
To understand microservice architecture, I built a URL shortener service with split components, database caching, and clean API design. The project helped me understand service boundaries, caching layers, and scaling patterns.

I learned Redis by building a real-world rate limiter in Spring Boot using Spring Security filters. This project taught me how distributed counters work, how Redis handles high-speed operations, and how caching can improve API security and performance.

I explored Strapi as a backend platform and found that it handles APIs, auth, content, and admin tools out of the box. It works great when I need quick setup without sacrificing flexibility.