Marcus Gustafsson
Backend Engineering Student
Turku, Finland · Åbo Akademi University
B.Sc. Computer Engineering · M.Sc. expected 2027
I build backend systems in Java and on AWS — focused on how APIs are designed, how systems fail, and how infrastructure behaves under real conditions.
Currently exploring serverless architecture, API design patterns, and distributed systems fundamentals.
Engineering Principles
Reliability by design
I try to think about failure before it happens: clear error contracts, idempotent operations, and enough observability to understand what the system is actually doing.
Minimal surface area
Every endpoint is a commitment. I prefer interfaces small enough to understand fully, narrow enough that adding to them is a deliberate choice, not a reflex.
Operability over cleverness
I'd rather write boring, debuggable code than clever code that's hard to trace. Simple systems are easier to reason about, and easier to fix when something breaks.
URL Shortener
A Java-based URL shortener built on AWS Lambda and DynamoDB. Designed with a minimal API surface, predictable cost, and straightforward operations in mind.
Java, AWS Lambda,
API Gateway, DynamoDB
- Explored serverless with Lambda — no idle cost and a useful constraint toward stateless design
- Kept the API minimal on purpose: one resource, one concern, easier to reason about
- Chose DynamoDB to learn key-based access patterns and avoid managing a database server
User Management API
A backend API for user and organization management with typed contracts, strong data integrity, and clear service boundaries.
Spring Boot, PostgreSQL,
OpenAPI, Docker
- Used explicit OpenAPI contracts to decouple interface from implementation
- Enforced permissions and integrity constraints at the database layer
- Prioritized clear service boundaries over code consolidation