About Ricky Adams

I’m a full stack developer who builds with object-oriented programming, based in San Bernardino, California. Since July 2013 I’ve built, migrated and kept running sites for agencies, a legal support company and its law firm clients, a county government and my own projects, from enterprise-level systems to small business sites.

Most of my work today is on sites that already exist. A client’s team can’t find the cause of a problem, or a store has grown past what it was built for, and I step in. I fix the cause, write down what I did, and check that the fix held after it went live. I’ve done this for payment, tax, CRM and search problems, and for databases with millions of bad rows.

I also build with AI. I run a structured workflow where I review the specification before anything is built and test the code after. It has produced working sites, including my own marketplace, and it works because I know what correct looks like. I optimize sites for AI search too, so assistants can find and understand them.

I design in the browser. I build prototypes in HTML and CSS because the prototype is the real starting point of the site, not a picture of it. e-SwapMeet (opens in a new tab) is a multi-vendor marketplace for swap meet vendors, and it’s my own project.

How I work on a problem

1. travel_exploreInvestigateRead the code, the server and the history before changing anything, and find the real cause with evidence, not the first plausible theory.
2. event_repeatReproduceMake the problem happen on demand, on a copy of the site rather than the live one, narrowing it down with logs, profiling and one change at a time.
3. buildFixChange the least code that removes the cause, leaving WordPress core alone.
4. shieldHardenClose the gap that let it happen, so it’s far less likely to return.
5. sync_altCommit and trackSmall, signed commits and a pull request that explains why.
6. fact_checkTestAutomated checks plus a hands-on run through the real flow on staging.
7. rocket_launchDeployA tagged release, with a backup and a way back.
8. check_circleVerifyConfirm the fix is live and working in production, not just merged.
9. descriptionDocumentA plain-language report of what was wrong, what changed and why.
10. monitoringFollow upFollow-up checks so a repeat is caught early.

Where I’ve worked

• Built MightyWeb Developer
• DB Legal SupportLead Web Developer
• LifeZynthFront-End Developer
• Adhesive AgencyFreelance Web Developer
• County of San BernardinoProgrammer Analyst
• Active Resource GroupFront-End Developer