Writing on Software Architecture and AI on Dan Podina

Reviewing AI-Generated Backends: Boundaries, Data, and Failure Modes

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The export service below is an illustrative example, not a client case study.

An AI-built backend can look convincing before anyone has checked how its pieces behave together. Routes exist. Queries return data. A job runs in the background. The useful review question is what happens when a request crosses an ownership boundary or stops halfway through.

Consider a small SaaS product that exports customer records. A user starts an export, a worker creates a file, and the dashboard offers a download. That one feature crosses authentication, tenant authorization, database access, queue delivery, object storage, and retention.

Entry Point

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

If you’re reading this, you’ve scrolled all the way back. This is where it starts.

I’m Dan. I’ve been building software for twenty years — starting from trading floors in Cluj, working my way through CRMs, messaging apps, identity systems, and eventually landing where I am now: architecting clinical data platforms and low-code frameworks.

This log is a place to think out loud. Some entries will be about code, architecture, or tools I’m working with. Others might just be observations about the craft — the kind of things you notice after doing this long enough.

The New Colleagues

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

For twenty years, the hard part of this job was people. Not the code — the communication. Sitting in meetings, reading between the lines, figuring out what someone actually needs versus what they’re asking for. That takes a specific kind of energy, and after enough of it, you’re done for the day.

Now there’s a new presence in the room. Not a person, but not a tool either — something in between. Claude, Gemini, Codex. Pick your flavor. They show up ready, they don’t need context repeated, and they’re sharp. Genuinely sharp.