Pangolin
Open-source Data Lakehouse Catalog written in Rust with Iceberg REST Catalog support.
- Apache Iceberg
- Agentic AI
- Open Source
Alex Merced
Open Lakehouse & AI Advocate · Author · Technologist
I build and teach the tools behind the open data lakehouse and agentic AI, from Apache Iceberg to local-first AI agents.
As published by O'Reilly · Manning · LinkedIn Learning
01 / Intro
Who is Alex Merced?
Alex Merced is a technologist, author, and advocate for the open data lakehouse and agentic AI. He is the author of three books with O'Reilly and Manning, a LinkedIn Learning instructor, creator of DataLakehouseHub.com, and Head of Developer Relations at Dremio. He builds open-source tooling, most recently the Mag ecosystem of local-first AI agents.
02 / About
About Me
Alex Merced is a technologist, author, and one of the most active advocates for the open data lakehouse and agentic AI. He writes, builds, and teaches across the modern data stack: Apache Iceberg, Apache Polaris, query engines, and the AI agents that sit on top of them.
He is the author of three books with O'Reilly and Manning, a LinkedIn Learning instructor, creator of DataLakehouseHub.com, and host of the Datanation and Web Dev 101 podcasts. In his day job he serves as Head of Developer Relations at Dremio, where he was the inaugural winner of the 2025 CEO Award. Alongside the writing and speaking, he ships open-source software, most recently the Mag ecosystem of local-first AI agent tooling.
- 34K+LinkedIn Followers
- 3Books · O'Reilly & Manning
- 575+Public GitHub Repos
- 300+GitHub Followers
- 10+Open-Source Projects
03 / Expertise
Technical Expertise
01
Data & Infrastructure
- Apache Iceberg
- Apache Polaris
- Data Lakehouse Architecture
- Dremio
- Docker & DataOps
02
AI & Agents
- Agentic AI & tool-use
- Model Context Protocol (MCP)
- RAG & vector search
- LLM app tooling (LiteLLM)
- AI agent memory / knowledge graphs
03
Languages
- JavaScript / TypeScript
- Python
- Rust
- Go
- SQL
04
Web & Frameworks
- React, Vue, Svelte, Angular
- Node.js (Express, Fastify)
- Python (FastAPI, Flask, Django)
04 / Open Source
Things I've Built
Open Lakehouse & Data Tooling
4 projectsOpen-source tools for Apache Iceberg catalogs, query engines, and the lakehouse workflows I write and teach about.
Apache Iceberg UI
A local desktop application for browsing and querying Iceberg Catalogs.
Iceframe
Dataframe-like library and AI Agent for working with Apache Iceberg in Python.
Dremio Python CLI
A Python CLI for Dremio Software and Cloud.
Also built DremioFrame (dataframe library for Dremio Cloud) and SencilloDB (lightweight JSON-based JavaScript datastore).
AI & Agents: the Mag Ecosystem
3 projectsA local-first AI productivity stack I build in the open: a Rust memory graph, a terminal agent, and a desktop command center.
MagGraph
Rust-powered graph database that gives AI agents a human-readable, Git-versioned memory.
An in-process graph database for AI semantic layers. Knowledge is stored as versioned Markdown nodes in a Git repo; edges emerge automatically from [[wikilinks]]. It ships a Python API, an auto-generated MCP server, and a CLI, plus a "lakehouse mode" where nodes point at external S3/Parquet data, so agents get compact recall bundles, backlinks, and traversal with zero infrastructure.
MagAgent
Terminal-native AI coding agent with persistent memory that actually learns you.
A CLI-first AI coding and productivity agent that remembers your projects, preferences, and patterns across sessions using a MagGraph knowledge graph. Connects to 20+ LLM providers through LiteLLM, ships 40 built-in tools and 10 skill libraries, spawns sub-agents for parallel work, and includes a remote gateway so you can drive it from Slack, Discord, or Telegram while away from the terminal.
Mag Command Center
Cross-platform desktop app that puts a polished GUI over the MagAgent stack.
A Tauri + React + TypeScript desktop app for the Mag ecosystem. Open local project folders and run project-scoped agent chats, configure providers/models/permissions without hand-editing config, browse and curate MagGraph memory (backlinks, provenance, pending candidates), inspect SQLite stores, and manage plugins, all in a neubrutalist light/dark UI. Packaged for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
05 / Publications
Featured Books
-
Apache Iceberg: The Definitive GuideO'Reilly
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Apache Polaris: The Definitive GuideO'Reilly
-
Architecting an Iceberg LakehouseManning
I also host the Datanation and Web Dev 101 podcasts. The full reading list lives at books.alexmerced.com.
06 / Credentials
Recognition & Credentials
-
Technical Author
Published author with O'Reilly and Manning, including Apache Iceberg: The Definitive Guide.
-
Talks & Speaking
Conference speaker at Oredev, Data Council, Data Day Texas, Confluent Current, SQLBits, P99Conf, DataEngBytes, OSA Con, and Subsurface. Available for keynotes and workshops.
-
Educator & Creator
LinkedIn Learning Instructor and creator of DataLakehouseHub, teaching data lakehouse and Apache Iceberg to a global developer community.
-
Open Source
Maintainer of 10+ open-source projects across the lakehouse and agentic-AI stacks, from the Pangolin catalog to the Mag ecosystem.
07 / Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Alex Merced do?
Alex Merced builds, writes, and teaches about the open data lakehouse and agentic AI. He authors books and courses, speaks at conferences, hosts the Datanation and Web Dev 101 podcasts, ships open-source tooling, and serves as Head of Developer Relations at Dremio.
What is Alex Merced known for?
He is best known as one of the most active advocates and educators for Apache Iceberg and the open data lakehouse, as co-author of Apache Iceberg: The Definitive Guide, creator of DataLakehouseHub.com, and a LinkedIn Learning instructor. More recently he is known for building the open-source Mag ecosystem of local-first AI agent tooling.
What books has Alex Merced written?
Three books with major publishers: Apache Iceberg: The Definitive Guide (O'Reilly), Apache Polaris: The Definitive Guide (O'Reilly), and Architecting an Apache Iceberg Lakehouse (Manning). A full reading list lives at books.alexmerced.com.
What open-source projects has Alex Merced built?
On the data side: Pangolin (a Rust Iceberg REST catalog), Apache Iceberg UI, Iceframe, DremioFrame, the Dremio Python CLI, and SencilloDB. On the AI side, the Mag ecosystem covers MagGraph (a Rust graph database for agent memory), MagAgent (a terminal-native AI coding agent), and Mag Command Center (a Tauri desktop app for the stack).
What is the Mag ecosystem?
The Mag ecosystem is a local-first AI productivity stack Alex builds in the open: MagGraph stores agent memory as Git-versioned Markdown nodes in a Rust graph database, MagAgent is the terminal agent that uses that memory across 20+ LLM providers, and Mag Command Center is the cross-platform desktop cockpit for both.
Where can I book Alex Merced to speak?
Alex speaks at conferences worldwide, including Oredev, Data Council, Data Day Texas, Confluent Current, SQLBits, P99Conf, DataEngBytes, OSA Con, and Subsurface. For keynotes, workshops, and panels on the open lakehouse, Apache Iceberg, or agentic AI, email Contact@alexmerced.com.
08 / Contact
Get in Touch
Looking for a conference speaker, a collaborator, or just want to talk about Apache Iceberg and AI agents? Here's how to reach me.
Book Me to Speak
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Say Hello
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