AI Regulation: The New Reality
February 2, 2026
AI regulation has moved from theory to enforcement. Here's how to navigate the regulatory landscape.
Blog
Making AI Agents Reliable
January 19, 2026
Agent reliability has improved but challenges remain. Here's the current state of building reliable agents.
AI Predictions for 2026
January 5, 2026
After two transformative years, what's next for AI? Here are predictions for 2026.
2025 Year in Review: AI Becomes Infrastructure
December 22, 2025
2025 was the year AI became standard infrastructure. Here's the year in review and outlook for 2026.
Reflections on AI in 2025
December 8, 2025
2025 delivered on AI's promise while revealing its limits. Here's what we learned and what's ahead.
Scaling AI Across the Enterprise
November 24, 2025
Enterprise AI scaling requires more than technology. Here's how to scale AI adoption across large organizations.
AI Incident Management
November 10, 2025
AI systems fail differently than traditional software. Here's how to handle AI incidents effectively.
Managing AI Technical Debt
October 27, 2025
AI systems accumulate technical debt differently than traditional software. Here's how to identify and manage it.
AI and Team Productivity
October 13, 2025
AI is changing how teams work. Here's how to maximize team productivity with AI tools.
Measuring AI ROI
September 29, 2025
Proving AI ROI is essential for continued investment. Here's how to measure the business value of AI initiatives.
AI and Data Privacy: Practical Approaches
September 15, 2025
Using AI while respecting data privacy is achievable. Here's how to build privacy-conscious AI systems.
AI Pair Programming: Maximizing the Partnership
September 1, 2025
AI coding assistants are powerful partners. Here's how to get the most out of AI pair programming.
Local AI Development in 2025
August 18, 2025
Local AI development has matured. Here's how to run and develop with AI models on your own machine.
AI Workflow Automation in Practice
August 4, 2025
AI can automate workflows that were impossible before. Here's how to build reliable AI-powered automation.
Building AI-Powered Documentation Systems
July 21, 2025
AI can transform how users interact with documentation. Here's how to build documentation systems powered by AI.
AI Product Metrics That Matter
July 7, 2025
Traditional product metrics don't capture AI product quality. Here's how to measure what matters.
Fine-Tuning LLMs: When and Why
June 23, 2025
Fine-tuning is powerful but often unnecessary. Here's when it makes sense and how to approach it.
AI Customer Support: Lessons from Production
June 9, 2025
AI-powered customer support is now proven. Here are lessons from building and operating AI support systems.
AI-Native Data Pipelines
May 26, 2025
AI applications need different data pipelines than traditional systems. Here's how to build data infrastructure for AI.
AI Agent Orchestration Patterns
May 12, 2025
Complex tasks require multiple agents working together. Here's how to orchestrate AI agents effectively.
AI Security Landscape 2025
April 28, 2025
AI security threats have evolved. Here's the current threat landscape and how to defend against it.
Testing AI in Production
April 14, 2025
Pre-production testing isn't enough for AI. Here's how to safely test and validate AI systems in production.
Deep Dive: AI Observability
March 31, 2025
AI observability goes beyond traditional monitoring. Here's how to build comprehensive visibility into AI systems.
Model Context Protocol: Connecting AI to Everything
March 17, 2025
MCP standardizes how AI models connect to tools and data. Here's what it means for building AI applications.
AI Governance in Practice
March 3, 2025
AI governance is moving from theory to practice. Here's how to implement governance that enables rather than blocks AI adoption.
Video Understanding with AI
February 17, 2025
Video AI is maturing rapidly. Here's how to build applications that understand video content.
AI-Powered Code Review: Beyond Linting
February 3, 2025
AI code review can catch issues linters miss. Here's how to implement effective AI-assisted code review.
Reasoning Models in Production
January 20, 2025
Reasoning models like o1 trade latency for accuracy. Here's how to use them effectively in production systems.
AI Trends to Watch in 2025
January 6, 2025
2025 will see AI mature from novelty to necessity. Here are the trends that will shape the year.
Preparing for AI in 2025
December 23, 2024
2025 will bring more AI changes. Here's how to prepare your organization and skills for what's coming.
2024 Year in Review: AI Goes Mainstream
December 16, 2024
2024 was the year AI moved from experiment to infrastructure. Here's what changed and what it means.
AI Infrastructure at Scale
December 9, 2024
Scaling AI systems brings infrastructure challenges around latency, cost, and reliability. Here's how to build robust AI infrastructure.
Building Effective AI Teams
December 2, 2024
AI development requires new team structures and skills. Here's how to build teams that deliver AI products successfully.
AI Model Comparison: End of 2024 Edition
November 25, 2024
The AI model landscape has evolved rapidly in 2024. Here's a practical comparison for production use.
AI Safety in Production Systems
November 11, 2024
Production AI systems need safety guardrails. Here's how to implement practical AI safety measures.
Advanced Agent Patterns for Complex Tasks
October 28, 2024
Simple agents hit limits quickly. Here are advanced patterns for agents that handle complex, multi-step tasks reliably.
AI Cost Benchmarking: Real Numbers
October 14, 2024
AI costs vary dramatically across providers and approaches. Here are real benchmarks to inform your decisions.
Advanced Retrieval Strategies for RAG
September 30, 2024
Basic RAG often underperforms. Here are advanced retrieval strategies that improve accuracy and relevance.
AI-Powered Technical Documentation
September 16, 2024
AI can help write and maintain technical documentation. Here's how to integrate it into your documentation workflow.
