
Jonathan Harford
Verified Expert in Engineering
Full-stack Developer
Berkeley, CA, United States
Toptal member since February 9, 2026
Jonathan is a full-stack engineer with 8+ years building scalable eCommerce and real-time systems. He specializes in TypeScript, SvelteKit, and Clojure, with deep expertise in event-driven architectures and integrations with Stripe, PayPal, and Contentful. He uses Claude Code for velocity, not vibe coding. Every line gets reviewed, and TDD keeps correctness on the rails. From freelance to 6-year product tenures, he delivers robust, maintainable systems.
Portfolio
Experience
- Python - 20 years
- Acting - 10 years
- Clojure - 6 years
- ClojureScript - 6 years
- Test-driven Development (TDD) - 5 years
- Claude - 2 years
- SvelteKit - 2 years
- TypeScript - 2 years
Preferred Environment
Linux, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Claude, Cursor AI, MacOS, Windows, *nux Shells, JetBrains IDE
The most amazing...
...thing I've built is Exquisite.Monster—a production-grade real-time multiplayer party game, architected and shipped solo.
Work Experience
Python Automation Developer
Four Peaks Surgery Center, LLC
- Implemented AES-256 encryption and credential management for HIPAA-compliant PHI handling.
- Reverse-engineered the vendor's internal REST API to replace brittle browser automation with a reliable headless solution.
- Migrated a command-line medical records application to a wxPython GUI.
Senior Web Scraper
Will Coley
- Leveraged my Google APIs experience for a reputation management tool.
- Engineered a Cloudflare worker that interfaces with an existing dashboard to fetch and store reviews via the Google Places API.
- Designed the solution as a robust, terms-of-service-compliant alternative to a fragile web scraper.
Solo Full-stack Software Engineer
AllScreen
- Leveraged TypeScript and Supabase, implementing Vercel KV (Redis) for caching to ensure real-time data delivery.
- Integrated Stripe for subscription management and payment processing.
- Architected modular, route-based features for admins, clinicians, and recipients, with secure, one-question-at-a-time delivery.
- Employed Tailwind CSS for responsive UI and Playwright for end-to-end testing.
- Worked closely with the client to develop and then implement specifications to engineer a secure, full-stack clinical questionnaire platform.
Full-stack Software Engineer
Mayvenn
- Created and maintained Clojure microservices in an event-sourced system.
- Integrated our site with 3rd-party API vendors for payments: Stripe, PayPal, Zip, and Green Dot; shipping: Aftership; customer relation services: Kustomer; marketing: Iterable; and voucher management: Voucherify.
- Simplified website modifications for non-developers by moving content out of code and into the Contentful CMS.
- Served as a context engineer, performing deep technical analysis and architectural design to scope and de-risk complex projects for the engineering team, ensuring high-quality implementation and mentoring delivery engineers on best practices.
- Created and maintained documentation for microservices, in-house tools, workflows, and tests.
- Integrated our site's front- and back-end with Meta Pixel and Conversions API via Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics, as well as TikTok's Pixel and Events API.
Back-end Software Engineer
LiveAuctioneers
- Extended the PHP-based mobile API to parallel app development as the sole back-end member of the mobile apps team.
- Created presentational and container React/Redux components for the main site, and TypeScript API endpoints to feed them.
- Integrated the Riskified fraud-prevention service, dramatically reducing incidents of fraudulent bidding.
- Created Python/Selenium-based and Travis-hosted integration tests to test a websocket-driven bidding console with a PhantomJS browser.
Client Service Associate, Media Planning & Analysis
Worth Linen Associates
- Wrote and maintained Python/Selenium/Pandas script to automate a biweekly data download from vendor website, streamlining a tedious, error-prone task into a one-click procedure.
- Created PowerPoint presentations for the CEO to use.
- Proofread direct mail marketing materials for multiple clients.
Document Supervisor
Celerity
- Managed a team of four case clerks and temporary personnel.
- Developed and edited FoxPro, Concordance, DBText, and Access databases.
- Received, edited, formatted, and delivered data to clients within deadlines.
Web Developer
Freestart
- Maintained and modularized an ASP/JavaScript-driven website template system.
- Coded sites in HTML and CSS according to client specifications.
- Produced and edited photos and other images with Adobe Photoshop.
- Interviewed clients and worked with them in the design and construction of their websites.
Experience
Exquisite.Monster
http://exquisite.monster/• Stack: Svelte 5 with SvelteKit 2, TypeScript, Supabase with Prisma ORM
• Background processing: Postgres job queues handling game expiration, turn timeouts, and email notifications
• Authentication and security: Clerk integration with custom middleware, role-based access control
• Caching strategy: Multi-tier HTTP caching with ETags, CDN optimization, and conditional requests
• Testing strategy: Comprehensive test suite, including Playwright E2E and Vitest unit tests
AI Gaslighter
http://illegalodors.com/gaslighterbrainboop
https://illegalodors.com/brainboopBy presenting the user's brain with precise audio and light patterns, the app helps them shift into a more focused, relaxed, or restful state.
Dreideltron 2000
https://dreideltron2000.illegalodors.com/Leveraging Babylon.js and Havok physics for authentic spinning mechanics, the app features dynamic camera tracking, haptics, and a complete single-device multiplayer suite with customizable rules and score tracking.
As the sole developer, I engineered the full stack, delivering an accessible, retro-futuristic experience both on web and iOS/Android via Capacitor for celebrants who miss a physical dreidel.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Mathematical Sciences
University of Liverpool - Liverpool, UK
Certifications
Building with the Claude API
Anthropic Education
Claude Code in Action
Anthropic Education
Skills
Libraries/APIs
Playwright, Node.js, REST APIs, Beautiful Soup 4, Stripe, Aftership API, Conversions API, TikTok API, React, PhantomJS, Pandas, Babylon.js, Claude API, Google APIs, Beautiful Soup
Tools
Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, Claude Code, GitHub, ChatGPT, Claude, Prisma, Vitest, Terraform, *nux Shells, AWS IAM, Google Analytics, Travis CI, Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS), AWS ELB, Microsoft Access, Photoshop CS3, wxPython
Languages
TypeScript, HTML, Clojure, Python 3, Python, JavaScript, SQL, PHP, Excel VBA, Visual FoxPro, CSS, Active Server Pages (ASP)
Frameworks
Svelte, ClojureScript, Tailwind CSS, Redux, Selenium
Storage
Databases, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis
Paradigms
REST, Test-driven Development (TDD), HIPAA Compliance, Automation, Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Platforms
Linux, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), MacOS, Windows, Amazon Web Services (AWS), AWS Lambda, Vercel, Kustomer, Iterable, Voucherify, Contentful, Amazon EC2, Clerk, Godot, Mobile
Other
SvelteKit, Acting, Full-stack, Web Development, Full-stack Development, AI Tools, CSV File Processing, Data Extraction, Scripting, Back-end, Agentic Coding, Cursor AI, Proofreading, Payment Gateways, eCommerce, Front-end, Mobile First, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Web Scraping, API Integration, Automation Scripting, Job Boards, Data Scraping, Large Language Models (LLMs), AI Automation, PDF, ECS, Dashboards, Software Architecture, Web Application Design, API Design, JetBrains IDE, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Supabase, Supabase Auth, Terraform Cloud, PayPal, Google Tag Manager, Riskified, BullMQ, Mobile Web, Concordance, DBText, AI Agents, Agentic AI, Prompt Engineering, RAG Pipelines, AI-generated Code, Vibe Coding, AI Copilots, APIs
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