Architecture & standards
Robust architectures with clear APIs and reusable references
- API design & API conventions
- Architecture blueprints & reference architectures
- Domain & interface modeling
- Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) & guardrails
Gunther Popp
Software Architect & AI‑Driven‑Development Expert
I am a freelance software architect and consultant with over 20 years of experience in complex projects. I support companies in designing and modernizing long-lived software landscapes.
My focus areas are the design, validation, and adoption of AI‑Driven Development processes as well as Java‑based microservices and cloud-ready architectures.
Latest posts
All posts →- Claude CodeOpenAI CodexCursor & Grok
8/6/2026
Claude Code vs. Codex vs. Cursor
Three AI coding agents, one specification, the same website: Claude Code with Opus 5, OpenAI Codex with GPT-5.6 Sol, and Cursor with Grok 4.5 in a direct comparison.
Read more → - Implementation PlanPlan Mode
7/26/2026
Best Practices: Implementation Plan
Implementation plans make collaboration with AI coding agents easier to steer, understand, and review. Their structure, use, and distinction from plan mode are what matter.
Read more → - Bootstrap PromptContext Engineering
5/9/2026
Best Practices: Bootstrap Prompt
A good bootstrap prompt gives AI coding agents exactly the context they need for a task. What belongs in it, what does not, and how should it be designed?
Read more →
Services
My main areas of work, from strategic planning through technical implementation.
Backend & microservices (Java/Spring)
Java‑based services with Spring Boot, REST and event‑driven integration
- REST APIs with Spring Boot
- Microservice patterns & service boundaries
- Event‑driven architecture
- DSLs for specifications & generation
AWS & events
Pragmatic use of AWS for messaging and integration
- Amazon SNS & SQS integration
- API‑Gateway/ALB connectivity
- IAM concepts & policies
- Cost and operational aspects
AI‑Driven Development
Design, validation, and adoption of sustainable AI‑Driven Development processes
- End-to-end process design from specification through review
- Pilots and step-by-step adoption in teams
- Hands-on work with Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, and development environments such as Visual Studio Code or IntelliJ
- Governance, quality criteria, and continuous improvement
AI‑Driven Development
I design, validate, and establish AI‑Driven Development processes that connect requirements, architecture, implementation, reviews, and tests end to end. Adoption is iterative, measurable, and backed by hands-on use of suitable AI agents.
End-to-end process
- From requirements and architecture through implementation, tests, and review
- Clear roles, approvals, and responsibilities for people and agents
- Tools selected for the project context, risks, and security requirements
Context & documentation
- Requirements, architecture, and a semantic data model as the shared foundation
- Bootstrap prompts and always-on instructions for stable context
- Versioned implementation plans and verifiable results
Pilot & validate
- Representative pilot projects with defined quality and efficiency criteria
- Validate process and tools in the real project context
- Embed findings step by step in teams, standards, and governance
From design to adoption
- Analyze the current situation, goals, development process, and organizational constraints
- Design the target process for specification, architecture, planning, implementation, tests, and reviews
- Select and practically evaluate suitable agents, IDEs, and integrations
- Implement pilots hands-on with Codex, Claude Code, Cursor
- Validate quality, productivity, risks, and adoption against agreed criteria
- Enable teams and embed the process step by step in standards and working practices
- Feed experience back into templates, prompts, and guardrails
Governance & quality
- Responsibilities, approval points, and handling of agent-generated code
- Automated tests, architecture checks, and AI‑assisted reviews
- Static code-security analysis, dependency and license checks, and policy checks in CI/CD
Profile and experience
For more than 20 years, I have supported clients in implementing, migrating, and renewing complex software systems. This includes target architectures and API standards as well as hands‑on delivery with Java, Spring, and AWS.
My current focus is the design, validation, and adoption of AI‑Driven Development processes. I also support practical implementation in teams with Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, and development environments such as Visual Studio Code or IntelliJ.
Contact
For professional exchange or project enquiries, contact me by email or phone.
Contact details
Feldkirchen (Munich)
Experience and working style
- 20+ years of software engineering experience
- Specialized in AI‑Driven Development
- Pragmatic and outcome‑focused approach
- Flexible collaboration and transparent communication