Using AI for Large-Scale Code Migration
September 2, 2024
AI can accelerate code migrations from months to weeks. Here's how to approach large-scale migrations with LLM assistance.
LLM Testing Strategies That Work
August 19, 2024
Testing LLM applications is different from traditional software testing. Here are strategies that actually work.
Small Models, Big Impact
August 5, 2024
Small language models are becoming surprisingly capable. Here's when to use them and how to get the most out of them.
Context Window Strategies for Large Applications
July 22, 2024
Context windows are growing but still limited. Here's how to make the most of them in production applications.
Function Calling Patterns for Production
July 8, 2024
Function calling transforms LLMs from text generators into action takers. Here are patterns for reliable production use.
Claude 3.5 Sonnet: A Practical Analysis
June 24, 2024
Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet sets new benchmarks while being faster and cheaper than Claude 3 Opus. Here's what it means for developers.
AI Compliance for Enterprise
June 10, 2024
As AI adoption accelerates, compliance and governance requirements are catching up. Here's how to build compliant AI systems.
Enterprise AI Adoption: Lessons from the Field
June 3, 2024
Enterprise AI adoption has patterns of success and failure. Here's what actually works when deploying AI at scale.
Building Voice AI Applications
May 27, 2024
Voice AI is becoming practical with GPT-4o and improved speech models. Here's how to build voice applications.
GPT-4o: Real-Time AI and What It Enables
May 13, 2024
OpenAI's GPT-4o brings native multimodal capabilities and real-time interaction. Here's what it changes.
Structured Output Patterns for LLMs
April 29, 2024
Getting LLMs to produce structured, parseable output reliably. Here are patterns that work.
AI Developer Tooling: The 2024 Landscape
April 15, 2024
The AI developer tooling ecosystem has matured rapidly. Here's what's worth using.
Agentic Workflows in Production
April 1, 2024
AI agents that take actions are moving from demos to production. Here's how to build reliable agentic systems.
Prompt Caching Strategies for LLM Applications
March 25, 2024
Prompt caching can dramatically reduce LLM costs and latency. Here's how to implement effective caching strategies.
Multi-Model Strategies for Production AI
March 18, 2024
Using multiple AI models strategically improves reliability, cost, and performance. Here's how.
Claude 3: First Look at Anthropic's New Models
March 4, 2024
Anthropic released Claude 3 with Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku. Here's what's new and what it means.
Evaluating LLM Applications: Beyond Vibes
February 19, 2024
"It seems to work" isn't evaluation. Here's how to rigorously evaluate LLM applications.
AI-Native Application Architecture
February 5, 2024
Applications built around AI need different architecture than traditional apps. Here are the patterns.
Local LLMs for Development: Practical Guide
January 22, 2024
Running LLMs locally enables faster development, privacy, and cost savings. Here's how to do it.
AI Engineering: The Emerging Discipline
January 8, 2024
AI Engineering is becoming a distinct discipline, separate from ML Engineering. Here's what it involves.
2023: The Year AI Became Real
December 25, 2023
2023 was the year AI moved from experiment to mainstream. Here's what happened and what it means.
AI Infrastructure at Scale
December 18, 2023
Running AI in production at scale requires infrastructure beyond the basics. Here's what you need.
Multi-Modal AI: Building Applications That See and Read
December 11, 2023
GPT-4V brings vision to LLMs. Here's how to build applications that understand both text and images.
Building with OpenAI's Assistants API
December 4, 2023
The Assistants API changes how we build AI applications. Here's a practical guide to using it effectively.
OpenAI DevDay: What It Means for Developers
November 27, 2023
OpenAI's DevDay announced major updates. Here's what matters for developers building AI applications.
AI for Developer Productivity: What Actually Works
November 13, 2023
AI coding assistants promise productivity gains. Here's what actually delivers value and what doesn't.
LLM Security: Threats and Mitigations
October 30, 2023
LLMs introduce new security vulnerabilities. Here are the threats and how to defend against them.
Responsible AI Development: A Practitioner's Guide
October 16, 2023
Building AI responsibly isn't just ethics—it's engineering. Here are practices for responsible AI development.
AI and Technical Debt: New Challenges
October 2, 2023
AI systems introduce new forms of technical debt. Here's how to recognize and manage them.
AI Agent Architecture Patterns
September 18, 2023
AI agents combine LLMs with tools for complex tasks. Here are architecture patterns for building them.
AI Product Strategy: Beyond the Hype
September 4, 2023
Everyone wants AI in their product. But successful AI features require strategic thinking beyond the technology.
LLM Observability: Monitoring AI in Production
August 21, 2023
LLMs in production need observability beyond traditional APM. Here's how to monitor AI effectively.
Building AI-Powered Features: A Product Engineering Perspective
August 7, 2023
AI features require different thinking than traditional features. Here's how to build them well.
AI Cost Optimization: Keeping LLM Bills Under Control
July 24, 2023
LLM costs can spiral quickly. Here are strategies to optimize AI spending without sacrificing quality.
Embedding Models: A Deep Dive
July 10, 2023
Embeddings power semantic search, RAG, and similarity matching. Here's how they work and how to choose.
The AI Startup Landscape: Where Value Is Being Created
July 3, 2023
AI startups are everywhere. Here's how to understand where real value is being created.
Implementing Semantic Search: A Practical Guide
June 26, 2023
Semantic search understands meaning, not just keywords. Here's how to implement it.
Engineering Org Restructuring: Patterns and Pitfalls
June 12, 2023
Reorgs are disruptive but sometimes necessary. Here's how to do them thoughtfully.
