Available for select projectsHalifax, Nova Scotia · AST

Full-stack developer · 6+ years

Hi. I’m Chris.I build softwarethat feels intentional.

Full-stack developer. Interface obsessive. Game designer after midnight.

Explore the work GitHub
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Selected work · 2024—2026

Built to be
used.

Selected full-stack applications and product experiments, with the implementation details and decisions that shaped each build.

E-Commerce Platform storefront interface01

Live

E-Commerce Platform

A full-stack storefront spanning product discovery, cart, checkout, auth, and admin workflows.

Designed and built the full shopping path end-to-end—from catalog UI through API, auth, and Stripe checkout.

RoleFull-stack design & development
StackReact · TypeScript · Express · Node.js

Tools & technologies

  • React
  • TypeScript
  • Express
  • Node.js
  • MongoDB
  • Stripe
  • JWT

Implementation highlights

  • React and TypeScript frontend with an Express and Node.js API
  • MongoDB persistence, JWT auth, cart/session handling, and protected admin routes
  • Stripe checkout, request validation, core-path tests, and separate frontend/backend deployments
Read case study Open live app View GitHub
Retail Analytics dashboard showing audited revenue metrics and forecasting controls02

Live

Analytics Dashboard

An exploratory retail analytics and data-visualization project.

Turned a dense retail dataset into a deployable dashboard with filters, KPI views, and a 30-day forecast.

RoleExploratory product design & development
StackReact · TypeScript · Python · Express

Tools & technologies

  • React
  • TypeScript
  • Python
  • Express
  • MongoDB
  • Machine Learning

Implementation highlights

  • Reusable React component structure for dashboard states, filters, and KPI views
  • Charts and forecasting views connected to an Express API and MongoDB-backed retail data
  • AI-assisted development process, with implementation and outputs reviewed and refined by hand
Read case study Open live app View GitHub
Chris Dirks portfolio homepage with editorial typography and dark visual design03

Live

Developer Portfolio

A responsive portfolio system for presenting selected work with clarity and personality.

Directed the editorial design system and engineered the site for clarity, motion polish, and fast hiring review.

RoleCreative direction & full-stack development
StackNext.js · TypeScript · React · Tailwind CSS

Tools & technologies

  • Next.js
  • TypeScript
  • React
  • Tailwind CSS

Implementation highlights

  • Editorial design system and responsive layout built with Next.js, React, and TypeScript
  • Reusable project presentation, accessible navigation, and reduced-motion support
  • Cohesive personal branding, optimized image delivery, metadata, and Vercel deployment
Open live app View GitHub

Beyond the selected work

Keep exploring on GitHub.

Selected work is curated here. Additional experiments, tooling, and in-progress projects live on GitHub.

View all repositories

Path · experience

Roles along
the way.

A chronological look at recent roles. Select a stop for detail—order stays visible either way.

The Girl On The Left

Freelance Web Developer & Technical Consultant

Mar 2024 — Present

Freelance · Remote

Contribution

Supporting a small business by producing and editing digital content, maintaining online presence, and optimizing workflows.

Highlight

Leveraging technical skills to solve problems, streamline processes, and keep projects running smoothly while continuing to build expertise in web development and digital solutions.

Select a role for detail · arrow keys work too

Capabilities / About

Small studio energy.
End-to-end thinking.

I’m Chris, a full-stack developer based in Halifax with 6+ years of professional experience building React, Angular, TypeScript, Node.js, and full-stack applications. I move comfortably between interface decisions, application logic, and the details that make software feel considered.

Chris Dirks
Based in Halifax · Working worldwide
01

Product interfaces

Responsive, accessible interfaces shaped around the task—not the trend.

02

Full-stack systems

Practical application architecture from data model and API through deployment.

03

Design engineering

A design-aware development process that keeps polish and performance aligned.

Core stack React · Angular · TypeScript · Node.js · Next.js · MongoDB · PostgreSQL

Right now

Currently

  • Building

    The Burning Rose — a high-fidelity 2.5D Metroidvania vertical slice in Unity 6.

  • Learning

    Game systems, Unity workflows, animation, and interaction design.

  • Playing

    Whatever’s on after midnight—usually something atmospheric or systems-heavy. Swap this line anytime.

  • Exploring

    AI-assisted development workflows and polished interface interactions.

  • Improving

    Small process habits that remove friction from how software gets designed and shipped.

How I think

I care about removing friction. When an experience takes three confusing steps, I usually start wondering how it could take one clear step instead.

After hours

Vertical slice · Unity 6

The Burning Rose

After hours, I’m designing a 2.5D Metroidvania called The Burning Rose. It has become a place to experiment with combat systems, progression, world design, and the kind of deliberate player experience I also value in software.

  • SystemsCombat loops, progression gates, and readable feedback.
  • WorldInterconnected spaces and the pacing between discovery and challenge.
  • CraftAnimation, interaction timing, and the feel of each verb.
  1. Scope

    Vertical slice — not a full commercial release.

  2. Focus

    One cohesive area with combat, traversal, and progression.

  3. Why

    A long-running lab for systems thinking and player clarity.

Beyond the résumé

Specifics, not a hobbies list.

  • Game systems after midnight

    Designing combat, progression, and world structure in The Burning Rose keeps systems thinking sharp outside client work.

  • Small-business websites

    Helping with a small business site is a reminder that clarity beats decoration when someone’s livelihood is on the page.

  • Mystery & science fiction

    Stories with hidden structure and careful reveals—useful reference for pacing interfaces and products.

  • How software feels

    Timing, feedback, and the last 10% of polish—the parts users notice without naming.

Have something in mind?

Let’s make it
real.

Available for thoughtful product work, collaborations, and full-stack opportunities.

GitHub ↗LinkedIn ↗