Available for projects

Ilya Kardapolov— Full-stack engineer

Full-cycle web and mobile applications — from idea to production.

Shipping commercial software since 2009

Message on TelegramDiscuss a project
Location
Remote · GMT+3 — GMT+5
Rate
$50 / hour
Status
Taking projects
Ilya Kardapolov
kardapolov.pro
Scroll to learn more
01 — About

I turn ideas into reliable products — with no surprises in budget or timeline.

Writing software since 2009. Worked on dozens of products — from MVPs at the napkin stage to mature SaaS platforms with tens of thousands of users.

I run engagements transparently: task breakdown, Gantt chart, milestones, weekly demos. Budgets are planned upfront and held to. Deadlines are kept.

My strong suit is web-application architecture: clean layers, predictable state, scalability, testability. Equally comfortable on the frontend, backend, and mobile.

16+
years of experience
100%
projects on time*
* within the originally agreed scope, excluding out-of-scope changes
FINAWARDS
2019, Edison project
02 — Stack

The technologies I use every day.

Deep, hands-on experience with each — used in production, not just read about.

01Languages
02Frontend
03Backend
04Mobile
05Data & APIs
06Tools
03 — Services

What I do.

01

Full-cycle development

From idea-shaping and architecture — through release and post-launch support. One person accountable end to end.

02

Web app architecture

Layered design, stack selection, monolith decomposition, API contracts. Decisions that scale with the product.

03

Mobile applications

React Native for Android and iOS — shared code, native feel, one team instead of two.

04

Transparent delivery

Gantt, milestones, budget forecasting, regular demos. You always know where the project stands.

05

Smart hiring & resource management

Hiring, on-boarding and capacity planning for projects of any scale — the right people on the right tasks at the right time.

04 — Experience

A career in software.

16+ years of commercial development — from front-end markup to distributed-system architecture.

  1. Aug 2019 — present

    Fullstack JavaScript Developer

    The Invaders · Moscow
    • Worked on Meta — a digital twin of Moscow (Unreal UE + PixelStreaming).
    • Greenfield builds in Node.js, Express, KeystoneJS, MongoDB, Postgres, React + MobX, TypeScript.
    • Mobile apps in React Native and supporting backend services.
    • Blockchain solutions on Hyperledger Fabric, Waves, Vostok, Ethereum.
    • Microservice architecture for fintech projects; integration design with Russia's digital ruble platform.
    • FINAWARDS-2019 award for the Edison pilot for Rosseti.
    TypeScriptNode.jsReactMobXReact NativeMongoDBPostgresHyperledger
  2. Jan 2025 — Oct 2025

    Lead Fullstack TS Developer / Team Lead

    MediaSphera · Moscow
    • Led a small team (front, back, PM, lead) to rewrite an Open Journal System for 33 academic journals on a modern stack.
    • Broke down spec, planned 3+3 months, MVP on time, full production launch in six months.
    • Introduced Agile, CI/CD, and three-environment hosting setup.
    • AI pipelines: parsing docx submissions, cleaning formatting, validating reference lists (OpenAI).
    • Built an in-house AI aggregator service (Yandex/Sber/OpenAI) with metering and an API.
    Nest.jsPrismaPostgresGraphQLReactZustandTailwind
  3. Oct 2022 — Jun 2024

    Lead Frontend Developer

    CinemaLab · mooon.by, Minsk
    • Planning, estimation and delivery control via Gantt + Agile.
    • Rewrote legacy silverscreen.by on Next.js and React Native.
    • Designed an API abstraction over the legacy backend (Nest.js, REST, WebSockets).
    • Hiring and interviewing (Frontend, QA, DevOps); reporting to business stakeholders.
    Next.jsReact NativeNest.jsRESTWebSockets
  4. Jun 2018 — May 2019

    Fullstack Developer

    FK Reshenie · Tyumen
    • Designed and built an internal CRM from scratch.
    • MySQL + Sequelize, Node.js / Express (REST), React + Redux.
    • In-app messenger over WebSockets, Swagger API docs.
    Node.jsExpressReactReduxMySQLWebSockets
  5. Jul 2015 — Dec 2017

    Project Manager

    Integrationika
    • Project planning (Gantt), budget estimation, Jira (kanban).
    • Managed three development teams.
    • Client negotiations and recruiting.
    JiraGanttKanban
  6. Aug 2014 — Jul 2015

