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Alex Pugachev

Alex Pugachev / Product-minded software engineer

I turn ideas into software people can use

For more than six years, I’ve carried features from early choices through day-to-day operation. Most recently, I created Karteto. Side projects give me room to explore unfamiliar directions.

Portrait of Alex Pugachev

About

Across boundaries

My strongest work happens where technical choices meet real-world context. Correctness matters, but so do clarity, trade-offs, and the effect a change has beyond the code.

That can mean crossing from a customer-facing flow into data models, billing, internal tools, release mechanics, and operations. I treat those layers as one connected responsibility rather than separate specialties.

See selected projects

How I work

01—04

From uncertainty to evidence

01—04

Product engineering combines judgement with hands-on implementation. I carry the original reasoning across four stages, so trade-offs remain visible instead of disappearing between roles.

  1. Problem

    Find the question behind the request

    I start by identifying who is affected, what currently gets in the way, and which constraints matter in practice.

    OutcomeA shared brief for the first worthwhile slice.

    What this includes

    • Establish user and business context
    • Separate facts from assumptions
    • Set scope and a measurable signal
  2. Interface

    Make the critical journey tangible

    Flows, states, copy, prototypes, or a working slice reveal ambiguity early, while course corrections are still inexpensive.

    OutcomeA coherent interaction model ready for implementation.

    What this includes

    • Map the primary journey and edge cases
    • Specify feedback and failure states
    • Probe the riskiest assumption early
  3. System

    Choose the smallest durable shape

    I arrange data, services, boundaries, and operational concerns around the risks already uncovered, rather than around a preferred stack.

    OutcomeAn architecture proportionate to the risks.

    What this includes

    • Define boundaries and data models
    • Connect clients, services, and infrastructure
    • Account for failure, change, and maintenance
  4. Delivery

    Release with feedback attached

    I introduce updates in manageable increments, make behaviour observable, and let the results determine what deserves refinement.

    OutcomeA grounded basis for the next decision.

    What this includes

    • Automate the delivery route
    • Add logs, metrics, and health signals
    • Turn feedback into the next priority

The order is directional, not rigid. New information can reopen an earlier stage, narrow the scope, or alter what matters next.

Products

Selected work, with the context that matters

A concise record of what I built, the responsibility I carried, and the technical detail available for each project.

Language learning

01

Karteto

The platform spans web and mobile clients, services, subscriptions, internal tools, and infrastructure.

  • 20,000 monthly active users
  • Built and launched from scratch
  • React
  • Flutter
  • Go
  • PostgreSQL
  • Redis

Cross-stitch

02

StitchKraft

A web app for designing cross-stitch patterns and tracking stitching progress.

Concurrency

03

Concurrency Benchmark

A locally runnable benchmark for comparing the performance of different concurrency runners.

Toolkit

Technology is a set of choices, not an identity

I move across these areas according to constraints, scale, and maturity.

  • 01

    Web

    TypeScript · React · Astro · Storybook

  • 02

    Mobile

    Flutter

  • 03

    Services

    Go · Python · Hono

  • 04

    Runtimes

    Node.js · Bun

  • 05

    Data

    PostgreSQL · SQLite · Redis · Firebase

  • 06

    Product systems

    RevenueCat · Paddle · Internal tools

  • 07

    Delivery

    Docker Swarm · Terraform · AWS · GitHub Actions

  • 08

    Monitoring

    Prometheus · Grafana · Loki

  • 09

    Collaboration

    Figma

  • 10

    AI workflows

    Claude Code · Codex

Palette01/06

Temporary colour lab

Choose one