Nevin Kadlec with his black dog Roscoe.

nevin@nk-forge:~$ whoami

Nevin Kadlec

Full-Stack Software Engineer | Product Builder | Founder of NK-Forge

Building practical software systems for real-world workflows: web apps, desktop tools, backend services, automation, and AI-assisted engineering.

> About

Based in Fargo, North Dakota. Through NK-Forge, I build and refine practical software across full-stack web applications, backend systems, desktop utilities, automation tools, and AI-assisted engineering workflows.

My background includes warehouses, manufacturing, equipment, trucking, and real-world operations, so I care about software that fits how people actually work.

> Technical Focus

  • Frontend: React, TypeScript, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, TailwindCSS
  • Backend: Node.js, Express, ASP.NET Core, REST APIs, PostgreSQL, Entity Framework Core
  • Desktop & Local Tools: Electron, Python, Tkinter
  • DevOps & Practices: Git, GitHub Actions, Docker, CI/CD, testing, API design

> Engineering Principles

  • Understand the workflow before overbuilding the solution
  • Keep architecture understandable enough to maintain
  • Validate behavior with tests, CI, and runtime checks
  • Use AI carefully, but never as a substitute for verification

> Public Projects Worth Reviewing

Document Dispatch Service

ASP.NET Core, PostgreSQL, EF Core, Docker, background workers, retry handling, lease-based job coordination, Prometheus metrics, and an ops dashboard.

Backend system design, concurrency handling, job ownership, and operational visibility.

Space Marine 2 Mod Loader / Launcher

Windows desktop mod manager released on Nexus Mods with 1,000+ unique users and 1,300+ total downloads.

Real user-facing desktop software with release packaging, support concerns, and safe local file workflows.

Full-Stack E-Commerce Application

React, Node/Express, PostgreSQL, Google OAuth, Stripe Checkout, Stripe webhooks, OpenAPI docs, tests, linting, and Render deployment.

End-to-end product delivery across frontend, backend, payments, auth, APIs, and deployment.

ForgeBoard

React, Node/Express, PostgreSQL/Neon, CRUD workflows, route tests, component tests, security middleware, and deployment-ready structure.

Clean full-stack fundamentals, project/task data modeling, validation, and practical app structure.

> Private / In-Progress

  • NK-Forge Orchestrator: private TypeScript CLI/workspace for AI-assisted engineering workflows
  • NK-Forge Classroom: private household education platform
  • Ember: private business operations and invoicing platform
  • Email List Cleaner: local-first list validation and cleanup tool