Now

May 2026

A snapshot of what I'm focused on right now — not a resume, not a portfolio. Just what's actually on my plate.

Building

This portfolio

Redesigning and tightening it up — making it feel like me, not a template. Every section should earn its place.

Scoping the next real project

Looking for a problem worth solving — ideally something with real users from day one, like Bunny's Cafe was. Side projects that don't ship don't count.

Learning

System design

Working through how production systems actually scale — where databases become the bottleneck, how caching buys you time, what breaks first under load.

Docker & self-hosting

Moving beyond 'deploy to Vercel and hope.' Getting comfortable with containers, reverse proxies, and owning more of the stack.

Database internals

Going deeper on PostgreSQL — indexes, query planning, transactions. Using it in every project is easy. Understanding why it works the way it does takes more work.

Reading

📖

Build Don't Talk

Raj Shamani

Straightforward advice on building something real rather than waiting for the perfect moment. Exactly the mindset shift I needed.

Setup

OSArch Linux
EditorVS Code
StackNext.js · TypeScript · PostgreSQL
Deployed onVercel · Neon

On my mind

Bunny's Cafe taught me that building for real users is fundamentally different from building for yourself. The constraints are harder, the feedback is immediate, and the stakes make you care more. That's the kind of work I want to keep doing.

Let's connect

Find me on these platforms

© 2026 Dhruv Kumar.