Backend
Where most of my time goes: designing and building HTTP APIs on the JVM.
- Java
- Spring Boot
- Spring Framework
- REST API design
- SQL / PostgreSQL
- Elasticsearch
- Python
Hrvoje Smontara Backend Developer, Zagreb
Java & Spring Boot APIs, shipped all the way to production.
I design REST APIs on the JVM and take them the rest of the way myself — Docker images, a Traefik reverse proxy, a Linux server and a CI/CD pipeline that deploys on push.
Available for freelance work
GET /api/v1/herds/42 200 OK · 41 ms
-
cloudflare
edge proxy
41ms -
traefik
router api@docker
36ms -
spring-boot
GET /herds/{id}
32ms -
spring-boot
HerdService.find
24ms -
postgresql
SELECT herd
14ms
ms
Stack
Backend first, with enough ops to ship it.
Java and Spring are the core. Around them: the container, proxy and pipeline work needed to get a service running on a real server.
- Daily driver
- Working knowledge
- Basics
Infrastructure
Getting a service from a Git push to a running container on a server.
- Docker / Compose
- Linux
- CI/CD pipelines
- Git
- Traefik
- DNS management
- Cloudflare (DNS, proxy, Pages)
Integrations
Connecting backends to the services around them.
- AI / LLM integrations
- Telegram bots & notifications
- Third-party REST APIs & webhooks
Frontend
Enough to ship the UI for the APIs I build.
- React
- Tailwind CSS
- shadcn/ui
- Astro
Work
Things I've built and run.
Real projects for real users — from the API down to the DNS records.
Featured · in production
Ranch Management App
A full-stack platform for day-to-day ranch operations, built for real production use and deployed end to end on my own infrastructure.
Request path
- Browser
- Cloudflare
- Traefik
- Spring Boot
- PostgreSQL
- Spring Boot REST API backed by PostgreSQL
- Containerised with Docker, routed by Traefik as a reverse proxy with TLS
- Runs on a Linux VPS behind Cloudflare
- React + shadcn/ui frontend for the people who use it every day
- Java
- Spring Boot
- PostgreSQL
- Docker
- Traefik
- Linux VPS
- Cloudflare
- React
Room Rental Manager
An internal tool for a small rental operation — bookings, availability and tenant records in one fast, simple interface.
- React
- PostgreSQL
- Tailwind CSS
- Cloudflare
Astro Landing Pages
Fast static landing pages for small businesses, built with Astro and Tailwind CSS.
- Astro
- Tailwind CSS
Custom Domain Email
Business email on a custom domain via Zoho Mail, with MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for reliable delivery.
- DNS
- Zoho Mail
- Cloudflare
This site
Static Astro site, deployed to Cloudflare Pages on every push to main.
- Astro
- Tailwind CSS
- Cloudflare Pages
About
An engineer who likes owning the whole path.
I'm Hrvoje, a software developer from Croatia with a master's degree in computing from FER Zagreb. My home is the backend: Java, Spring Boot and the REST APIs that other people's screens depend on.
I also care about what happens after git push. I package
services as Docker images, put them behind Traefik, run them on Linux servers and automate the path there with
CI/CD — so what I build doesn't stop at "works on my machine".
I also wire applications into the services around them — AI models, Telegram bots for alerts and workflows, and the DNS records that make it all reachable.
- Education
- MSc Computing (Software Engineering), FER Zagreb
- Based in
- Zagreb, Croatia · remote-friendly
- Languages
- Croatian (native), English (C1), German (B1)
- Focus
- Backend services, REST APIs, integrations, self-hosted deployments
Contact
Need an API built or a service deployed?
Freelance projects, backend roles or just a question about Spring — email is the quickest way to reach me.