Nick M. Collins
What I do Work About Contact
Nick Collins

Based in Durango, CO

Hi, I'm Nick.

Senior software engineer building backend and full-stack systems with Django, NestJS, GraphQL, Prisma, and Next.js. I help teams ship reliably and raise the bar on what they can deliver.

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Technical Expertise

Reliable execution across backend, full-stack, and infrastructure work.

Backend

Django · DRF · NestJS · GraphQL · Prisma · PostgreSQL · PostGIS

Frontend

Next.js · React · TypeScript

Cloud & DevOps

AWS · Terraform · CI/CD · Docker

Specialties

API design · Billing systems · Usage metering · Geospatial data · Robotics integrations · Performance scaling

How I Help Teams

What I bring into an engineering org.

Ship production systems

  • Build services in Django or NestJS
  • GraphQL schemas and resolvers
  • Database design and data modeling
  • Migrations and refactoring work

Deliver full-stack features

  • Next.js dashboards and interfaces
  • Integrated backend + frontend features
  • Authentication and roles
  • Real-time or data-rich UIs

Scale and untangle

  • API reliability improvements
  • Query optimization
  • Postgres/PostGIS optimization
  • CI/CD and infrastructure cleanup

Raise engineering maturity

  • Mentor junior and mid-level engineers
  • Code review culture and standards
  • Pragmatic architectural decisions
  • Share context, reduce bus factor

Selected Work & Results

Proven delivery across production systems and complex domains.

Built production GraphQL and REST APIs used by thousands of devices daily

Architected geospatial tooling for robotics fleet management

Designed and implemented usage-based billing systems with Stripe metering

Shipped full-stack Next.js dashboards and analytics platforms

Optimized PostgreSQL/PostGIS queries for real-time robotics workloads

Led API modernization and architectural improvements on legacy systems

Beyond the Code

A renaissance man based in Durango, Colorado.

When I'm not shipping code, you'll find me in the mountains around Durango — mountain biking, skiing, or snowshoeing — or at home playing guitar, cooking, tinkering with 3D prints, or teaching myself to sew. I like being a jack of all trades; "renaissance man" is a compliment I'll happily accept.

Guitar Singing Mountain biking Skiing Snowshoeing Golf Cooking 3D printing Sewing

How I work

I build connection and trust before consensus. Low ego, high curiosity — I'd rather learn your codebase's patterns than impose mine.

What I believe

There are many right ways to program something. The right optimization reveals itself when the time comes — until then, write code people can understand.

Get in touch

Open to conversations — about work, collaboration, or just saying hi.

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