AI-Assisted Code Review: Practices and Limitations
May 29, 2023
AI can augment code review but not replace human judgment. Here's how to use it effectively.
Fine-Tuning vs. Prompting: When to Use Which
May 15, 2023
Should you fine-tune a model or optimize your prompts? Here's how to decide.
LangChain and AI Application Frameworks
May 1, 2023
AI application frameworks like LangChain accelerate development. Here's how to use them effectively.
RAG Architecture Patterns for Production
April 17, 2023
Retrieval-Augmented Generation grounds LLMs in real data. Here are architecture patterns that work in production.
Vector Databases Explained: The Foundation of AI Search
April 3, 2023
Vector databases power semantic search and AI applications. Here's how they work and when to use them.
Claude and the Constitutional AI Approach
March 27, 2023
Anthropic's Claude represents a different approach to AI safety. Here's what makes it interesting.
AI Safety for Software Engineers
March 20, 2023
As AI becomes part of our applications, engineers need to understand AI safety. Here's a practical guide.
Building Applications with GPT-4
March 6, 2023
GPT-4 is coming, promising major capability improvements. Here's how to prepare your applications.
Engineering Leadership in Uncertain Times
February 20, 2023
Leading engineering teams through uncertainty requires different skills than leading through growth. Here's what works.
Prompt Engineering Fundamentals
February 6, 2023
Prompt engineering is the skill of getting useful outputs from LLMs. Here are the fundamentals.
LLM Integration Patterns for Applications
January 23, 2023
Large Language Models are powerful but require thoughtful integration. Here are patterns that work.
Putting AI in Production: Practical Considerations
January 9, 2023
ChatGPT sparked AI excitement. Here's what actually matters when putting AI in production systems.
2022: The Year That Changed Everything
December 26, 2022
2022 was a pivotal year for tech. From the end of zero-interest-rate era to ChatGPT, here's what mattered.
Infrastructure Cost Optimization in Uncertain Times
December 19, 2022
Economic uncertainty demands infrastructure efficiency. Here are practical strategies to reduce costs without sacrificing reliability.
Building Resilient Engineering Teams
December 12, 2022
Resilient teams perform under pressure and recover from setbacks. Here's how to build them.
ChatGPT and the Future of Software Development
December 5, 2022
ChatGPT launched last week and the implications for software development are significant. Here's my analysis.
AI Code Assistants: Where We Are and Where We're Going
November 28, 2022
AI-powered code assistants have matured significantly. Here's an assessment of current capabilities and future implications.
Infrastructure as Code Patterns for Scale
November 21, 2022
Infrastructure as Code is standard practice. Here are patterns that work for large, complex environments.
Tech Layoffs and Engineering Team Resilience
November 14, 2022
Layoffs are reshaping tech. Here's how to build resilient engineering teams and navigate uncertain times.
The Rise of Platform Engineering
November 7, 2022
Platform engineering is the discipline that makes DevOps scale. Here's why it matters and how to do it right.
Monorepo vs. Polyrepo: Making the Right Choice
October 31, 2022
The monorepo vs. polyrepo debate generates strong opinions. Here's how to make the right choice for your organization.
Engineering Metrics That Actually Matter
October 17, 2022
Most engineering metrics are vanity metrics. Here are the ones that drive real improvement.
Cloud Cost Management: From Waste to Optimization
October 3, 2022
Cloud bills grow faster than revenue if you're not careful. Here's how to manage cloud costs without sacrificing performance.
Testing Microservices: Strategies That Scale
September 19, 2022
Microservices make testing harder, not easier. Here are testing strategies that actually work at scale.
Kubernetes Resource Management Done Right
September 5, 2022
Resource management is the most misunderstood part of Kubernetes. Here's how to do it properly.
Go Concurrency Patterns That Scale
August 22, 2022
Go's concurrency model is powerful but has pitfalls. Here are the patterns that work in production.
Caching Strategies for High-Performance Systems
August 8, 2022
Caching is the most effective performance optimization. Here are the patterns that work and the pitfalls to avoid.
Async Architecture: Message Queues and Event Systems
July 25, 2022
Synchronous architectures don't scale. Here's how to design systems around message queues and event-driven patterns.
Container Security Scanning: A Complete Pipeline
July 11, 2022
Containers ship vulnerabilities by default. Here's how to build a security scanning pipeline that catches issues before production.
Rate Limiting Strategies for APIs
June 27, 2022
Rate limiting protects your API from abuse and ensures fair usage. Here are the strategies that work.
Engineering Documentation That Gets Read
June 13, 2022
Most documentation goes unread. Here's how to write documentation that engineers actually use.
Distributed Systems Patterns That Actually Work
May 30, 2022
Distributed systems are hard. These patterns have proven themselves in production at scale.
TypeScript Best Practices for Large Codebases
May 16, 2022
TypeScript scales better than JavaScript, but only with the right patterns. Here's how to use TypeScript effectively in large projects.
PostgreSQL Performance Tuning: A Practical Guide
May 2, 2022
PostgreSQL performance problems are often fixable with the right approach. Here's how to diagnose and fix common issues.
OAuth Token Security: Lessons from Recent Incidents
April 18, 2022
Recent OAuth token compromises highlight the risks of token-based authentication. Here's how to secure your OAuth implementations.
Service Mesh: When You Need It (And When You Don't)
April 4, 2022
Service mesh solves real problems but adds significant complexity. Here's how to decide if you actually need one.
Engineering Onboarding That Works
March 21, 2022
Great onboarding accelerates new engineers to productivity. Poor onboarding wastes months. Here's how to build an effective program.
