Summary
Software engineer and founder with 6+ years of experience spanning Rust systems programming, full-stack web development, AI agent architecture, and contract software engineering. Currently a full-stack developer at PC Matic working across the Virtual Private Network (VPN) product and leading its customer portal migration to Next.js. Built and shipped multiple production platforms as a solo developer—including a VPN with WireGuard encryption and mesh networking, an open-source Large Language Model (LLM) agent platform with WebAssembly (WASM) sandboxing, an open-source code intelligence engine that compiles repositories into queryable knowledge graphs across 30+ languages, and an accessibility compliance Software as a Service (SaaS) with real-time Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) scanning. Also delivered contract work including a machine vision receipt tracking system with fraud detection. CS50 Web Programming (Python & JavaScript) certified.
Skills
Languages: Rust, TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, C#, HTML/CSS, SQL
Frameworks & Tools: React, Next.js, Tauri, Node.js, WireGuard, WebAssembly, tree-sitter, Model Context Protocol (MCP), Docker, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Supabase, Stripe, Tesseract OCR, REST APIs, Linux, CI/CD, Unity, Git
Domains: AI / LLM Systems, Networking / VPN, Systems Programming, Full-Stack Web, Developer Tooling / Static Analysis, Security Architecture, VR / XR, CDN Systems, Payments, Accessibility, Machine Vision / OCR
Experience
PC Matic · pcmatic.com
- Full-stack developer on the Virtual Private Network (VPN) product, working across the client application, backend services, and customer-facing web surfaces
- Led the migration of the customer portal to Next.js, replacing the legacy frontend with a modern React/TypeScript architecture using server-side rendering and file-based routing
- Ship features end to end from the API and service layer through the user interface, working within an established engineering team, code review, and release process
Synaptic · Open Source
- Built a code intelligence platform as a 27-crate Rust workspace that compiles source repositories into a queryable knowledge graph, shipped as a single static binary with no runtime dependencies
- Implemented tree-sitter–based extraction across 30+ languages (Python, TypeScript, Go, Java, C#, Rust, C/C++, Kotlin, Swift) plus SQL, YAML, and infrastructure-as-code formats
- Validated against a hand-labeled corpus spanning 6 language families: 100% precision and 94% recall on call edges, and 100% blast-radius recall with zero false positives; structural queries resolve in ~0.5–1 ms and cut token usage 27–38x versus reading raw source
- Exposed 40+ tools over a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server so AI agents can trace dependencies, forecast change impact, and select affected tests before code ships
- Added time-travel diffing across git revisions, confidence-scored refactor plans, SQL performance and security auditing, and vulnerability scanning over 12 package ecosystems
Tunnely · tunnely.org
- Built a full-stack Virtual Private Network (VPN) platform in Rust with a Tauri + Solid.js desktop client, distributed relay server infrastructure spanning 10 nodes across North America, Europe, APAC, and South America, and a Next.js marketing site with Stripe billing and PostgreSQL-backed Supabase database
- Implemented WireGuard-based encrypted tunneling (ChaCha20-Poly1305, Curve25519) using a userspace boringtun stack with async TUN device management
- Designed a multi-relay mesh network with automatic peer discovery, latency probing, and optimal path computation for multi-hop routing
- Engineered channel bonding system aggregating multiple network interfaces (WiFi + Ethernet + Cellular) with custom binary protocol, packet reordering, and three bonding modes
- Developed QUIC obfuscation layer wrapping WireGuard traffic as HTTPS/HTTP3 to bypass ISP-level VPN detection, plus a man-in-the-middle (MITM) HTTPS proxy for client-side ad/tracker blocking
Omni · Open Source
- Architected a privacy-first AI agent platform as a 10-crate Rust workspace with a Tauri + React/TypeScript desktop UI
- Built a WebAssembly (WASM) extension runtime via Wasmtime/WASI with deny-by-default permissions and 27 native tools
