instant navigations with the speculation rules api
how this site now prefetches the next page before you click it: prefetch vs prerender, eagerness levels, the exact rules we deployed, and the pitfalls to avoid.
read article →alion tech studio publishes in-depth technical articles on web performance, security, accessibility, and cloud architecture — written by alex i from real engineering projects and production systems. we also take on select consulting work in the same areas.
Written and built by Alex I — an independent software engineer working across mobile apps, backend systems, frontend development, cloud infrastructure, and security. The writing here comes from real projects. The consulting covers the same ground.
about the author →the disciplines behind our writing — and the work we take on when we consult.
high-speed, responsive web platforms built with contemporary frontend frameworks, fully optimized for search engine visibility, accessibility, and high performance.
native and cross-platform iOS and Android applications engineered with secure offline storage, cryptographic authentication, and interactive animations.
performance-tuned server deployments, secure gateway configurations, containerization (Docker & Kubernetes), security hardening, and load balancer setups.
highly scalable, robust cloud architectures deployed on major providers (AWS/GCP) using infrastructure as code (IaC), serverless architectures, and zero-trust security postures.
find clear insights regarding our engineering standards, processes, and standard technologies.
we specialize in modern frontend frameworks (including React, Next.js, and vanilla web systems), native and cross-platform mobile environments (Swift, Kotlin, and Flutter), and highly performant backend architectures deployed on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). our configurations prioritize clean code, rapid edge-rendering, and robust security standards.
security is baked into our engineering lifecycle from day one. we employ zero-trust cloud architectures, implement hardened Content Security Policies (CSP), encrypt offline database layers using standard cryptographic primitives, and run automated vulnerability scanning. we strictly adhere to OWASP Top 10 standards to protect your users' data.
serverless edge rendering processes and serves page requests at CDN nodes closest to your users, rather than routing traffic to a centralized database server. this architecture minimizes roundtrip times, avoids Cumulative Layout Shifts, and results in near-instant load times globally, which significantly improves SEO positioning and conversion rates.
we design with performance budgets in mind, achieving top scores across core web vitals. this includes setting fixed dimensions on media modules to avoid layout shifts, pre-rendering static routes, compressing image assets, and utilizing optimal cache-control response headers.
deep-dives into modern web development, engineering practices, and system designs — written by alex i.
how this site now prefetches the next page before you click it: prefetch vs prerender, eagerness levels, the exact rules we deployed, and the pitfalls to avoid.
read article →why hooks are confusing (a mental model problem, not syntax), how useState and useEffect actually work, what the dependency array declares, and when useCallback and useMemo genuinely help.
read article →how signature verification works, access and refresh token patterns, the vulnerability classes that recur most in production, and when sessions are still the right answer.
read article →what strict: true actually enables, which flags have the highest signal-to-noise ratio, what strict mode still misses, and a practical migration path for existing codebases.
a clear map of Cache-Control directives, how ETags and conditional requests work, the immutable-asset strategy that eliminates stale files after deploys, and the common mistakes teams make.
read article →a clear explanation of the virtual dom, how diffing algorithms improve performance in frameworks like react, and its underlying rendering mechanics.
read article →the cases where wasm genuinely beats javascript, the js-wasm boundary that decides real performance, when not to use it, and where wasi is taking it beyond the browser.
read article →identity as the control plane, phishing-resistant auth, mtls and micro-segmentation, policy-as-code, and a realistic migration path with its pitfalls.
read article →the mental model, the handful of properties that do the real work, responsive grids without media queries, the minmax overflow trap, and when to reach for flexbox instead.
read article →how csp defends against xss, strict policies with nonces and strict-dynamic, the allowlist approach for static hosts, and rolling out safely with report-only mode.
read article →modern jamstack sites leverage cdn edge processing to dynamically render content and run middleware closest to the visitor. we explore serverless routing architectures that yield ultra-fast page speeds, reduce database roundtrips, and dramatically decrease page load times globally.
read article →cumulative layout shift (cls) is a vital user-experience metric. learn how proper element structure, media aspect ratios, and fixed-dimension container wrappers for dynamic content blocks like ads can prevent structural shifts, improve page scores, and delight users.
read article →lcp, inp, and cls are google's three measures of real page experience. this hands-on guide breaks down what each metric captures, the thresholds that matter, and the techniques we use most often to improve them.
read article →forms are where the web gets serious. learn the labels, fieldsets, error handling, and keyboard support that make a form usable for screen-reader, keyboard, and mobile users alike.
read article →have a question about something we've written, or a project where our help would fit? we'd be glad to hear from you.