API Versioning Strategies That Scale
March 7, 2022
API versioning is inevitable. How you do it determines how painful evolution will be. Here are the strategies that work.
Database Migration Strategies for Zero Downtime
February 21, 2022
Database migrations are risky. Schema changes with live traffic require careful planning. Here are the patterns that work.
Kubernetes Security Hardening: A Practical Guide
February 7, 2022
Kubernetes default configurations are not secure. Here's how to harden your clusters for production.
DORA Metrics: Measuring Engineering Effectiveness
January 24, 2022
DORA metrics have become the standard for measuring software delivery performance. Here's how to implement and use them effectively.
Post-Log4j Security: What Changes Now
January 10, 2022
Log4j was a wake-up call. Here's what engineering organizations should change about their security practices.
Year in Review: 2021
December 27, 2021
2021 brought hybrid work, supply chain attacks, and Log4j. Here's what shaped technology this year and what it means for 2022.
AWS US-East-1 Outage: Lessons Learned
December 20, 2021
The December 7 AWS outage took down major services for hours. Here's what happened and what it teaches us about cloud architecture.
Log4j: Responding to CVE-2021-44228
December 13, 2021
The Log4j vulnerability (Log4Shell) is one of the worst in years. Here's what it is, how to detect it, and how to respond.
Terraform at Scale: Patterns and Practices
December 6, 2021
Terraform works great for small projects. At scale, it needs structure. Here are the patterns that make Terraform manageable for large organizations.
Incident Management: From Detection to Resolution
November 29, 2021
When things go wrong, how you respond matters. Here are incident management practices that minimize impact and maximize learning.
OpenTelemetry Adoption: Unified Observability
November 15, 2021
OpenTelemetry is becoming the standard for observability instrumentation. Here's how to adopt it and what to expect.
SRE Team Structures: Models That Work
November 8, 2021
There's no single way to organize SRE. Here are the models, their trade-offs, and how to choose what fits your organization.
Platform Engineering Maturity Model
November 1, 2021
Platform engineering is evolving. Here's a maturity model for assessing and improving your internal developer platform.
Event Sourcing Patterns: Practical Implementation
October 25, 2021
Event sourcing captures all changes as a sequence of events. Here's how to implement it practically, avoiding common pitfalls.
Cost-Effective Kubernetes: Right-Sizing and Optimization
October 18, 2021
Kubernetes makes scaling easy, but also makes over-provisioning easy. Here's how to optimize costs without sacrificing reliability.
GraphQL Federation: Scaling the Graph
October 4, 2021
As GraphQL adoption grows, federation enables teams to own their piece of the graph. Here's how to implement it effectively.
Technical Debt Management for Engineering Leaders
September 20, 2021
Technical debt is inevitable. The question is how to manage it. Here's a framework for tracking, prioritizing, and paying down debt.
Feature Flags at Scale
September 6, 2021
Feature flags enable deployment independence from release. Here's how to implement them properly without creating technical debt.
Zero Trust Architecture: Beyond the Perimeter
August 23, 2021
Perimeter security is dead. Zero trust assumes breach and verifies everything. Here's how to implement it.
Database Reliability Engineering
August 9, 2021
Databases are the hardest part of reliability engineering. Here are the practices that keep data stores running and data safe.
WebAssembly Beyond the Browser
July 26, 2021
WebAssembly is escaping the browser. Server-side Wasm, edge computing, and plugin systems are emerging. Here's what it means for software architecture.
Serverless Databases: Options and Trade-offs
July 12, 2021
Serverless compute needs serverless data. Here's how to choose the right serverless database for your workload.
GitHub Copilot: AI Pair Programming Arrives
June 28, 2021
GitHub just launched Copilot, an AI pair programmer powered by OpenAI's Codex. Here's what it means for software development.
Observability-Driven Development
June 14, 2021
Building observability into systems from the start, not as an afterthought. Here's how to make observability a first-class development practice.
Embracing Remote Work: Benefits, Dangers, and Overcoming Challenges
June 4, 2021
In this article, we will explore the key benefits of remote work, the potential dangers it poses, and how to overcome these challenges.
API Gateway Patterns for Microservices
May 31, 2021
API gateways are essential for microservices architecture. Here are the patterns that work and the pitfalls to avoid.
Data Engineering Patterns for the Modern Stack
May 17, 2021
Data engineering has evolved rapidly. Here are the patterns and tools shaping modern data infrastructure.
Engineering for Hybrid Work: Best of Both Worlds
May 3, 2021
Hybrid work combines office and remote. Done poorly, it's the worst of both. Done well, it's powerful. Here's how engineering teams can make it work.
DevSecOps: Security as Part of the Development Workflow
April 19, 2021
Security can't be an afterthought. DevSecOps integrates security into every stage of the development lifecycle. Here's how to implement it.
Multi-Cloud Strategy: Reality vs. Hype
April 5, 2021
Multi-cloud sounds great in theory. In practice, it's complex and often unnecessary. Here's when it makes sense and how to do it right.
MLOps Fundamentals: Operationalizing Machine Learning
March 22, 2021
Machine learning models need production engineering. MLOps brings DevOps practices to ML systems. Here's how to get started.
Internal Developer Portals: Building Your Developer Hub
March 8, 2021
Developer portals centralize documentation, services, and tooling. Here's how to build one that developers actually use.
Rust for Cloud Services: When and How
February 22, 2021
Rust offers performance and safety without garbage collection. Here's when to use it for cloud services and how to get started.
