Forem: Akash Biswas - 🍻

🌒 From Legacy to Launch: How Gemini CLI Helped Me Build a Meta-Search Engine to Honor My Late Father - Part 1

Akash Biswas - 🍻 — Sat, 23 May 2026 16:14:31 +0000

🗓️ Timeline Devlog: From Legacy to Launch (Gemini CLI → Meta-Search Engine)

Kshanik Search is a tribute to my grandfather, Kshanik Kumar Biswas (May 9, 2021).

He served in the police force, and his life was a constant pursuit of knowledge and duty.

1) Late 2025 — The Brink of Shutdown

In my final year of college, I built Kshanik Search as more than just a project—it was a tribute to a life guided by service and learning.

But by late 2025, I hit a hard reality:

I relied on third-party search engine APIs like SerpApi and Google Custom Search
the low free-tier quotas and rising costs made the project unsustainable

At that point, I was stuck—because “keeping it alive” started to look impossible.

2) Turning Point — Gemini CLI changed how I built

Instead of giving up, I leaned into Gemini CLI (and its upcoming successor, Antigravity CLI).

This wasn’t just “help me write code.”
Gemini helped me understand agentic AI as a practical engineering approach:

break complex work into orchestrated steps
iterate with feedback loops
architect the solution instead of patching problems

Gemini became my collaborator—not only generating outputs, but shaping how I think through systems.

3) Build Phase — A Meta-Search Engine from Scratch

I decided to stop relying on expensive aggregators and build a self-sustained meta-search backend in Go, guided by Gemini’s research + execution support.

What I implemented:

⚡ Concurrent Fan-out
- query multiple providers in parallel:
- DuckDuckGo, Wikipedia, GitHub, Reddit, Stack Overflow
🧩 Hybrid Ranking
- merge results, deduplicate, and rank them using relevance + source reliability signals
🧷 Memory Efficiency
- designed to run efficiently even on minimal hardware

This phase was about resilience: building a system that could survive beyond quotas.

4) May 9, 2026 — Old Laptop + ngrok = Launch Day

The deadline was emotional and real: the 5th anniversary of my grandfather’s passing — May 9, 2026.

Frontend ✅: polished and hosted on Netlify

Backend ❌: no production server ready

So I ran the Go backend on my old laptop, and used ngrok to expose it publicly.

To my surprise, it worked flawlessly.

That moment completed the transition from:
API-dependent “maybe it lasts” → self-sustained meta-search engine that actually can last.

Website link

You can view the website here: - https://kshaniksearch.netlify.app

5) After the Build — Career Growth Unlocked

This journey didn’t only rebuild the product—it reshaped my career.

By applying what I learned through system design and AI orchestration, I transitioned from a traditional software role into:
Gen AI Engineer at EY.

The key lessons that carried over were practical and industry-relevant:

how to guide an AI agent effectively
how to manage state in complex LLM interactions
how to build resilient, real-world systems

6) Now — Antigravity and the Next Chapter

As Gemini CLI transitions to Antigravity CLI, I’m not sad—I’m excited.

Kshanik Search proved that AI is leverage when you orchestrate it properly.

Right now, I’m:

moving the backend to a dedicated Oracle Cloud ARM instance
planning a “GPT-like Knowledge Search” tool for human genealogy

Coming later: Before → After website transition

Later on, I’ll add a before and after transition phase of the website in the devlog—showing how it evolved from the earlier API-dependent setup into the self-sustained meta-search engine.

Closing: Kshanik Search Lives On ❤️

Kshanik Search lives on not just as software, but as a tribute—an ongoing way to honor my grandfather’s pursuit of knowledge and service, while building forward with the next wave of AI.

Choosing Deta Spaces: A Journey of Comparing Cloud Providers for Hosting My MERN Blog App

Akash Biswas - 🍻 — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 15:21:14 +0000

When it comes to hosting a MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, Node.js) blog app, selecting the right cloud provider is crucial. The market is flooded with various options, each offering different features and benefits. In my quest to find the perfect hosting solution, I embarked on an adventurous journey of comparing numerous cloud providers. After traversing through the clouds, I finally discovered the shining star of hosting: Deta Spaces. In this blog post, join me as I share my experiences and unveil the reasons behind choosing Deta Spaces over the cloud provider constellation.

The Comparison Odyssey:

Amazon Web Services (AWS):
Like the vast Amazon rainforest, AWS stood tall as a formidable contender in the cloud provider jungle. However, as I ventured into its realm, I found myself entangled in a labyrinth of complexity. Navigating through its services felt akin to trekking through uncharted territory, where the dense foliage of configurations obscured my path. It became evident that AWS was better suited for larger-scale applications, while my humble MERN blog app yearned for a more straightforward solution.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP):
In the vast expanse of the cloud, the Google Cloud Platform beckoned with promises of scalability and reliability. Its user-friendly interface resembled a well-maintained garden, and the bountiful documentation was akin to a well-curated botanical library. Alas, as I attempted to graft my MERN stack app onto GCP's infrastructure, I discovered a struggle beneath the surface. The integration process presented its thorns, hindering the seamless growth of my blog app. Furthermore, the lack of a robust community support system left me feeling like a lone wanderer in search of answers.

