Neftali Aguilar

Senior Software Engineer, focused on the frontend.

I build scalable React and TypeScript products and the design systems that hold them together. Currently exploring AI-augmented engineering — the Vercel AI SDK, retrieval-augmented generation, and agentic developer workflows.

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Currently studying

AI engineering, deliberately

Beyond day-to-day frontend architecture, I'm deep in the tools and patterns behind AI-native products.

  • Vercel AI SDK
  • Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
  • AI agents & tool use
  • LLM-powered developer workflows

How I build

AI-augmented development workflow

  1. 01

    Plan with a frontier model

    Use Claude Code with advanced models for planning and architecture decisions on complex tasks and larger features.

  2. 02

    Delegate execution

    Hand off implementation to smaller, faster models once the plan and architecture are locked in.

  3. 03

    Iterate in the editor

    Use Cursor as the primary IDE, with integrated AI chat for rapid iteration and quick fixes.

  4. 04

    Review, ship, monitor

    An end-to-end workflow: task planning → implementation → self code review → pull request creation → monitoring and resolving review comments.

Experience

Where I've worked

Senior Software Engineer · Couchsurfing

Aug 2024 – Present

Guadalajara, MX (Hybrid)

  • Key contributor to Couchsurfing's next-generation web platform, replacing a legacy application with a modern React, TypeScript, and tRPC architecture alongside a Principal Engineer and distributed teams.
  • Shape frontend architecture within an Nx monorepo — scalable patterns, shared libraries, and reusable components.
  • Design and expand a reusable Design System with Storybook for consistent UX across product areas.
  • Lead performance initiatives across Lighthouse, Core Web Vitals, bundle size, and runtime behavior.
  • Investigate and resolve production issues using Grafana.

Software Engineer · SoftServe

Oct 2023 – Aug 2024

Remote

  • Led migration of a smart-home e-commerce platform from Ember to React/TypeScript.
  • Built customer-facing features across Coupons, Fulfillment, and Customer workflows.
  • Raised engineering standards via ESLint, Prettier, and testing strategy adoption.
  • Mentored engineers on React, TypeScript, and frontend architecture.

Fullstack Developer · Intel

Dec 2021 – Oct 2023

Remote

  • Built and maintained internal engineering platforms used by ~100 engineers.
  • Designed automated ticket routing workflows, reducing manual triage effort.
  • Led migration of a corporate platform from WordPress to React/Node.js, cutting page load times from ~9s to ~3.5s.

Fullstack Developer · Oh Travel Marketing

Apr 2018 – Dec 2021

Puerto Vallarta, MX

  • Delivered end-to-end software for tourism and hospitality clients, from requirements through production support.
  • Built a custom event reservation platform with dynamic pricing logic.

Toolbox

Skills

Frontend

  • React
  • Next.js
  • TypeScript
  • TanStack Query
  • Storybook
  • Tailwind CSS
  • HeroUI

Backend

  • Node.js
  • NestJS
  • tRPC
  • GraphQL
  • REST APIs
  • Prisma
  • PostgreSQL

Architecture & Engineering

  • Frontend Architecture
  • Design Systems
  • Nx Monorepos
  • API Design
  • Performance Optimization

DevOps & Observability

  • Docker
  • GitHub Actions
  • CI/CD
  • Grafana
  • Production Debugging

Testing

  • Jest
  • Cypress
  • Unit Testing
  • Component Testing

AI & LLM Tooling

  • Vercel AI SDK
  • RAG
  • Claude Code
  • Cursor
  • Radix Primitives

Open source

I published my first npm package

@neftaliaguilar/ui is a small, accessible React component library built on Radix Primitives, styled with CSS Modules and themed with CSS custom properties — ten components, two runtime dependencies, one stylesheet. This page is built with it.

ComponentNotes
Button5 variants, 3 sizes, width-stable loading
TextFieldLabel required; hint + error wiring
TextareaLive character count that never truncates
SelectTrigger-width matching, grouping
SwitchComposited thumb transition
DialogTitle required; focus trap and return
DropdownMenuDecorative shortcuts, destructive items
TooltipDescribes, never names
TabsSliding indicator, measured in JS, moved in CSS
ToastSwipe to dismiss, action altText required
View on npm

Background

Education

  • Universidad Tecnológica de Bahía de Banderas — B.S. Software Engineering (2014–2017)
  • Dominican University, Chicago — English Scholarship (2014)