GitOps and Progressive Delivery: Deploying with Confidence
February 8, 2021
GitOps brings git workflows to operations. Progressive delivery reduces deployment risk. Here's how to combine them.
eBPF for Observability: The Linux Kernel's Superpower
January 25, 2021
eBPF enables deep system observability without kernel modifications. Here's how it's changing monitoring and security.
Software Supply Chain Security: Post-SolarWinds Practices
January 11, 2021
SolarWinds changed everything. Here's how to secure your software supply chain against sophisticated attacks.
Tech Year in Review: 2020
December 28, 2020
2020 transformed how we work, accelerated cloud adoption, and ended with a wake-up call on supply chain security. Here's the year in technology.
SolarWinds Attack: Lessons for Software Supply Chain Security
December 14, 2020
The SolarWinds compromise reveals how sophisticated supply chain attacks work. Here's what happened and what it means for software security.
Container Runtime Security: Beyond Image Scanning
November 30, 2020
Scanning images is just the start. Runtime security catches what static analysis misses. Here's how to secure containers in production.
Apple Silicon and the ARM Server Future
November 16, 2020
Apple's M1 demonstrates ARM's potential. What does this mean for servers, development workflows, and the future of computing?
Zero Trust vs VPN: Rethinking Network Security
November 2, 2020
VPNs assume the network is the security boundary. Zero trust assumes nothing should be trusted. Here's how they compare and when to use each.
Platform Engineering: Building Internal Developer Platforms
October 19, 2020
Platform engineering creates self-service capabilities for development teams. Here's how to build internal platforms that actually help.
API Gateway Patterns: Design and Implementation
October 5, 2020
API gateways handle cross-cutting concerns at the edge. Here's how to design and implement them effectively.
Building High-Performing Distributed Engineering Teams
September 28, 2020
Distributed teams can outperform co-located ones—with the right practices. Here's how to build effective remote engineering organizations.
Observability for Distributed Teams
September 14, 2020
Remote teams can't tap shoulders to debug issues. Better observability becomes essential for distributed engineering.
Measuring Developer Productivity Without Destroying It
August 31, 2020
Measuring productivity is tempting but dangerous. Bad metrics destroy what they measure. Here's how to do it right.
GraphQL Federation: Scaling GraphQL Across Teams
August 17, 2020
Federation enables multiple teams to contribute to a unified GraphQL API. Here's how to implement it effectively.
Kubernetes Operators: Building Custom Controllers
August 3, 2020
Operators extend Kubernetes with domain-specific automation. Here's how to build them well.
GitHub Actions: Advanced Patterns for CI/CD
July 20, 2020
GitHub Actions has matured into a powerful CI/CD platform. Here are advanced patterns for complex workflows.
Event-Driven Architecture: Patterns and Practices
July 6, 2020
Event-driven systems enable loose coupling and scalability. Here's how to design, implement, and operate event-driven architectures.
Serverless at Scale: Patterns and Anti-Patterns
June 22, 2020
Serverless promises infinite scale without infrastructure management. At scale, nuances emerge. Here's what works and what doesn't.
Chaos Engineering: Building Confidence in System Resilience
June 8, 2020
Systems fail. Chaos engineering helps you discover weaknesses before they become incidents. Here's how to start.
Kubernetes Resource Management: Requests, Limits, and Right-Sizing
June 1, 2020
Proper resource configuration is the difference between efficient clusters and wasteful ones. Here's how to get it right.
Virtual Interviewing for Engineering Roles
May 25, 2020
In-person interviews aren't happening. Here's how to run effective virtual interviews that identify great engineers.
gRPC Best Practices for Microservices
May 11, 2020
gRPC offers efficiency and type safety for service communication. Here's how to use it effectively in production.
State Of Linux Usability 2020
May 4, 2020
We've carried out a series of daily tasks on TOP 20 Linux distros as well as Windows and macOS to test whether Linux has a chance to compete in daily use space.
VPN at Scale: Lessons from Sudden Remote Work
May 4, 2020
VPNs weren't designed for 100% remote workforces. Here's what we learned about scaling VPN infrastructure—and what comes next.
Cloud Security During Rapid Scaling
April 27, 2020
Scaling fast often means cutting corners. Here's how to maintain security while growing infrastructure rapidly.
Async Communication: Making It Work for Engineering Teams
April 13, 2020
Synchronous communication doesn't scale remotely. Here's how to make asynchronous communication effective for engineering work.
Business Continuity for Engineering Teams
April 6, 2020
Crisis exposes weaknesses. Here's how engineering teams can ensure continuity when disruption hits.
Scaling Video Infrastructure: Lessons from the Surge
March 30, 2020
Video conferencing demand has exploded. Here's how video infrastructure scales to handle millions of simultaneous streams.
Engineering Through the Remote Work Transition
March 16, 2020
Millions are suddenly working remotely. Here's how engineering teams can maintain velocity and sanity during the transition.
WebAssembly Beyond the Browser: Server-Side Use Cases
March 2, 2020
WebAssembly isn't just for browsers. It's becoming a portable, secure runtime for servers, edge computing, and more.
Infrastructure Testing: From Unit to Production
February 17, 2020
Infrastructure as code needs testing as code. Here's how to test Terraform, Kubernetes manifests, and cloud infrastructure reliably.
API Versioning Strategies: Choosing the Right Approach
February 3, 2020
APIs evolve. Breaking changes are inevitable. Here's how to version APIs without breaking clients or losing your sanity.
Database Replication Patterns: When and How
January 20, 2020
Replication is essential for availability and performance. But different patterns serve different needs. Here's how to choose.
