firecoder.dev

You are searching for a
Developer / Architect?

I develop state-of-the-art, innovative, high-quality, and tested software in order to make users and clients happy.

Hello, my name is Markus Alexander Root.

I have been developing software for more than 20 years. In the last seven years, I found my passion in building mobile apps — most of the time for Android.

Recently, I improved the Android Streaming SDK for a major German television company, aiding in its integration and collaborating with stakeholders. Before that, I worked for more than four years as a Senior Consultant at IBM in the Health Sector — doing architectural design, development, and client integrations for Germany’s electronic health record systems (eGA & ePA).

Kotlin Android Java Jetpack Compose Media 3 / ExoPlayer Flutter / Dart Flow Coroutines MVVM Room DI / Koin / Dagger Android Architecture Components AWS Lambda, EC2, Cognito, SQS … SQL Rx Java / Kotlin / Dart Git Gradle iOS / Swift / Obj-C Docker TypeScript JavaScript Figma UML OpenID / OAuth 2.0 Keycloak Angular TOGAF

My Vision

Software must be reliable, maintainable, and open to further development. Achieving quality software necessitates taking a step back to consider the overall solution.

Selecting the appropriate architecture, framework, or approach should be informed by the current state of the software, the expertise of the individuals involved, best practices, and project circumstances. Avoiding the creation of a cutting-edge yet unmaintainable “software island” is crucial.

As an architect, I believe in being an integral part of the team. I lead by example, possessing a comprehensive understanding of the technologies in use, their alternatives, advantages, disadvantages, and the project requirements. I also grasp the interconnectedness of the systems at play.

“I believe software development is a circle — I define, design, build, test, …”

Define

I need to know the current situation and circumstances. Therefore, I have to step back to see the overall context before I design the solution. I have to get to know the product, the requirements, dependencies, and circumstances.

Design

The architecture of software is key for maintainability, testability, and further development. Software development is not only about implementing and building. The architecture defines the foundation for further developments. Key components and flows should be designed, e.g., in UML and documented.

Build

I want to build state-of-the-art, innovative, high-quality software. Therefore, I am continuously learning, watching, listening, and communicating with other developers. I have had a passion for building software since I developed 2D games in C++ at the age of 14, and the learning has never stopped.

Test

Testing software is key to guarantee development success, stability, and reliability. If I am new to a project without tests, I start with UI tests to define a baseline for further development. From there, I continuously expand test coverage with unit and integration tests, ensuring that every change is validated and regressions are caught early.

Architectural Thinking

Issued by IBM

Attaining this badge demonstrates the ability to provide a repeatable and consistent approach to developing IT architectures via a common thought process that enables Architects to communicate and work together based on a common set of artifacts. The audience for this badge is primarily Architects and other IT professionals acting in the role of an Architect.

Ready to start a project?

Available for contract work and consulting through firecoder GmbH. Let’s build something great together.

Developing software is like fighting fire

In my spare time, I am a volunteer firefighter.

I’ve learned that both firefighting and software development demand the same core skills: rapid problem assessment, structured approaches under pressure, reliable teamwork, and the discipline to train continuously.

In emergency situations, I can draw on my experience and training where I recce, evaluate, plan, command, and inspect.

The firecoder brand embodies this philosophy — bringing the resilience and precision of emergency response to the world of software engineering.

My Work

Founder + Software Engineer @ firecoder GmbH

January 2025 – Present

RTL+ Android Mobile, Fire TV, and TV App. Architecture, development, and consulting.

I enhanced the Android Streaming SDK, which is utilized in various products of the corporation. I assisted in the integration of the product and interacted with various stakeholders for the extension.

Kotlin Coroutines Media 3 / ExoPlayer AWS Koin Android Architecture Components Flow Compose Gitlab Clean Architecture

Freelancer

April 2023 – December 2024

Kotlin Coroutines Media 3 / ExoPlayer AWS Koin Android Architecture Components Flow Compose MVVM Gitlab Clean Architecture

October 2022 – May 2023

BARMER health insurance Android application. Architecture, development, and consulting.

I developed a new component for BARMER’s healthcare Android application. This project was initiated from scratch and involved creating the CI/CD pipeline.

Kotlin Coroutines Android Architecture Components Flow Compose MVVM Team City Clean Architecture

March 2021 – October 2022

Kotlin Coroutines Media 3 / ExoPlayer AWS Koin Android Architecture Components Gitlab Clean Architecture

CEO / Co-Founder @ Solance UG (haftungsbeschränkt)

Solance is a company that I co-founded with Erika Root, Helge Horoba, and Maik Buse to develop and distribute applications.

July 2022 – December 2022

Conception, architecture, and development.

Conceptualized, designed, and developed an AI tool and system enabling end-users to generate textures for 3D models.

AWS Docker TypeScript Lambda Rust DynamoDB SQS UML Cognito

January 2019 – July 2022

A mobile app for Android and iOS to track staff during emergency operations and manage fire brigade organizations. My own fire brigade has been using AlarmBoard in active service since 2019.

I owned the full architecture for both the app and the AWS backend, and guided my co-founders through the development process. The app’s layered clean architecture allowed us to migrate from native Kotlin to 100% Dart/Flutter in mid-2020 by swapping individual layers — without a full rewrite.

Presented at INTERSCHUTZ, the world’s leading trade fair for fire prevention, rescue, and safety. Awarded the Startup Award 2022. In 2022, our company was recognized as an innovative startup by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection of Germany.

