The tools, stack and gear I use to build software.

People ask what I build with, especially how I work with AI. Here is the honest list.

Workstation

  • HP ZBook running Ubuntu 26+

    My daily machine, with two BenQ 24” monitors: code on one, running app, docs and the AI terminal on the other.

Editor & AI

  • IntelliJ IDEA

    My main IDE for Java and Spring Boot.

  • Claude Code

    My AI partner in the terminal for boilerplate, tests, static analysis and change descriptions. I keep the architecture and review every change.

  • IntelliJ MCP server

    Lets the AI use the IDE’s index and inspections instead of guessing from plain text search.

Backend

  • Java 21, Spring Boot 3.x / 4.x

    The core of everything I build, usually as a modular monolith.

  • Spring Data JPA, Liquibase, PostgreSQL

    Persistence and schema migrations.

  • Apache Kafka

    Part of the custom integrations I build at HCM Deck.

  • Maven

    Build and dependency management.

Testing & delivery

  • JUnit and Testcontainers

    Real databases in tests instead of mocks wherever possible.

  • Docker, Docker Compose, GitHub Actions

    Local environments and CI for all my open-source projects.

Frontend

  • React + Vite, Next.js + Tailwind CSS

    Admin panels, shops and this site. Not my home turf, which is exactly where AI helps me the most.