Kubernetes in 2020: Predictions and Priorities
January 6, 2020
Kubernetes is now mainstream. What matters in 2020 isn't adoption—it's doing it well. Here's where to focus.
Tech Year in Review: 2019
December 16, 2019
Kubernetes matured, edge computing emerged, and the industry grappled with complexity. A look back at the technology trends that shaped 2019.
FinOps: Engineering Practices for Cloud Cost Management
December 2, 2019
Cloud bills surprise too many teams. FinOps brings engineering discipline to cloud financial management. Here's how to implement it.
Edge Computing: Architecture Patterns and Use Cases
November 18, 2019
Moving computation closer to users reduces latency and enables new possibilities. Here's how to architect for the edge.
Building Command Line Tools That Developers Love
November 4, 2019
Great CLI tools feel intuitive and powerful. Here's how to design and build command line interfaces that developers actually want to use.
Zero Downtime Deployments: Patterns and Practices
October 21, 2019
Deploying without service interruption is table stakes. Here's how to achieve zero downtime deployments across databases, services, and infrastructure.
Engineering Onboarding That Works
October 7, 2019
New hires take months to become productive. Here's how to accelerate onboarding without cutting corners.
Terraform at Scale: Lessons from Managing 500+ Resources
September 23, 2019
Terraform works great for small deployments. Here's what changes when you're managing hundreds of resources across multiple environments.
Message Queue Patterns for Reliable Systems
September 9, 2019
Message queues decouple services and enable reliable async processing. Here are the patterns that make them work.
Load Testing Strategies for Production Systems
August 26, 2019
Load testing prevents surprises in production. Here's how to design tests that reveal real system behavior.
Developer Experience: Building Platforms Developers Love
August 12, 2019
Developer productivity depends on developer experience. Here's how to design internal platforms that developers actually want to use.
Data Mesh: Decentralizing Data Ownership
July 29, 2019
Centralized data teams don't scale. Data mesh applies domain-driven design to data architecture. Here's what it means.
Security Incident Response: A Practical Playbook
July 15, 2019
Security incidents will happen. Here's how to respond effectively when they do.
Microservices Migration: A Practical Approach
July 1, 2019
Migrating from monolith to microservices is a multi-year journey. Here's how to approach it incrementally without stopping feature development.
Multi-Region Architecture: Patterns and Trade-offs
June 17, 2019
Multi-region deployments improve availability and latency but add significant complexity. Here's how to design them.
Testing in Production: Strategies and Safeguards
June 3, 2019
Production is the ultimate test environment. Here's how to test in production safely and effectively.
Effective SLOs: Beyond the Basics
May 20, 2019
SLOs are widely adopted but often poorly implemented. Here's how to create SLOs that actually improve reliability.
Designing Systems That Fail Gracefully
May 6, 2019
Everything fails eventually. Here's how to design systems that degrade gracefully instead of falling over completely.
Kubernetes Security Hardening Checklist
April 22, 2019
Default Kubernetes is not secure enough for production. Here's a comprehensive security hardening checklist.
Cloud Cost Optimization: Beyond Reserved Instances
April 8, 2019
Cloud costs grow faster than expected. Here's how to optimize AWS/GCP/Azure spending systematically without sacrificing performance.
PostgreSQL Performance Tuning for Production
March 25, 2019
PostgreSQL performs well out of the box, but production workloads need tuning. Here's how to optimize PostgreSQL for real-world performance.
Building Internal Developer Platforms
March 11, 2019
Platform teams enable other teams to ship faster. Here's how to build internal developer platforms that developers actually want to use.
API Design: Lessons from Five Years of Building APIs
February 25, 2019
APIs are forever. Here are the lessons learned from building APIs that thousands of developers use.
GitOps: Principles and Practices
February 11, 2019
GitOps uses Git as the single source of truth for infrastructure and applications. Here's how to implement GitOps effectively.
Migrating to TypeScript: A Practical Guide
January 28, 2019
TypeScript adoption is accelerating. Here's how to migrate existing JavaScript codebases without stopping feature development.
Kubernetes Best Practices for 2019
January 14, 2019
Kubernetes has matured significantly. Here are the practices that separate successful Kubernetes deployments from painful ones.
Year in Review: 2018 in Technology
December 24, 2018
2018 brought major developments in security, privacy, and cloud infrastructure. Here's what mattered and what to watch heading into 2019.
Async Job Processing Patterns
December 17, 2018
Background jobs are everywhere: emails, payments, data processing. Here's how to build reliable async processing systems.
Technical Debt: Tracking and Prioritization
December 10, 2018
Every codebase has technical debt. Here's how to track it, prioritize it, and pay it down without stopping feature development.
Service Mesh with Istio: A Practical Guide
November 26, 2018
Service mesh promises traffic management, security, and observability. Here's how to implement Istio in production and avoid common pitfalls.
Scaling Engineering Teams: From 10 to 100
November 12, 2018
What works at 10 engineers breaks at 50. Here's how to scale engineering organizations while maintaining velocity and culture.
Infrastructure as Code Patterns and Practices
October 29, 2018
Infrastructure as Code is table stakes now. Here's how to organize, structure, and manage IaC at scale without creating a mess.
API Rate Limiting Strategies
October 15, 2018
Rate limiting protects your API from abuse and ensures fair resource allocation. Here are the algorithms and implementation strategies that work.
Effective Code Reviews: A Practical Guide
October 1, 2018
Code reviews are often perfunctory or adversarial. Here's how to make them actually useful for code quality and team growth.
