About Me

Hi, I'm James Best

I'm an experienced TypeScript and JavaScript developer based in Bristol, UK, specializing in building high-performance, scalable applications across backend, frontend, and mobile environments. With expertise in React Native, I create robust offline-ready apps that deliver exceptional user experiences.

Recently, I've been focused on creating GenAI solutions using Python and TypeScript, leveraging tools like Langchain, AutoGen, Vercel AI SDK, and Frontier models to build intelligent applications that solve real-world problems.

Work

Lead Front-end Engineer at Breedr

April 2023 - Present | Bristol (Remote)

I currently manage a small team of engineers, overseeing the development and improvement of both web and mobile codebases. My focus has been on enhancing code quality and creating a better developer experience for the team.

Full-stack Engineer at Breedr

June 2021 - April 2023 | Bristol (Remote)

  • Architected a Realm microservice that reduced initial load time of mobile app data from 90 minutes to just 15 seconds
  • Improved Bluetooth hardware integration, making it more stable and easier to maintain, reducing customer service issues by 75%
  • Rewritten the signup form, increasing conversion by 2.5x
  • Helped implement Realm into the app, replacing a large part of the Redux store to improve overall performance and stability
  • Integrated a mapping solution that allows farmers to map their farms from within the app
  • Mentored junior members of the team and participated in hiring and onboarding new staff

Full-stack Engineer at Candide

November 2019 - May 2021 | Bristol

At Candide, I was part of a small team creating tools for Marketplace vendors and:

  • Helped revamp the Candide Marketplace from C2C to B2C, increasing weekly sales by 100x to over £2M per annum
  • Integrated a machine learning feed into the mobile app
  • Added services to our large microservice architecture
  • Mentored junior engineers

Full-stack Developer at Gravitywell

July 2015 - November 2019 | Bristol

My achievements at Gravitywell included:

  • Introducing the team to React, React Native, GraphQL, TypeScript, and AWS Amplify
  • Leading development of a multi-award winning project for English Heritage
  • Leading mobile development and implementing globally distributed microservices architecture for a leading car hire company
  • Building and maintaining numerous Node.js backends in both traditional and serverless patterns
  • Creating a custom CMS and data delivery platform for WeTheCurious
  • Establishing "Lunch & Learn" knowledge sharing sessions

Technical Skills

  • Languages: JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Golang
  • Frontend: React, Redux, React Apollo
  • Mobile: React Native, Realm
  • Backend: Node.js, FastAPI, REST and GraphQL APIs
  • Architecture: Microservices, Serverless
  • Databases: PostgreSQL, NoSQL
  • AI & ML: GenAI, RAG, LLMs, Langchain, LangGraph
  • DevOps: CI/CD, Testing

Beyond Code

When I'm not coding, I'm:

  • Creating open-source React Native and Neovim packages
  • Tinkering with electronics and IoT projects (partly for fun, partly to inspire my children)
  • Obsessively building everything that comes into my head (partly for fun, partly to inspire my children)

Let's Connect