Senior Frontend Engineer
Ion Popa
London, UK
I build production frontends and the platform around them: clear architecture, typed contracts, performance, accessibility, and tests that catch real issues. I also build backend-for-frontend routes to shape payloads, handle edge cases, and keep the client clean. I like high-ownership teams, mentor engineers, and help teams ship safely - especially in regulated environments.
Ⅰ.
What I Build
AI-Enabled Web Apps
Streaming UX, tool use, evals, and the production basics: logging, metrics, and guardrails
Scalable Frontends
Microfrontends, shared design systems, and performance-first UX
Frontend Platforms
Clear boundaries, typed contracts, reliable CI/CD, and tooling that keeps teams moving
Ⅱ.
Tech
Frontend
- TypeScript
- React
- Next.js
- Remix
- Tailwind
- Shadcn
- Storybook
- Module Federation
- TanStack Query
- Zod
AI
- OpenAI API
- Vercel AI SDK
- MCP
- RAG
- Vector Stores
- Evals
Backend / BFF
- Node.js
- Express
- Next.js / Remix server routes
- GraphQL
- REST
- BUN
Testing & Infra
- Vitest
- Jest
- Cypress
- MSW
- Docker
- GitHub Actions
- AWS
Observability
- OpenTelemetry
- Grafana
- Sumo Logic
- Web Vitals
Ⅲ.
Principles
- →Keep it simple, measurable, and testable
- →Optimise for change with clear boundaries and typed contracts
- →Ship value safely and often
- →Performance matters - and so does developer experience
Ⅳ.
Recent Focus
- AI assistants inside enterprise UIs (streaming UX + guardrails)
- Hardening microfrontend platforms and shared libraries
- Developer tooling, local dev speed, and CI reliability
Ⅴ.
Learning
Frontend Masters
- React performance
- TypeScript
- Testing
- Frontend architecture
Academind
- React ecosystem
- Full-stack modules