Building Reliable Distributed Systems
September 17, 2018
Distributed systems fail in ways monoliths don't. Here's how to design for reliability when failure is inevitable.
Serverless Patterns and Anti-Patterns
September 3, 2018
Serverless isn't just 'upload function and forget.' Here are patterns that work, patterns that don't, and when to avoid serverless entirely.
Container Security: Beyond the Basics
August 20, 2018
Running containers doesn't automatically make you secure. Here's how to secure container deployments from image to runtime.
Database Sharding: When and How
August 6, 2018
Sharding distributes data across multiple databases for scale. Here's when you actually need it and how to implement it without making a mess.
Microservices Security Patterns
July 23, 2018
Security in microservices is more complex than monoliths. Here are patterns for authentication, authorization, and secure communication in distributed systems.
Observability: Beyond Traditional Monitoring
July 9, 2018
Monitoring tells you when something is wrong. Observability helps you understand why. Here's how to build observable systems.
Building High-Performance Go Services
June 25, 2018
Go excels at building performant network services. Here's how to write Go code that takes full advantage of the runtime and achieves maximum performance.
GraphQL in Production: One Year Later
June 11, 2018
We've been running GraphQL in production for a year. Here's what worked, what didn't, and what we'd do differently.
Post-GDPR: First Week Lessons Learned
May 28, 2018
GDPR enforcement started three days ago. Here's what we learned from our implementation and the industry's response.
GDPR Technical Implementation Guide for Engineers
May 14, 2018
GDPR enforcement begins May 25th. Here's the technical implementation guide for engineering teams: data mapping, consent management, and right to erasure.
Site Reliability Engineering: Core Principles
April 30, 2018
SRE bridges development and operations. Here are the core principles that make SRE work and how to apply them to your organization.
Technical Interviewing: What Actually Works
April 16, 2018
Most technical interviews are poor predictors of job performance. Here's how to design interviews that identify great engineers.
Kubernetes Operators: Extending the Platform
April 2, 2018
Operators encode operational knowledge into software. Here's how they work and when to build your own.
Designing Event-Sourced Systems: Patterns and Pitfalls
March 19, 2018
Event sourcing captures all changes as immutable events. Here's how to design event-sourced systems that scale and avoid common mistakes.
Rust for Backend Services: When and Why
March 5, 2018
Rust promises memory safety without garbage collection. Here's an honest assessment of when Rust makes sense for backend services and when it doesn't.
Zero Trust Security Architecture: Beyond the Perimeter
February 19, 2018
The castle-and-moat security model is obsolete. Zero trust assumes breach and verifies everything. Here's how to implement it.
Machine Learning for Backend Engineers: A Practical Introduction
February 5, 2018
You don't need a PhD to integrate machine learning into your applications. Here's a practical guide for backend engineers approaching ML for the first time.
Kubernetes in Production: Lessons Learned After Two Years
January 22, 2018
We've been running Kubernetes in production since 2016. Here's what we've learned about what works, what doesn't, and what we'd do differently.
Spectre and Meltdown: What CTOs Need to Know
January 8, 2018
Two critical CPU vulnerabilities were just disclosed. Here's what technical leaders need to understand about Spectre, Meltdown, and their implications for your infrastructure.
Building a Platform Team
December 28, 2017
As engineering organizations grow, platform teams enable product teams to move faster. Here's how to build an internal platform organization that delivers value.
Technical Debt Triage: A Framework for Prioritization
December 18, 2017
Not all technical debt deserves immediate attention. Here's a framework for prioritizing which debt to pay down and which to accept.
Why Async Communication Makes Better Engineering Teams
December 11, 2017
Meetings fragment engineering time. Asynchronous communication enables deep work, better documentation, and more inclusive teams.
Container Security: Beyond the Basics
December 4, 2017
Container isolation isn't a security boundary. Here's how to secure containerized workloads with defense in depth: image security, runtime protection, and network policies.
Service Mesh: Do You Actually Need One?
November 27, 2017
Service meshes promise to solve microservices networking problems. But they add complexity. Here's how to evaluate whether a service mesh is right for your organization.
Why Code Review Quality Matters More Than Quantity
November 13, 2017
Code review can catch bugs, spread knowledge, and improve code quality—or it can be a rubber stamp that adds friction without value. Here's how to make reviews count.
Incident Management for Growing Teams
October 23, 2017
Small team incident response doesn't scale. Here's how to build incident management processes that grow with your organization.
Engineering Manager vs Tech Lead: Different Paths, Different Skills
October 9, 2017
Two paths from senior engineer: management or technical leadership. Here's what each role involves and how to choose the right path.
Building Multi-Region Applications
October 2, 2017
Users are global. Your application should be too. Here's how to architect applications that perform well and stay reliable across geographic regions.
Why Every Startup Needs a Security Champion
September 18, 2017
Startups can't afford dedicated security teams. Security champions distribute security responsibility across engineering, making security everyone's job.
The Business Case for Infrastructure Investment
September 4, 2017
Engineers know infrastructure matters. Executives see costs. Here's how to translate infrastructure needs into business terms that get investment approved.
Chaos Engineering for Mortals
August 21, 2017
Netflix-style chaos engineering sounds intimidating. Here's how to start practicing failure injection without needing a dedicated chaos team.
Database Performance Tuning: A Systematic Approach
August 7, 2017
When databases slow down, random optimization attempts waste time. Here's a systematic methodology for identifying and fixing database performance issues.
Security Automation: From Manual to Continuous
July 17, 2017
Manual security processes don't scale with rapid development. Here's how to integrate security into CI/CD pipelines for continuous security assurance.
