Cloud development with Codespaces |
| skills-getting-started-with-github-copilot | GitHub Copilot |
| skills-introduction-to-codeql | CodeQL security analysis |
| Languages | Go · Java · SQL · Shell · JavaScript |
| Backend | REST APIs · Middleware systems · JWT auth · HTTP routing · PostgreSQL · MySQL |
| Frontend | React · Vite · HTML/CSS |
| Databases | PostgreSQL · MySQL · SQLite |
| Tooling | Git · GitHub · Codespaces · GitHub Copilot · CodeQL |
| Concepts | Radix Tree routing · Graph algorithms · CLI design · API architecture · Open Source workflows |
| Learning | AI/ML integration · System design · DevOps fundamentals |
| victoria-odalo | |
| Dev.to | @odalov |
| Zone01 Kisumu | zone01kisumu.ke |
| Portfolio | OdaloV/Myportfolio (in progress) |
Backend dev