Software studio

We build the software the real world runs on.

Byteraft Limited is a small, senior software studio. We design and ship dependable, offline-first systems end-to-end — from Raspberry-Pi devices on a moving bus, to consumer apps in the store, to the cloud that keeps a fleet in sync.

See our work Start a project
Embedded & edge Mobile apps Cloud platforms Offline-first by default
We work in GoPythonReact NativeReactTypeScriptPostgreSQLSQLiteLinuxRaspberry Pi
What we build

One team, the whole stack.

Most problems worth solving cross a boundary — a device, an app, and a server that has to agree with both. We build all three, so nothing gets lost in the handoff.

Embedded & edge systems

Real hardware in the real world. We build offline-first Linux devices — GPS, audio, sensors, screens — that keep working when the network doesn’t, and update safely in the field.

  • Raspberry Pi / ARM64
  • Go + Python
  • GPIO · USB-serial
  • secure OTA

Mobile apps

iOS and Android from one codebase, built to feel native. Local-first data, real offline support, encrypted on-device storage, and a product sense that goes past the spec.

  • React Native
  • iOS + Android
  • local-first SQLite
  • SQLCipher

Cloud & fleet platforms

The backend that ties it together: multi-tenant APIs, admin portals, live maps, and safe rollout to hundreds of devices — with per-customer isolation baked in from day one.

  • Go + PostgreSQL
  • multi-tenant
  • admin dashboards
  • CI/CD

End-to-end product

From the first discovery conversation to a shipped, compliant product in the field or the store. We own the whole arc — design, engineering, release, and the boring parts that make it last.

  • discovery
  • architecture
  • compliance
  • launch
Selected work · Case study

Alpha AIR — a bus that speaks for itself.

We designed and built Alpha AIR, the on-board passenger-information and announcement platform, for IT9 Ltd. IT9 owns the system and was the first to put it to work on their own services — and now sells it on to other bus and coach operators.

On-board transit · Embedded + Cloud

The system that announces every stop.

Client: IT9 Ltd — it9.uk · system owner, first user & reseller

UK operators face the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023: every bus must announce and display the next stop. Alpha AIR delivers exactly that — GPS-triggered audio and visual next-stop announcements — but keeps the driver in control, so diversions and cancellations are handled by a person, not fought with an algorithm.

  • GPS next-stop detection with synchronized audio and on-board display
  • A driver touch-console for live override during diversions
  • Routes pulled automatically from the UK’s official bus open-data feeds
  • A rail-replacement mode preloaded with GB station data
  • A cloud portal to manage a whole fleet, machine by machine
Edge → cloudOne system, on the vehicle and in the depot
Offline-firstAnnounces with zero signal on board
PSVAIR 2023Built for UK accessibility rules
Fleet-scaleProvision many vehicles per operator
Inside an Alpha AIR-equipped coach: rows of passenger seats and the next-stop screen reading Next stop Coventry.
On the vehicle. The passenger screen, live in service — always a step ahead of the next stop.
The Alpha AIR driver touch-console showing a route stop list and announcement control buttons.
In the cab. The driver console — the route’s stop list and one-tap announcement controls.
The Alpha AIR screen branded for IT9, running rail-replacement mode into Birmingham New Street with a RAIL-VT badge.
Ready for anything. The same system, branded for IT9’s AlphaAIR, running rail-replacement coach services into Birmingham New Street.
See Alpha AIR live at it9.uk
The business model

A bespoke B2B2C platform.

Alpha AIR isn’t off-the-shelf. We built IT9 a platform they use themselves first, then sell on as their own branded product — value passed along a chain, from IT9 to the operators who run it, to the passengers who benefit, with each link isolated and in control.

We build (B)Byteraft

Designs & engineers the whole platform — edge, cloud, and delivery.

Owner & first user (B)IT9 Ltd

Runs Alpha AIR on its own services first, then sells it on to other operators as their own product.

Their customers (B)Bus & coach operators

Deploy the units on their vehicles to meet accessibility rules.

End users (C)Passengers

Hear and see the next stop on every journey — that’s the point of it all.

The technology · for the curious

What Alpha AIR is built from.

A pragmatic, boring-on-purpose stack chosen for reliability in a vehicle: compiled services, real Linux, and delivery that assumes the network — and sometimes the power — will drop.