Senior Consultant @ IBM Deutschland

Started as a Consultant in 2017. Promoted to Senior Consultant in August 2019.

August 2017 – March 2021

Germany’s electronic health record (“elektronische Gesundheitsakte” / eGA) and electronic patient record (“elektronische Patientenakte” / ePA).

I designed and developed core components of the eGA and ePA Android apps within a multi-team context. My responsibilities included architectural design, native Android development, and conducting client-facing presentations and workshops. I facilitated five client integrations and served as the primary contact for a major private insurance company.

Kotlin RxKotlin / RxJava Dagger2 Retrofit Koin Android Architecture Components UML Clean Architecture OpenID Keycloak Capacitor

January 2017 – June 2017

iOS app for managing medication plans and administering medications.

I extended the app and its underlying framework, which was integrated into several client applications.

Swift

Junior Consultant @ Business Technology Consulting AG (BTC AG)

January 2016 – December 2016

Developed middleware, client application, and database components for a grid operator management system in the energy sector. Worked in a Scrum team to build both the Angular 2 frontend and the Java/Spring backend, backed by an Oracle SQL database.

Java J2EE Oracle SQL Angular 2 TypeScript CSS HTML Spring JPA, Hibernate

January 2016 – December 2016

In a small team, I developed an SAP UI5 application.

JavaScript SAP UI5

October 2015 – December 2016

Further development, maintenance, and support of existing Android and iOS apps. Development of app prototypes.

Objective C Java

M.Sc. Computer Science @ Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg

Master of Science in Computer Science

2015 · Grade: 1.26

Research Assistant @ Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg

Tutor

October 2014 – April 2015

I led several seminars on algorithms and programming.

Research Assistant @ OFFIS – Institut für Informatik

Physical package transportation system

August 2013 – August 2014

I designed and developed physical package transportation systems.

C Siemens SIMATIC S7

B.Sc. Computer Science @ Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

2013

Student Assistant @ Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg

Tutor

October 2010 – August 2013

I led several seminars on algorithms and programming.

Fire Fighter

Volunteer firefighter since the age of 18, with over 18 years of active service and certified task force leader (Verbandsführer) — a command-level qualification to lead multi-unit formations, comparable to a Branch Director in the Incident Command System (ICS). Training instructor and CBRN specialist.

Awards

2025 — Hochwasser-Ehrennadel 2023 - Land Niedersachsen
2022 — Ehrennadel in Bronze - Landesfeuerwehrverband Niedersachsen
Für besondere Verdienste in der Feuerwehr des Landesfeuerwehrverbandes Niedersachsen
Pro Jahr kann auf 250 Feuerwehr-Mitglieder (KFV) eine Ehrennadel in Bronze verliehen werden.
2018 — Einsatzmedaille „Moorbrand Meppen“ - Bundesministerium der Verteidigung
2018 — Brandmeister - Stadt Oldenburg
2017 — Ehrenzeichen der Niedersächsischen Jugendfeuerwehr
2004 — Leistungsspange der Deutschen Jugendfeuerwehr
2004 — Jugendflamme 2
2003 — Jugendflamme 1

Firefighter

May 2024 – Present

I am a volunteer firefighter at the fire brigade in Büchen.

January 2012 – May 2024

I served as a volunteer firefighter at the Haarentor Fire Brigade. In addition to standard firefighting training, I am also trained in CBRN defense and leadership of firefighter platoons.

January 2008 – January 2012

I was a volunteer firefighter in the city of Leer.

January 2001 – December 2007

Youth fire brigade of the city of Leer.

CBRN Defense

May 2024 – Present

Hazardous materials fire engine unit of the district of Herzogtum Lauenburg.

September 2016 – May 2024

During Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) operations, I was responsible for overseeing 32 firefighters across seven vehicles.

January 2014 – August 2016

During emergency operations, I was responsible for 18 firefighters in four vehicles.

2012 – December 2013

2009 – 2012

CBRN defense unit of the district of Leer.

Voluntary Service Youth Firefighter

April 2011 – April 2022

I served as a volunteer member of the Lower Saxony Youth Fire Brigade, where I was responsible for handling public relations for the Weser-Ems region for Niedersächsische Jugendfeuerwehr e.V.

April 2009 – February 2013

January 2009 – September 2011

Hello, my name is Markus Alexander Root.

My Vision

Define

Design

Build

Test

Architectural Thinking

Ready to start a project?

Developing software is like fighting fire

My Work

RTL Deutschland

RTL Deutschland

T-Systems / BARMER

RTL Deutschland

DeepWell

AlarmBoard

electronic health record / electronic patient record

Medication Plan App

Grid operator management system

SAP UI5 Application

Energy Apps

Master of Science in Computer Science

Tutor

Physical package transportation system

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Tutor

Fire Fighter

Awards

Feuerwehr Büchen

Feuerwehr Stadt Oldenburg

Feuerwehr Stadt Leer

Jugendfeuerwehr Stadt Leer

Löschzug Gefahrgut Herzogtum Lauenburg

ABC-Zug Stadt Oldenburg

ABC-Zug Stadt Oldenburg

ABC-Zug Stadt Oldenburg

ABC-Zug Landkreis Leer

Bezirks- Jugendfeuerwehr Weser-Ems

Kreis- Jugendfeuerwehr Landkreis Leer

Stadt- Jugendfeuerwehr Leer