Web Performance, Part 3: Get to first paint faster
In this post, we cover how to make the page faster without changing much of the code. We follow the first seconds of a slow checkout page and cut TTFB and FCP one wait at a time.
Frontend engineer,
going AI fullstack.
I'm Sharad Roy. I've spent 6 years building products for millions users using React, React Native and TypeScript. Now I'm expanding into AI, backend, systems, and architecture. Infinitely more to learn.
Projects
Things I've brewed end to end.
Writing
Essays and long-form learnings.
Web Performance, Part 2: Lab data lies (a little)
Your Lighthouse score says 98, yet real customers still wait. Lab, synthetic and field data each tell part of the story. Here is how to read them. You will also learn to set goals that keep you accountable.
Web Performance, Part 1: What fast actually means
Before you can make a page fast, you need to know what "fast" means. A plain guide to the Core Web Vitals, how they are scored, and how to capture them yourself.
Experience
Where I've worked, and what it taught me.
ByteDance
Senior Software Engineer
- Working on improving the Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) experience for users in South East Asia
- Improving page performance and refactoring code to make it easier to read and maintain
Shopee
Senior Software Engineer
- Shipped multiple features across product detail, sharing, notifications, cart, and checkout pages that serve millions of users in Southeast Asia and beyond
- Optimized performance and reliability in checkout flow for millions of daily users
- Worked with dozens of engineers to deliver high-quality features, establishing best practices and code review standards
Newzera Tech Labs
Software Engineer
- Led end-to-end frontend development of the Newzera app (social media app for news), owning both UI/UX and backend APIs
- Refactored the codebase for robustness, achieving high test coverage and reducing regression issues
- Mentored junior engineers and interns, establishing frontend best practices and code review standards
Skills
The tools I reach for.
Let's work together
Say hello. The kettle's always on.
I'm open to fullstack and senior frontend roles, and I love seeing interesting products being built at scale. If you're building something meaningful, let's talk. The fastest way to reach me is a LinkedIn DM (reply within four hours), and my code lives on GitHub.