# Ajitesh Panda > Software Engineer at Goldcast ## About Hi! Thanks a lot for visiting my site. My name is Ajitesh, and I am a software engineer currently working as an SDE at Goldcast. Previously I was working at HackerRank. I completed my BTech in Computer Science and Engineering from IIIT Bhubaneswar, graduating in 2022. I am a web enthusiast with strong expertise in JavaScript and React, but I have also tinkered around with a variety of technologies such as LLMs, VLMs, Cloud Native, Blockchain, Flutter, Webextensions, and game development using Godot and Unity. I am a digital craftsman at heart and have a strong passion for entrepreneurship. I love to create exciting products in new technologies and would be thrilled to discuss any ideas that you are excited about! Interests: Art, Music, Travelling, Photography and of course, building exciting products! Email: ajiteshpanda01@gmail.com GitHub: https://github.com/ajitesh13 Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamAjiteshp Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_beingbest/ ## Timeline - Nov, 2000 — Born in Odisha, India. - Aug, 2018 — Completed High School and started undergrad at IIIT in CSE. - Oct, 2019 — Started contributing to Mozilla in their WebExtensions and Devtools team. - Feb, 2020 — Got Level 2 Commit Access at Mozilla. - Aug, 2020 — Elected as the Secretary of the Programming Society IIIT-Bh. - Sept, 2020 — Selected as a Fellow at Major League Hacking. - July, 2021 — Started as an SDE Intern for intervue.io. - Jan, 2022 — Started as an SDE Intern for HackerRank. - July, 2022 — Graduated from IIIT Bhubaneswar as BTech in CSE. - Oct, 2023 — Promoted to SDE2 at HackerRank. - July, 2025 — Joined Event Platform Goldcast.io. ## Projects ### Grimlock (2026) Platform: Library · Stack: Go, TypeScript GitHub: https://github.com/privyyio/grimlock Open-source cryptographic library extracted from Privyy, focused on end-to-end encrypted chat infrastructure. Handles secure key management (X25519 ECDH), message encryption (AES-256-GCM), and account recovery (Argon2id, HKDF-SHA512). Go and TypeScript versions maintain identical functionality, allowing client or server components to be freely substituted. ### Lookover (2026) Platform: Web, SDK · Stack: TypeScript Website: https://lookover.io An audit-logging platform for compliance and security teams. Captures decision trails and tool calls made by AI agents in a tamper-evident format. Operates at the SDK level to intercept agent actions, validate them against compliance frameworks (SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, EU AI Act), and export structured signed logs to enterprise systems. ### Privyy (2026) Platform: Web · Stack: TypeScript Website: https://privyy.io End-to-end encrypted LLM chat infrastructure. Private AI conversations with client-side key generation and encrypted storage. Supports processing confidential documents and sensitive data analysis against open-source language models — data protected by design, not just by policy. ### Clarity (2022) Platform: Chrome, Firefox, Safari · Stack: React, FastAPI, PostgreSQL GitHub: https://github.com/QEDK/clarity AI journaling assistant for emotion tracking and mental clarity. Pen down thoughts, track mood history, and share entries with a therapist. ReactJS frontend with a FastAPI backend on Google Cloud Platform backed by PostgreSQL. ### FamTrack (2021) Platform: Android, iOS · Stack: Flutter, Dart GitHub: https://github.com/ajitesh13/FamTrack Family safety app with geofencing. Family members add each other, set safe locations, and receive notifications when someone is outside a designated zone for more than 30 minutes. Designed for families caring for elderly members with conditions like Alzheimer's and parents tracking children's safety. ### WebEdge (2021) Platform: CLI · Stack: Python GitHub: https://github.com/HarshCasper/WebEdge Python CLI tool that scrapes a website and auto-suggests improvements to boost web performance and SEO rankings. A unified, actionable recommendations tool addressing the complexity of performance optimization for frontend developers. ### Webextension Activity Monitor (2020) Platform: Firefox ≥ 72 · Stack: JavaScript GitHub: https://github.com/ajitesh13/webextension-activity-reporter Firefox extension for monitoring what other installed extensions are doing — network requests, altered browser settings, API function calls, and background activity. Built for extension developers, reviewers, and advanced users who need visibility into extension behavior. ## Writing ### My Journey with Next.js 15 2025-01-10 · Next.js, React, Web Development Exploring the latest features and my experience upgrading to Next.js 15 with the App Router and Turbopack Next.js 15 has been a game-changer for my projects. The combination of the App Router, React Server Components, and Turbopack has significantly improved both developer experience and application performance. ## The App Router Moving from the Pages Router to the App Router was initially daunting, but the benefits quickly became apparent. The new layout system makes it incredibly easy to share UI between routes, and the streaming capabilities with Suspense boundaries have dramatically improved perceived performance. ## Turbopack The development experience with Turbopack is noticeably faster. Hot module replacement is nearly instantaneous, and build times have been cut in half. This has made the development workflow much more enjoyable and productive. Some things I now rely on daily: - Instant HMR on save - Faster cold starts - Cut build times ## React 19 With Next.js 15, we get full support for React 19 features. The new hooks and improved concurrent rendering capabilities open up new possibilities for building complex, performant applications. Upgrading to Next.js 15 has been one of the best decisions for my projects. The improved performance, better developer experience, and modern architecture make it an excellent choice for building web applications in 2025. If you are still on an older version of Next.js, the migration guide is comprehensive and the benefits are well worth the effort. ## Books ### Atomic Habits — James Clear (2024) · 5/5 An incredible book that changed how I think about productivity and self-improvement. James Clear presents a practical framework for building good habits and breaking bad ones. The concept of atomic habits — tiny changes that compound over time — resonates deeply with software development. Just like refactoring code incrementally leads to better architecture, small daily improvements lead to remarkable results. Key takeaways: - Small habits make a big difference - Focus on systems, not goals - The 1% improvement compounds over time - Make it obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying ### Deep Work — Cal Newport (2024) · 5/5 Cal Newport makes a compelling case for the importance of focused, undistracted work in a hyper-connected world. As a software engineer, the concept of deep work resonates strongly — the best code and solutions come from sustained, focused effort. The book provides practical strategies for cultivating deep work habits, from scheduling techniques to environment design. Key takeaways: - Deep work is becoming increasingly rare and valuable - Cultivate the ability to focus without distraction - Schedule deep work sessions deliberately - Minimize shallow work and context switching ## Photography ### Cherry Blossoms in Spring Tokyo, Japan · April 15, 2024 · Sony A7III, 24-70mm f/2.8 A beautiful spring morning capturing the ephemeral beauty of cherry blossoms. The soft pink petals against the blue sky created a magical atmosphere. Walking through the parks during sakura season is always a humbling experience — a reminder of nature's beauty and the fleeting moments we should cherish. ### Traditional Machiya Streets Kyoto, Japan · March 20, 2024 · Sony A7III, 35mm f/1.4 Walking through the traditional machiya houses of Kyoto feels like stepping back in time. These wooden townhouses, with their distinctive latticed windows and narrow facades, represent centuries of Japanese architectural tradition. The early morning light filtering through the narrow streets creates a serene atmosphere perfect for photography.