- Designed a 4-layer anti-injection pipeline (signature, heuristic, machine learning classifier, output validation) to secure Large Language Model (LLM) I/O
- Implemented multi-provider LLM orchestration supporting OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Ollama, and Amazon Bedrock with streaming and credential vault
- Developed 30+ messaging channel integrations (Discord, Slack, Telegram, Teams, etc.) and a visual flowchart automation engine
A11yCore
- Built an accessibility compliance Software as a Service (SaaS) platform in React + TypeScript with real-time Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 scanning, health scoring, and a modularized scanner backed by Supabase (PostgreSQL) and Puppeteer, deployed on Linux infrastructure; platform processed 10,000+ scans across 500+ users
- Engineered a standalone JavaScript plugin (14KB ESM) with 76+ deep DOM remediation features including Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) injection, keyboard trap detection, heading restructuring, and chart accessibility
- Implemented Stripe subscription billing with Supabase Edge Functions, webhook signature verification, and Row-Level Security for multi-tenant data isolation
- Developed AI-powered accessibility code fixer and real-time scanning with WebSocket progress updates, screenshot capture, and CSV export across 50+ WCAG rule categories
Contracted · Gas Tracking Platform
- Built a machine vision gas tracking system that scans fuel receipts, extracts structured data (station, grade, price, volume, totals) using Tesseract OCR with custom preprocessing pipelines; examples of the OCR work are available at colinvaughn.xyz
- Developed a fraud detection engine that flags anomalies such as duplicate receipts, price outliers, and inconsistent mileage-to-fuel ratios
- Designed the full-stack application with a React frontend and data dashboard for fleet-level receipt management and reporting
BattleforgePC
- Built the business from the ground up, developing the full-stack website solo with React, JavaScript, and Supabase; grew to become the largest seller on TikTok Shop in our category
- Integrated Stripe for payment processing and ChatGPT API for enhanced user functionality
- Architected the database, authentication flows, and deployment pipeline end-to-end
- Optimized performance and maintained site stability as user traffic scaled
Self-Employed
- Developed a VR police training simulator in C# targeting licensing deals with police academies nationwide; project was ultimately not released
- Handled full product lifecycle: design, development, testing, and business development
Slipknot / Knotverse
- Built virtual concert experiences that pulled real-time VFX and SFX data from live Slipknot performances and rendered them in-game
- Developed server infrastructure for syncing real concert data streams to thousands of concurrent virtual attendees
Critterz NFT
- Contributed to a 6-person dev team building server software supporting 10,000+ concurrent players
- Engineered CDN-like streaming infrastructure to ensure low-latency delivery at scale
Education
Electrical Engineering (Studied) — Left to pursue software ventures full-time
Coursework: Intro to C, Systems Programming, Advanced Computing, Microcontrollers, Physics I/II, Calculus I-III, Circuits I/II, Technical Writing, Python
Web Programming with Python and JavaScript
Projects
A11yCore
Accessibility SaaS with real-time WCAG 2.2 scanning, 76+ DOM remediation features in a 14KB plugin, 10,000+ scans and 500+ users
Omniomniapp.org
Open-source AI agent platform in Rust with WASM-sandboxed extensions, multi-provider LLM support, 30+ channel integrations
Synapticgithub.com/ColinVaughn/Synaptic
Open-source Rust code intelligence platform compiling repos into queryable knowledge graphs across 30+ languages; MCP server with 40+ tools, 27–38x token reduction vs. raw source
Tunnelytunnely.org
Privacy-focused VPN in Rust with WireGuard encryption, 10-node mesh across 4 continents, channel bonding, ad/tracker blocking
BattleforgePC
E-commerce platform for custom hardware with React & Supabase; largest seller in category on TikTok Shop
Gas Tracking Systemcolinvaughn.xyz/OCR
Machine vision receipt scanner with Tesseract OCR, fraud detection, and fleet dashboard. Source unavailable per contract terms; OCR examples on portfolio site.