Portfolio

Charlie Mottl

Backend-focused developer who builds and runs the infrastructure most people just deploy to. Bun, TypeScript, self-hosted systems — from the protocol layer up.

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About

Hey, I'm Charlie

I'm 20, writing code since 2020 — proof that building things instead of sleeping catches up with you eventually. No regrets.

My home base is Bun and backend systems, but I don't stay in one lane — one week it's a distributed FFmpeg pipeline, the next it's reverse-engineering a game with MelonLoader. I care about practical stuff that holds up: clean APIs, reliable infrastructure, tools people actually use — and I'd rather understand a system all the way down, read the source, self-host it, build the missing piece, than wait on someone else to.

That instinct doesn't stop at the keyboard. I've pulled engines and wrenched on my 2005 Honda 250 quad, I'm out at Dumont Dunes, Glamis, or Ocotillo Wells when I'm not building something, and on the water at Lake Havasu on my Kawasaki X2. Hard work doesn't scare me, whether it's in code or covered in grease.

I'm an Eagle Scout — 9 years in Boy Scouts, Patrol Leader, and, my favorite, Troop Historian. It taught me more about showing up and seeing things through than anything else has.

These days that shows up as open-source packages on npm and a multi-node Proxmox homelab at home. Based in Southern California — open to collaborating on interesting problems.

The longer version

I'm 20 and have been writing code since 2020 — which means I've spent the better part of my early years building things instead of sleeping. No regrets.

My home base is Bun and backend systems, but I genuinely don't have a comfort zone. One week it's a distributed FFmpeg job pipeline, the next it's reverse-engineering a game with MelonLoader or wiring up an ESP32 to do something it probably wasn't meant to do.

I care about practical stuff that actually holds up — clean APIs, reliable infrastructure, tools people can actually use. I enjoy understanding how systems work all the way down, whether that means reading source code, self-hosting the stack myself, or building the missing piece instead of waiting for someone else to.

I'm a problem solver at heart, and it's not limited to a keyboard — I've pulled engines, wrenched on my 2005 Honda 250 quad, and generally torn apart anything I could get my hands on. Hard work doesn't scare me, whether it's in code or covered in grease.

When I'm not building something, I'm probably offroading out at Dumont Dunes, Glamis, or Ocotillo Wells, or out on the water at Lake Havasu on my Kawasaki X2.

Outside of code, I'm an Eagle Scout — 9 years in Boy Scouts, the highest rank you can earn. I served as Patrol Leader and filled in as SPL, but honestly my favorite role was Troop Historian: the guy behind the camera, documenting everything. It taught me more about leadership, showing up, and seeing things through than anything else. Same mindset I bring to every project.

I also put a few packages out on npm when they're useful to more than just me, and I run a multi-node Proxmox homelab at home — partly for the self-hosted stuff, partly because it's a good excuse to break things on purpose.

Based in Southern California. Open to collaborating on interesting problems.
Contact

Let's talk

Got something you're building and want another set of eyes — or hands — on it? Feel free to reach out. I'm currently open to work — dev projects, freelance, or honestly anything worth doing. Good work is good work.

Say hello