From Web Dev to Systems Hacker: Why I'm Building the Zig Backend Ecosystem

"The most damaging phrase in the language is: 'It's always been done that way.'" — Grace Hopper

"Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability." — Edsger W. Dijkstra

"Make it work, make it right, make it fast." — Kent Beck

These quotes have shaped how I approach software. For me, great engineering isn't just about shipping code — it's about challenging assumptions, removing complexity, and building tools that let developers focus on what matters. That's why I've gone all-in on Zig.

This post is a quick look at my journey, what I'm working on now, and how I hope to help grow the Zig ecosystem for backend development.

👋 Who I Am

I'm Tykashi, a backend engineer turned systems hacker, building tools that empower developers to write simpler, faster, more maintainable code.

My background is in web development and backend systems, but over time, I became fascinated with language design, developer experience, and tools that make hard problems easier. Zig checks all those boxes — with its focus on simplicity, performance, and transparency.

💼 What I Did Before

🏢 2021–2024 — Backend Engineer

I worked at a marketing tech company where I:

• Scaled backend systems to handle 1,000+ concurrent users
• Designed architecture for 200+ client tenants
• Reduced API response times by 40%
• Integrated with dozens of third-party services, focusing on performance and fault tolerance

Tech used: Go, AWS, Docker, PostgreSQL, Redis, Terraform

🧠 2020–2021 — Web Dev Bootcamp

This is where I cut my teeth — learning the fundamentals of web development and collaborating on full-stack projects that laid the foundation for my backend focus.

Tech used: JavaScript, Node.js, Express, React, MongoDB

🔧 What I'm Building Now

Since 2024, I've shifted my focus to open-source development in Zig, with the goal of building foundational tools for backend development.

All of the following projects are actively in development, and form a growing ecosystem of tools designed to work together, each one focused on simplicity, clarity, and strong developer ergonomics.

🛠 Active Projects

• ZCont – A context management library with support for deadlines, cancellation, and timeouts
• ZChan – A channel implementation inspired by Go's chan, aimed at concurrent communication and thread-safe message passing
• ZLM – The Zig Lifecycle Manager, designed for structured startup/shutdown of apps and services, with support for dependency ordering and DI
• Zigress – A web framework inspired by Express.js, with clean routing, structured request handling, and a focus on developer productivity

Each one of these is in-progress, evolving, and open for contribution or feedback. My goal is to make it easier for Zig developers to build real, production-ready backends without needing to build everything from scratch.

🧭 The Bigger Vision

I'm working toward a modern Zig backend ecosystem with:

• 🧠 Context-aware APIs that support timeout, cancellation, and propagation
• 🔁 Concurrency primitives that make multi-threaded code safe and composable
• 🛠 Lifecycle and service orchestration for clean app startup and shutdown
• 🌐 HTTP frameworks that feel expressive and ergonomic
• 📦 Dev-friendly tooling for package management, testing, and deployment

And it's all written in Zig — with a focus on clarity, safety, and control.

💬 My Philosophy

I believe the best developer tools are:

• Predictable – no magic, no hidden behavior
• Composable – built from clean primitives
• Well-documented – every feature explained
• Problem-focused – solving real pain points, not just showing off cleverness

This is the design lens I apply to every line of code. I don't want to just write libraries — I want to create foundational building blocks that feel good to use.

🤝 Let's Connect

If you're working with Zig, interested in backend architecture, or just want to jam about clean code and developer experience — I'd love to connect. All of these projects are open source, and I'm always down for feedback, ideas, or contributions.

Thanks for reading — and remember:

Make it work. Make it right. Make it fast.

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— Tykashi
Backend Engineer | Systems Builder | Zig Enthusiast