DC

DWIGHT CARTER

DEVELOPER

Software Engineer with 6+ years of experience building scalable, responsive web applications using React, Vue.js, and modern JavaScript. Experienced in full-stack development with Node.js, MongoDB, and PHP, integrating RESTful APIs and geospatial mapping tools.

About

I'm a Software Engineer with 6+ years of experience building production web applications across the full stack. JavaScript is my core language, and I've used it to deliver tools that real teams depend on daily, from ecommerce platforms and internal business applications to geospatial data dashboards and systems used by government agencies. I work across the stack with Node.js, MongoDB, PHP, React, and Vue.js, and I'm most effective when I can take ownership of a feature or product from scoping through deployment.

My background spans agencies, product companies, and freelance work. Most recently I've been focused on learning application security, and learning about the future of AI and how to use it as a tool to become a better developer.

EXPERIENCE

January 2025 — Present

Freelance Developer

Independent

  • Designed and developed websites for small businesses and entrepreneurs, handling the full project lifecycle from discovery through deployment.
  • Maintained and extended client Shopify storefronts with theme customizations, product integrations, and performance improvements.
  • Built personal branding websites with custom color palettes, typography systems, and visual identity, translating client vision into cohesive digital presence.
  • Managed ongoing WordPress maintenance including plugin updates, content changes, performance tuning, and security hardening.

February 2022 — January 2025

Application Developer

GPI / Greenman-Pedersen, Inc.

  • Built interactive geospatial dashboards using JavaScript, Leaflet, and Mapbox, enabling clients to explore ArcGIS data layers and live streamed feeds in real time.
  • Developed internal reporting tools that let analysts query large geospatial datasets and generate custom reports; introduced Redis caching to reduce report generation time.
  • Partnered with GIS developers to maintain and validate spatial databases, improving data accuracy and reducing client reported discrepancies.
  • Integrated live traffic camera feeds into mapping applications, allowing clients to monitor real time road conditions alongside spatial data layers.
  • Created onboarding documentation and walked clients through new deployments alongside IT teams.
  • Designed responsive client websites that pulled in client provided spatial data to display live road closures, branded for each client and optimized for mobile.
  • Helped deploy and maintain client-facing web applications on AWS, working with EC2 for the app tier and S3 with CloudFront for static assets and CDN delivery.

June 2019 — February 2022

Front End Developer

Zaniboni Lighting

  • Contributed to the frontend migration from Magento 1.9 to Magento 2.3 CE, improving page load times by 35%.
  • Built a custom spec sheet generator that pulled product data from a PHP/Laravel backend into branded PDF reports, streamlining how clients specified products into commercial projects.
  • Developed interactive customer facing tools, including a reverb calculator that helped clients evaluate product fit for their space.
  • Designed and shipped landing pages for new product launches, coordinating with marketing on visuals and campaign timing.
  • Partnered with marketing on A/B testing, lead capture, and segmented Mailchimp campaigns targeting customers by region and product interest.

October 2018 — June 2019

Junior Front End Developer

The Wave of Clearwater

  • Contributed to a medical intake and patient onboarding SaaS built in Vue.js, implementing UI components and smaller features from designs as part of a product team.
  • Built and maintained RESTful APIs with the LoopBack framework, connecting the Vue.js frontend to Node.js and MongoDB services.
  • Extended the company's WordPress site by building new pages and sub-sites, and customizing themes to support marketing and product needs.

July 2018 — October 2018

Content Developer

H2 IT Solutions

  • Successfully migrated 50+ online courses from Blackboard to Canvas LMS, ensuring data integrity and user experience continuity.
  • Developed responsive course content using HTML5 and CSS3, improving mobile accessibility.
  • Streamlined migration processes and contributed to platform optimization initiatives.

PROJECTS

An AI assistant built into this portfolio that lets recruiters and visitors ask questions about my background, experience, and skills and get instant answers pulled directly from my resume. Replies stream in real time like a live conversation, and the system is protected against spam and abuse with bot verification and usage limits, so it stays reliable and cost-controlled in production.

Next.js · AI (Groq / Llama 3) · Real-time Streaming · Redis · Bot Protection

A full stack ecommerce application built for a real pop-up burger operation. Customers can configure and order items with live inventory that stays in sync across browser tabs via WebSocket. Includes Stripe checkout with automatic receipts and a password protected admin dashboard for managing inventory and orders.

Next.js · TypeScript · Tailwind · Supabase · PostgreSQL · Stripe

A purposely insecure Node.js task management app built to demonstrate security testing, secure coding practices, and CI/CD security automation. Integrates SAST with Semgrep, dependency scanning with Trivy, and DAST with OWASP ZAP, all automated via GitHub Actions workflows.

Node.js · Express · SQLite · Semgrep · Trivy · OWASP ZAP · Jest · GitHub Actions

Built the public facing website for the LIT Program, a leadership development course for first-time managers and new business owners.

React · Vite · Tailwind · Netlify

A personal catalog app that connects to the Discogs API to pull and display my vinyl record collection. Features dynamic data fetching, responsive card layouts, and live filtering so users can browse by artist, genre, and release year.

React · Next.js · Netlify

A search tool that queries the GitHub API to pull public profile data, repositories, follower counts, and activity for any user. Built to practice working with third party REST APIs, async data handling, and dynamic UI rendering in React.

React · Heroku

A responsive front end recreation of the Netflix browsing experience. Pulls live movie and TV data from the TMDB API, organized into genre based rows with hover previews and a styled detail view, focusing on component architecture and API integration.

React · Netlify

A lightweight local REST API built with json-server to simulate a backend during frontend development. Supports full CRUD operations and was used to decouple frontend work from backend availability, speeding up iteration on client projects.

JavaScript

A simple Node.js and Express server that serves randomly selected facts on each request. Built to explore server-side rendering, route handling, and serving dynamic content without a frontend framework.

JavaScript · Node.js · Express