I build and improve web applications with React and TypeScript, helping businesses and development teams add features, solve technical problems, and keep their applications maintainable.
I'm Edward Ma, a web application developer with over eight years of experience across frontend development, backend systems, databases, and analytics.
Services
Dependable development practices to build new web applications, ship complex features, and keep production systems resilient over time.
01
Building modern, responsive web applications from the ground up using React, TypeScript, and Next.js. Structured component architecture, clean state management, and production-ready deployments.
02
Wiring applications to robust backends, databases, and third-party services, including PostgreSQL, Supabase, Stripe payment flows, and custom REST APIs.
03
Stepping into established codebases to clean up technical debt, optimize performance bottlenecks, and modernize legacy frontends without breaking existing business logic.
04
Investigating intermittent edge cases, race conditions, and production bugs. Implementing structured telemetry and logging so problems are caught before users report them.
Selected work
01
DEFCON Halifax website rebuild
I rebuilt the website for DEFCON Halifax, the local cybersecurity community group I lead. The old site had useful information, but visitors had to work to find upcoming events, learn about the group, and get involved.
I put those needs front and centre, while keeping leadership details, social links, and the code of conduct easy to find.
I used AI to help explore the design and build the site, but the decisions about its structure, priorities, and user experience came from my own experience working with users and product owners.
02
Frontend engineering, including Soul Collection
For over four years, I've worked primarily with React, TypeScript, and JavaScript, building features, maintaining applications, and troubleshooting production issues. My work also includes Redux, Sentry, Pendo, TeamCity CI/CD, and Claude Code as part of my development workflow.
On Soul Collection, a React-based NFT project, I worked on the responsive frontend, connected crypto wallets and Stripe for NFT purchases, and added Google Analytics tracking to follow the minting process.
03
Modest Tree · Enterprise Software
Engineered a high-throughput telemetry pipeline to track custom user interactions and application events in real time. Built an asynchronous C# / .NET ingestion API to validate and stream event payloads directly into InfluxDB. Designed dynamic Flux queries driven by administrator parameters to downsample and aggregate time-series metrics on the fly, rendering adoption reports and usage insights inside protected, role-gated admin dashboards.
04
The Curling Store
Early in my career, I worked with a web designer on a heavily customized LemonStand storefront for The Curling Store, a local curling equipment retailer.
I worked directly with the owner to understand the business and took primary responsibility for the mobile layout.
I still remember this project because it reinforced something important: understanding the people using a website matters as much as understanding the business behind it.
05
Bursity MVP and system design
As co-founder and CTO of Bursity, I helped turn an idea into a working MVP that connected students with financial awards.
I worked on everything from gathering requirements and mapping out user and sponsor workflows to system design, database architecture, and AWS infrastructure. I also created technical documentation, built prototypes, and coordinated development with three summer students.
The diagram below is a simplified version of our early system planning, showing how we thought through onboarding, application workflows, and the different parts of the platform.
About
I've spent more than eight years working across frontend applications, backend systems, databases, analytics, and e-commerce.
For the past four years, I've focused mainly on React, TypeScript, and JavaScript, building features, maintaining applications, and investigating production issues.
I see myself as both a problem solver and a connector. Whether I'm diving into an existing application to figure out what's causing a problem, or bringing people together across the Halifax tech community, I enjoy finding practical ways to make things work better. That mindset helps me understand what people actually need, how the business operates, and whether a simpler, maintainable change will do the job.
Outside of engineering client applications, I stay actively involved in Halifax's technical and civic community:
Co-Organizer & Website Maintainer
Supporting local cybersecurity knowledge-sharing, hosting monthly meetups, and maintaining dc902.ca.
Super Connector & Mentor
Advising emerging developers and tech professionals navigating Atlantic Canada’s tech ecosystem.
Technical Contributor
Collaborating on data-driven projects that support local non-profits and public community causes.
Community Volunteer (MStJ)
Dedicated service and community first-aid response, recognized with the Order of St. John.
Contact
If you need help with an existing application, a new feature, or a technical problem, I’d be happy to chat.
Tell me a little about what you're working on, and we’ll see whether I’m a good fit.