    Frontend Developer

    Integrationika · Moscow
    • Client-side development for a range of web services.
    JavaScriptHTMLCSS
  7. Dec 2013 — Aug 2014

    Web Programmer

    Etagi · etagi.com, Tyumen
    • Maintained the internal CRM for realtors.
    • Mobile version of the main site, public API for third-party developers.
    • Software for in-store information panels with property catalogs and mortgage data.
    JavaScriptPHPAPI
  8. Sep 2009 — Dec 2013

    Web Developer

    Astra · studio-astra.ru, Tyumen
    • Web applications in PHP, Ruby on Rails, JavaScript.
    • HTML/CSS markup from PSD designs.
    PHPRuby on RailsJavaScriptHTML/CSS
05 — Work

Selected projects.

Three cases that show the range — from a studio's production site to a public-facing service.

  1. mooon.by screenshot
    01mooon.by

    Site & booking for the mooon cinema chain (Belarus).

    Rewrite of the legacy front end on Next.js + React Native for a major Belarusian cinema chain. Mobile ticket booking, CI/CD on three environments, hiring the front-end team.

    Role
    Lead Frontend
    Year
    2022 — 2024
    Stack
    Next.js · React Native · Nest.js · REST · WebSockets
    Open site
  2. stereoband72.ru screenshot
    02stereoband72.ru

    Landing for the cover band Stereotypes.

    A fast-loading landing with careful typography. Mobile-first responsive, a player with track previews, a booking form with anti-spam.

    Role
    Design + Build
    Year
    2024
    Stack
    Next.js · React · TypeScript · CSS Modules
    Open site
  3. warpvpn.space screenshot
    03warpvpn.space

    VPN service Space of Freedom.

    Landing + customer dashboard: subscriptions, billing, key issuance, multilingual UI. Architecture built to scale, block-resistant transport, analytics.

    Role
    Fullstack
    Year
    2024 — наст. время
    Stack
    Next.js · Node.js · Postgres · Stripe · i18n
    Open site
06 — Process

How I run a project.

Transparent, phased, with checkpoints. A sample five-week sprint:

Wk 1
Wk 2
Wk 3
Wk 4
Wk 5
01
Discovery
Goals, constraints, risks, estimation.
Discovery
02
Architecture
Stack, data schemas, API contracts.
Architecture
03
Build
Iterations with a demo at the end of every week.
Build
04
QA
Manual and automated testing, fixes.
QA
05
Release
Deploy, monitoring, handoff.
Release
MILESTONES
Milestone · Wk 1
Spec + estimate locked
Milestone · Wk 2
Architecture + API prototype
Milestone · Wk 4
Feature-complete demo
Milestone · Wk 5
Production deploy
07 — Pricing

Simple, transparent rate.

$50/h
per hour of work
What the rate covers
  • Development, code review, tests
  • Architecture design
  • Regular demos and calls
  • Gantt, reporting, budget forecast
  • Post-release support (by agreement)
Engagement formats
Time & Materials
Flexible scope, paid by hours actually worked.
Fixed-price milestones
When scope is clear — we lock cost per stage.
Long-term partnership
Continuous involvement, discount on monthly retainer.
Estimate calculator
A ballpark for the conversation — final number after discovery.
Typical scopes
Project budget
$8,000
08 — Testimonials

What clients say.

Ilya finished two weeks ahead of schedule. The budget was not exceeded by a single dollar. The Gantt — no kidding — was accurate.
Anton VolkovCTOGlia.dev
The architecture he designed three years ago still calmly handles growth and hasn't needed a rewrite.
Marina SokolovaFounderTessera Marketplace
The most valuable thing is predictability. Friday demo, Monday plan. No surprises.
Pavel OstapenkoProduct LeadNorthshore Pay
We extended the contract three times in a row. Ilya is the only contractor I have never had to chase for status updates.
Daria LevinaHead of EngineeringAstralume
Took an empty Figma and shipped a working MVP in six weeks — including the integrations everyone said were "two months easy".
Roman KushnirCEO & Co-founderBramble Studio
Cleaned up two years of legacy on a live B2B platform without a single user-visible incident. We are still using his playbook.
Elena KrasnovaVP of ProductVento Logistics
09 — Contact

Let's talk about your project.

Drop me a line on Telegram or email — I usually reply within a few hours.

Telegram
@Ilya_Kardapolov
Email
kardapolov@gmail.com
Response time
Within a few hours during work day
Message on Telegram
To the moon