Prompting best practices
Effective prompting means shaping model behavior with clear instructions, examples, structure, and constraints, so it can reason, act, verify, and respond reliably.
agent
prompt
Hello, I'm
Alex
Mercer
Software engineer. Open-source builder. Thinking out loud.
I build tools, libraries, and systems. I care about correctness, simplicity, and craft. I work in Go and Rust, build in public, and write about what I learn along the way.
Selected Work
Open-Source Projects
active
1200
Kira
A lightweight, reliable job queue library for Go. Built on PostgreSQL with zero external dependencies for the queue itself. Supports delayed jobs, retries, priority scheduling, and observability hooks.
Go
PostgreSQL
SQL
active
843
Silo
Privacy-first local note-taking with end-to-end encryption. All data lives on your machine. Built with a Rust core and a minimal TypeScript interface. No accounts, no cloud sync unless you configure it.
Rust
TypeScript
SQLite
maintained
512
Velox
High-performance HTTP router for Node.js with a clean API and zero allocations in hot paths. Benchmarks consistently at 2-3x faster than express for routing-heavy workloads.
Node.js
TypeScript
C++
active
378
Monolith
Opinionated developer environment bootstrapper. One command to go from a fresh machine to a fully configured workstation. Handles dotfiles, tools, shell config, and app preferences.
Shell
Python
TOML
beta
94
Driftlog
Minimal change tracking and diffing for SQL schemas. Detects drift between migration state and production schema. Integrates with PostgreSQL and SQLite.
Go
PostgreSQL
SQLite
archived
227
Canvas
Open-source design token manager with multi-format export. Bridges design tools and code. Now archived in favor of better alternatives that have emerged in the ecosystem.
TypeScript
React
JSON
About
I build things that last.
I'm a software engineer focused on systems, tooling, and open-source infrastructure. I care deeply about correctness, simplicity, and building software that other engineers find reliable and pleasant to use.
My work spans backend systems, developer tooling, and the infrastructure that makes engineering teams move faster. I prefer boring, proven technology when it fits, and reach for new tools only when there's a good reason.
I believe in writing as a form of thinking — which is why I write publicly about what I'm building, what I'm learning, and what I've gotten wrong.
6+
Years building
3k+
GitHub stars
6
Open-source projects
Remote
Working globally
Systems · Tools · Infrastructure
Status Update
What I'm doing now
Inspired by /now pages. A snapshot of current focus.
- Building Kira v2 — improved job scheduling and observability hooks
- Reading A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout
- Experimenting with Zig for systems-level tooling
- Writing a series on database internals
Updated April 2026
Active
Tools & Technologies
Tech Stack
The languages, tools, and technologies I reach for most often. Built up over years of working on real problems.
Systems
Go
Rust
C
Zig
Web
TypeScript
React
Next.js
Node.js
Data
PostgreSQL
Redis
SQLite
ClickHouse
Infrastructure
Linux
Docker
Nginx
Terraform
Tools
Neovim
Git
Zsh
tmux
Interests
Compilers
Distributed Systems
Database Internals
Type Theory
Background
Journey
2024
Independent Consulting + Open Source
Founded a small software consultancy. Working with early-stage startups on backend infrastructure. Investing more time in open-source work and writing.
2022
Senior Engineer — Infrastructure
Led backend infrastructure at a fast-growing B2B SaaS company. Built the job queue system that later became Kira. Managed a team of 8 engineers and shipped features at scale.
2020
Deep Open Source Involvement
Started contributing seriously to open-source projects. Shipped my first public libraries and tools. Began writing about software online and found an audience.
2018
First Engineering Role
Joined a small product startup as an early engineer. Worked across the full stack, eventually settling into backend and systems work where I felt most at home.
2016
Self-taught, Building Small Things
Started coding through side projects — scripts, small tools, hobby projects. Became obsessed with how software actually works beneath the surface.
Open to new conversations
Get in touch
Let's talk.
Open to interesting collaborations, consulting projects, or just a good conversation about systems and software. I try to respond to every thoughtful message.
Or write directly: alex@alexmercer.dev