Web Application Developer
I'm Edward Ma, a web application developer based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I've spent more than eight years working across web development, databases, analytics, and e-commerce.
These days, I mostly work in React and TypeScript, building features, fixing problems, and improving applications people already rely on.
I'm available for part-time freelance, contract, and consulting work.
React · TypeScript · JavaScript · .NET · SQL
Selected work
01
I build and improve the web applications people use every day.
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.
For example, 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.
02
At Modest Tree, I worked on custom analytics and web tracking using .NET, StatsD, InfluxDB, and Flux. I wrote queries to process the collected data and make it available to the frontend. I also worked with frontend developers on tracking implementations using JavaScript, Angular, and Google Analytics.
I've also been putting that experience to use on EdwardMa.ca, setting up Google Analytics 4 with custom events to see which projects and services people are interested in and how they interact with the contact form.
03
The Curling Store · 2018 · Early Career
A website built to reflect how a business actually works.
Early in my career, I worked with a web designer to build a heavily customized LemonStand e-commerce website for The Curling Store, a local curling equipment retailer, to reflect how the business actually worked.
I communicated directly with the business owner to understand what they needed and took primary responsibility for the mobile layout, helping the site reflect their business and their users.
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.
View original storefront (2018 archive) ↗
04
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.
Services
I work best with teams and businesses that need someone to understand an existing problem and help move it forward.
01
Building features and improving interfaces in existing React applications.
02
Understand established codebases, make changes carefully, and keep development moving.
03
Connect frontend and backend functionality, work with APIs, and solve problems across application layers.
04
Investigate unexpected behaviour, track down errors, and work toward fixes that address the underlying issue.
05
Implement tracking, connect services, and make application data more useful.
06
Write queries, work with databases, and support reporting, data migration, and application features.
About
Over the years, I've worked in several areas of software development, from frontend applications and backend systems to databases, analytics, and e-commerce.
For the past four years, I've focused mainly on frontend development, where I understand existing systems, build features, investigate bugs, and figure out how to make things work better.
I'm naturally curious about how things fit together, so I ask questions, understand the constraints, and find a practical way forward.
Outside of work, I spend a lot of time connecting people and supporting community initiatives here in Halifax, which reflects the same interest in bringing things together.
Community
Monthly Cybersecurity Speaker Series
I host the monthly speaker series for DEF CON Halifax (DC902), bringing Halifax's cybersecurity and technology communities together to share what they're working on, what they've learned, and their experiences. DC902 is an official DEF CON community group.
Learn moreConnector Program
I'm part of the Halifax Partnership Connector Program, where I help people make connections and find their footing in Halifax's professional community.
Learn moreContact
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.