The latest articles on DEV Community by 38bits (@38bits). https://dev.to/38bits https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3936854%2F7ab2c163-b1b2-4ecf-9d8d-84db8b4b8d3b.jpeg https://dev.to/38bits en 38bits Sun, 17 May 2026 21:38:51 +0000 https://dev.to/38bits/the-2-extra-bits-building-software-for-systems-that-cant-fail-285o https://dev.to/38bits/the-2-extra-bits-building-software-for-systems-that-cant-fail-285o <h2> Why "38bits"? </h2> <p>In 1952, IBM shipped the <strong>IBM 701</strong> — the first large-scale electronic scientific computer in history. Its accumulator had 36 bits.</p> <p>But the engineers added 2 more.</p> <p>Not because the spec demanded it. Not because customers asked. They added them because <strong>critical operations cannot tolerate overflow on the last digit</strong>. Those 2 bits never <em>needed</em> to exist — but they're what separated <em>sufficient</em> from <em>exceptional</em>.</p> <p>That's the name. That's the principle.</p> <h2> What we do </h2> <p>We build software for systems that can't fail:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Smart contracts</strong> on Solana with Anchor + Rust</li> <li> <strong>Zero-trust security</strong> from the first commit</li> <li> <strong>APIs built for real load</strong> — observability, rate limiting, CI/CD with production-grade tests</li> <li> <strong>Independent code review</strong> with seniority — not a trainee reviewing the senior</li> </ul> <p>Brazilian fintechs. DeFi protocols. Backends where downtime has a real dollar cost.</p> <h2> Principles we don't negotiate </h2> <ol> <li> <strong>Senior in every critical decision.</strong> Not a junior executing while a senior reviews once. Real seniority shapes architecture, not just approves PRs.</li> <li> <strong>Zero-trust from commit #1.</strong> Auth, rate limiting, observability, vulnerability scanning — not bolted on after the first incident.</li> <li> <strong>Tests in production-real conditions.</strong> Concurrency, load, edge cases. Local with happy paths is not enough.</li> <li> <strong>Living documentation.</strong> Decisions get written. Tradeoffs get documented. If it's not written, it didn't happen.</li> <li> <strong>Defined SLA + SLO.</strong> Not "we'll do our best" — measurable commitments with consequences.</li> </ol> <h2> The customer we want </h2> <p>CTOs, engineering heads, technical founders running:</p> <ul> <li>Fintech (PIX, payment processors, exchanges)</li> <li>DeFi protocols pre-audit</li> <li>Critical infrastructure where downtime ≠ negotiable</li> <li>Pre-launch systems that can't afford a bad first impression</li> </ul> <p>If you're hunting for the cheapest provider, we're not it.<br> If you've been burned by a code review that didn't catch what it should have — we want to talk.</p> <h2> What's next here </h2> <p>We're going to share:</p> <ul> <li>War stories from production (anonymized)</li> <li>Stack decisions and tradeoffs</li> <li>Solana/Rust patterns we actually use</li> <li>Security findings worth sharing</li> <li>How we think about <em>senioridade</em> in code review</li> </ul> <p><strong>38bits</strong> — software where the 2 extra bits matter.</p> <p>Site: <a href="https://drexbrasil.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">drexbrasil.com</a> · Telegram: <a href="https://t.me/Fl38bits_bot" rel="noopener noreferrer">@Fl38bits_bot</a></p> rust solana security softwareengineering