Hi, I'm Ruslan Diachenko

I’ve been building backend systems since 2012, mostly using the Java stack. Over the years, I’ve worked across a range of domains: online media, gaming, fintech, healthcare, marketing, and education.

I was previously at Apple , where I worked on a near real-time event system and dealt with just about every Kafka issue imaginable. Today, I’m a backend engineer at HubSpot helping build an educational platform that supports creators in producing high-quality learning content.

I occasionally contribute to Checkstyle and mentor for Google Summer of Code (GSoC) – see 2014 , 2020 , 2024 . One highlight was working with a student to bring the Google Java Style Guide into Checkstyle, which is now a default configuration .

I started the “ …can we do better? ” blog in 2011 as a home for random HOWTOs and small discoveries. I’ve grown a lot since then, both as an engineer and a person. In 2023, I started fresh with RD Blog – a place to share what I learn, what I build, and what I find curious or worth exploring.

Since 2024, I’ve been learning and experimenting with AI and Rust . My blog post on K-Means image compression was featured in the This Week in Rust newsletter. I haven’t trained an LLM yet, but I’m heading in that direction.

This blog is a learning tool for me. I write to reflect, to understand, and to improve by building, debugging, and sharing what I learn as I go.

Beyond the Keyboard

Since 2022, I’ve logged over 1,600 km in training, including 5 half-marathons.

Since 2021, I’ve read 150 books and occasionally leave short reviews on Goodreads .

Fun fact: back in 2014, during GSoC’s 10-year anniversary event, I had beers with Linus Torvalds and a few other mentors. I never took a photo, just a good memory now.

Let’s Connect

Have a question about something I wrote? Want to dig into a technical challenge? Drop me an email , or connect with me on X and LinkedIn .