Microsoft Azure:
Azure, a cloud provider with the weight of a behemoth, cast a towering shadow in my comparison quest. Its compatibility with various technologies was akin to a vast ecosystem supporting diverse life forms. Yet, as I delved deeper, I realized that Azure's pricing structure resembled a grand palace—an opulent abode reserved for enterprise-level applications. While the azure skies above dazzled with possibility, the resources I sought as a beginner were scattered like elusive constellations. Azure's grandeur seemed more suitable for grand projects, while my modest MERN blog app yearned for a cozy and cost-effective home.

Choosing Deta Spaces:
Just when my cloud comparison journey seemed destined for eternal wandering, a glimmer of hope emerged from the celestial horizon: Deta Spaces. Like a shooting star, it caught my attention with its simplicity and elegance. The cosmic forces of ease and community support aligned to guide me towards Deta Spaces. Here's why it captured my heart:

Ease of Use: Deta Spaces proved to be the celestial oasis I sought. Its setup process was a gentle breeze that swept away the complexities of infrastructure management. With an interface as intuitive as stargazing, I could focus on nurturing my application's growth. The documentation, like a well-annotated star chart, provided clear guidance through the galaxy of hosting.

Cost-effectiveness: Deta Spaces shone brightly in the realm of affordability. Its free tier, a supernova of generosity, provided ample resources for my blog app's celestial journey. Even beyond the free tier, the pricing structure was as transparent as the shimmering auroras, ensuring I only paid for the resources I required. Deta Spaces offered a stellar value for my investment.

Also the link to the MERN Blog app, it's not yet complete though and glitchy - ! Jharna Blog

Community Support: One cannot traverse the vast expanse of the cloud alone. Deta Spaces recognized this universal truth and forged an extraordinary community support system on Discord. There, in the interstellar realm of discussions and shared wisdom, I found solace. The Deta community, a constellation of helpful individuals and kind

Additionally, one notable advantage of Deta Spaces was that I did not need to provide my credit card details upfront to test my application. Unlike some other cloud providers that required payment information during the initial setup, Deta Spaces allowed me to explore and experiment with their platform without any financial commitment. This risk-free approach was immensely valuable, as it enabled me to thoroughly evaluate Deta Spaces before making a final decision.

My Experience Using the Chat GPT for Solving LeetCode Problems😏

Akash Biswas - 🍻 — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 17:09:36 +0000

As a software developer, I am always on the lookout for tools and resources that can help me solve problems more efficiently. One such tool that I recently discovered is the Chat GPT, a large language model trained by OpenAI that is capable of providing instant explanations and solutions to programming problems.

I recently had the opportunity to use the Chat GPT during a LeetCode contest, and I was amazed by its accuracy and speed. The contest required me to solve a series of challenging algorithms and data structures problems within a limited amount of time. With the help of the Chat GPT, I was able to quickly understand the problem statements and generate accurate solutions in a fraction of the time it would have taken me to solve them on my own.

One of the problems that I solved using the Chat GPT was a sequence problem that required me to determine whether it was possible to obtain a strictly increasing sequence by removing no more than one element from an array of integers. The Chat GPT provided me with a detailed explanation of the problem and a step-by-step solution in pseudocode, which I was able to easily convert into working C++ code.

Overall, I was extremely impressed by the accuracy and speed of the Chat GPT, and I would definitely recommend it to other programmers who are looking for a helpful and efficient tool for solving algorithmic problems.

Some really Amazing opensource programs and internships one should check out - 2021

Akash Biswas - 🍻 — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 06:54:31 +0000

Here are some 25+ programs you should definitely check out if you are starting into opensource -
🎈🎈🎈
Reinforcement Learning Open Source Fest - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/academic-program/rl-open-source-fest/

LFX Mentorship Program - https://mentorship.lfx.linuxfoundatio...
CNCF Mentoring - https://mentorship.lfx.linuxfoundation.org/#projects_all
MLH Fellowship - https://fellowship.mlh.io
Google Summer of Code - https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/about/
LFN Mentorship Program - https://wiki.lfnetworking.org/display...
Linux Kernel Mentorship Program - https://wiki.linuxfoundation.org/lkmp
GNOME Internships - https://wiki.gnome.org/Outreach
Outreachy Internships - https://www.outreachy.org
Google Season of Docs - https://developers.google.com/season-of-docs/docs/get-started
X.Org Endless Vacation of Code - https://www.x.org/wiki/XorgEVoC/
Julia Seasons of Contributions (JSoC) - https://julialang.org/
Summer of Haskell - https://summer.haskell.org
Open Mainframe Project Mentorship Program -https://www.openmainframeproject.org/projects/mentorship-program

24 Pull Requests - https://24pullrequests.com/about
OSOC - https://osoc.be
Hyperledger mentorship program - https://wiki.hyperledger.org/display/INTERN/Hyperledger+Mentorship+Program
Season of KDE 2021 - https://season.kde.org
DataONE Summer Internship Program - https://old.dataone.org/internships
Intern at the FSF - https://www.fsf.org/volunteer/internships
Processing Foundation Fellowships - https://processingfoundation.org/fellowships/
Hacktoberfest - https://hacktoberfest.digitalocean.com
FOSSASIA Codeheat - https://codeheat.org
FOSSASIA Internship Program - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...
DrivenData Competitions - https://www.drivendata.org/competitions/
Kubernetes Release Team Shadows - https://github.com/kubernetes/sig-rel...