Ship systems you can change with confidence.

Boyan Zlatanov

Independent Java & Spring consultant | TDD | DDD | CI/CD

about me

I'm Boyan Zlatanov, an independent software consultant. I work with teams that build and run Java systems, usually ones that have been in production for years and have to keep changing.

Most of my career has been spent inside long-lived Spring codebases: adding features under pressure, untangling what earlier pressure left behind, and putting in place the tests and pipelines that stop the cycle from repeating. That is where my focus on test-driven development, domain-driven design and continuous delivery comes from. They are not ideals I read about; they are the practices that made the difference on real systems.

As a consultant I do the work alongside your engineers rather than from the sidelines. I pair, I review, I write code, and I make sure the team can carry on without me.

I write about these topics on the blog and share code on GitHub.

stack

Java 17 / 21
Spring Boot
JUnit 5
Mockito
Testcontainers
ArchUnit
Maven
Gradle
PostgreSQL
Kafka
Docker
Kubernetes
GitHub Actions
GitLab CI

services

Three ways teams bring me in. Every engagement starts with a short conversation about what is slowing you down, and ends with your team owning the result.

Java & Spring delivery

Senior hands on the systems that matter, from greenfield services to legacy modernisation.

you get

Production-ready Spring Boot services with clear module boundaries
Legacy code brought under test and refactored without a big-bang rewrite
Architecture decisions written down and understood by the whole team

a good fit if

Your Spring codebase has grown faster than its structure
Releases feel risky and refactoring keeps getting postponed
You need senior capacity now, without a long hiring cycle

engagement: Embedded in your team for a fixed scope or on a rolling monthly basis.

TDD & DDD coaching

Turn testing and modelling from a chore into the way your team designs software.

you get

Fast, trustworthy test suites that make change cheap
A shared domain model and language across product and engineering
Engineers who drive design from tests without a coach in the room

a good fit if

Tests exist but nobody trusts them, or they take too long to run
Business rules are scattered across services, controllers and SQL
You want the practices to stick after the consultant leaves

engagement: Pairing and mob sessions on your real codebase, plus short focused workshops.

CI/CD & developer experience

Pipelines that make every commit deployable and every deployment boring.

you get

Trunk-based delivery with automated quality gates and fast feedback
Repeatable builds, environments and releases as code
Lead time and change-failure rate you can actually measure

a good fit if

Deployments are manual, scheduled or something people dread
The pipeline is slow, flaky or understood by one person
You are moving to containers or the cloud and want to get delivery right first

engagement: A short assessment first, then hands-on implementation with your platform or delivery team.

how I work

Tests first, always: Every change starts with a failing test. It keeps the design honest and turns refactoring from a risk into a routine.
Model the domain, not the database: Code that speaks the language of the business stays understandable when the business changes.
Small, releasable steps: Trunk-based development and pipelines that deploy on green. Feedback in minutes, not at the end of the sprint.
Leave the team stronger: I pair, write things down and hand over. The engagement has worked when the team no longer needs me.

contact

The quickest way to reach me is email. Tell me a little about your team and what you are trying to change, and I will get back to you.

boyan@zlatanov.xyz LinkedIn

what helps me reply well

The size of the team and the stack you run
What is slowing you down or worrying you right now
Whether you are after hands-on delivery, coaching, or an assessment
Rough timeline and where the team is based