Languages

Compiled where it counts, scripted where it’s handy

Go (Gin)Python (Flask)TypeScriptSQLBash

Edge & hardware

The computer that rides on the bus

Raspberry Pi 4Pi Zero 2 WARM64 LinuxGPIOUSB-serial GPSPipeWire audiodual-screen HDMItouch console

Web & apps

Driver console, passenger screen & fleet portal

ReactReact 19 + ViteMantine UILeaflet mapsWebSocket screen

Cloud & data

The multi-tenant fleet plane

PostgreSQLSQLite (SQLC)Go APIsDigitalOceanS3-compatible storage

Delivery & ops

Safe updates to devices you can’t always reach

systemdTailscaleencrypted USB (AES-256-GCM)A/B slotswatchdog rollbackGitHub Actions

Data & content

Where routes and voices come from

TransXChange / BODSGB rail dataset (~4,700 stops)TTS pipelineen-GB voices
Our own product

We build for clients. We also build for ourselves.

Coming soon

FWMH — Flow with milk and honey.

A scripture-aware notebook for people who study the Bible and write about it. Type a reference and it becomes a living verse — then every note you ever wrote finds its way back to the passage it touches. The same offline-first, local-first craft we bring to clients, aimed at a notebook we wanted to exist.

Visit FWMH Join the waitlist
How we work

From a conversation to the field.

A small team means a short line between the person who understands your problem and the person writing the code. Here’s the path from “we have an idea” to “it’s running on real hardware.”

01

Discovery

We learn your domain, constraints, and what “done” really means — before writing a line.

02

Architecture

We design for failure first: offline paths, data model, security, and how it updates.

03

Build

Tight iterations you can see, with tests and CI so nothing regresses on the way.

04

Field & launch

Staged rollout with health checks and rollback — to the store, or onto real devices.

05

Support

We stay for the unglamorous part: monitoring, fixes, and the next iteration.

Why Byteraft

Craft is a set of defaults.

“Byteraft” is byte plus raft — software built from many small, dependable parts that hold together and get you safely across, even if one gives way. It shows up less in what we say and more in the decisions we make before anyone asks.

01

Offline-first by default

We assume the network will fail, because in the field it does. Systems we build keep working with no signal and reconcile cleanly when it returns.

02

Own the whole stack

Device, app, and server built by one team that understands all three. Fewer seams, fewer surprises, and no “that’s the other vendor’s problem.”

03

Ship to the field, safely

Real releases with real safety nets — encrypted updates, staged rollout, health checks, and automatic rollback — so a bad deploy never becomes a bad day.

04

Your data & IP are yours

No lock-in, no hostage data. We build on open standards, hand over what we make, and design for portability from the start.

About Byteraft

A small studio that ships real things.

We’re deliberately small and senior — the people you meet are the people who build it. We take on a few problems at a time and give them the attention they deserve, whether that’s an audio-visual system on a moving bus or a notebook for people who study Scripture.

byte · the smallest unit we work in  +  raft · what holds many small parts together and gets everyone safely across  =  Byteraft
CompanyByteraft Limited
Based inHong Kong
FocusEmbedded · Mobile · Cloud
Client workAlpha AIR · IT9
Our productFWMH (coming soon)
Get in touchhello@byteraft.io
Questions

Working with us.

What kind of projects do you take on?
Systems that have to work in the real world: embedded and edge devices, mobile apps, and the cloud platforms behind them. We’re at our best when a project crosses those boundaries — hardware that talks to an app that talks to a server — and reliability actually matters.
How big is the team?
Deliberately small and senior. You work directly with the people building your product, not a layer of account managers. We take on a few things at a time so each gets real attention.
Do we own the code and data?
Yes. We build on open standards, hand over the source, and design for portability. No lock-in, no hostage data — your IP is yours.
Can you work with our existing team or hardware?
Often, yes. We can own a whole product end-to-end or slot in on the part where you need depth — embedded Linux, an offline-first mobile layer, or the cloud platform. Tell us where the gap is.
Where are you based?
We work with clients remotely, wherever they’re building. The fastest way to start is an email describing what you’re trying to build.
Start a project

Have something that has to work in the real world?

Whether it’s hardware in the field, an app your users live in, or the platform behind both — tell us what you’re trying to build. We’ll tell you honestly whether we’re the right team for it.

hello@byteraft.io See our work first