The Hidden Costs of Cloud Services
July 3, 2017
Cloud pricing looks simple until the bill arrives. Here's how to understand and manage the costs that catch teams by surprise.
Technical Leadership Without Authority
June 26, 2017
You don't need a management title to lead technical direction. Here's how to influence engineering decisions as an individual contributor.
Serverless Architecture Patterns for Real Applications
June 5, 2017
Beyond hello-world Lambdas, here are proven serverless patterns for building real production applications—and when to use each.
API Versioning Strategies That Work
May 29, 2017
APIs evolve, but breaking changes break consumers. Here are practical versioning strategies that enable evolution while maintaining compatibility.
The WannaCry Postmortem: Lessons for Every Organization
May 15, 2017
WannaCry ransomware spread across 150 countries in days. Here's what happened, why it worked, and what every organization should learn from it.
Building Data Pipelines That Don't Break
April 24, 2017
Data pipelines are notoriously fragile. Here's how to build reliable ETL and streaming pipelines that handle failures gracefully.
Building Event-Driven Architectures
April 10, 2017
Event-driven architecture enables loose coupling and scalability. Here's how to design systems around events, including event sourcing and CQRS patterns.
Why Observability Matters More Than Monitoring
March 20, 2017
Monitoring tells you when things break. Observability lets you understand why. Here's why the distinction matters for modern distributed systems.
Preparing for GDPR: A Technical Checklist
February 27, 2017
GDPR enforcement begins May 2018. Here's what engineering teams need to know and do to prepare for the new data protection requirements.
GraphQL vs REST: When to Use Each
February 6, 2017
GraphQL offers flexibility that REST can't match, but REST's simplicity has value. Here's a framework for choosing the right approach for your API.
Kubernetes in Production: A Year of Lessons Learned
January 16, 2017
After running Kubernetes in production for a year, here are the real lessons—what worked, what didn't, and what we wish we'd known from the start.
Year in Review: Technology Trends That Shaped 2016
December 28, 2016
Looking back at the technology trends that defined 2016 and forward to what they mean for the year ahead.
Securing APIs: Authentication and Authorization Patterns
December 19, 2016
APIs expose your systems to the world. Here's how to implement authentication and authorization that protects your data without frustrating legitimate users.
Production Monitoring: Metrics That Actually Matter
December 12, 2016
Drowning in metrics but blind to problems? Here's how to focus monitoring on what actually indicates system health and user experience.
Building Effective Engineering Teams
December 5, 2016
Team structure and communication patterns determine engineering effectiveness more than individual talent. Here's how to build teams that deliver.
Why We Chose Go for Our Backend Services
November 28, 2016
After evaluating several languages for new backend services, we chose Go. Here's our reasoning and what we've learned after a year of production use.
Scaling PostgreSQL: Replication, Sharding, and Beyond
November 14, 2016
PostgreSQL is excellent until you hit scale limits. Here are strategies for scaling Postgres from read replicas to sharding, with guidance on when each approach makes sense.
The CTO's Guide to Technical Due Diligence
October 31, 2016
What do investors and acquirers actually look for in technical due diligence? Here's how to prepare for evaluation and what to expect when evaluating others.
Container Orchestration: Docker Swarm vs Kubernetes vs Mesos
October 17, 2016
Running containers in production requires orchestration. Here's a practical comparison of the three leading platforms: Docker Swarm, Kubernetes, and Mesos with Marathon.
Building a Security-First Engineering Culture
October 3, 2016
Security can't be an afterthought bolted on before release. Here's how to build a culture where security is everyone's responsibility, integrated into every stage of development.
Why Every Developer Should Understand Networking
September 19, 2016
Networking knowledge separates developers who debug effectively from those who stare at inexplicable errors. Here's the TCP/IP fundamentals every developer needs.
Log Aggregation at Scale: ELK vs Alternatives
September 5, 2016
Centralized logging is essential for operating distributed systems. Here's a practical comparison of the ELK stack and alternatives for log aggregation at scale.
Database Migrations Without Downtime
August 15, 2016
Schema changes don't have to mean maintenance windows. Here's how to evolve your database schema while keeping your application running.
Hiring Engineers When You Can't Compete on Salary
August 1, 2016
Startups can't match Big Tech compensation. Here's how to attract talented engineers by competing on dimensions where startups have natural advantages.
Building Resilient Systems: Lessons from Production Failures
July 18, 2016
Every production failure teaches lessons about resilience. Here are patterns for building systems that degrade gracefully when—not if—things go wrong.
The Real Cost of Running Your Own Servers in 2016
July 5, 2016
Cloud versus on-premise is rarely a simple calculation. Here's a framework for understanding the true total cost of ownership for your infrastructure.
Why I Moved Our Infrastructure to Terraform
June 20, 2016
After years of managing infrastructure through consoles and scripts, we adopted Terraform for infrastructure as code. Here's why, and what we learned in the transition.
Continuous Deployment Without the Chaos
June 6, 2016
Continuous deployment promises faster delivery and quicker feedback. Here's how to implement CD safely, with the guardrails that prevent deployment velocity from becoming deployment chaos.
Security Incident Response for Startups
May 23, 2016
Every startup will face a security incident eventually. Here's how to build your first incident response playbook before you need it desperately.
API Design Principles That Stand the Test of Time
May 9, 2016
Well-designed APIs outlive the code that implements them. Here are the principles that create APIs developers love to use and that remain stable as systems evolve.
Configuration Management: Ansible vs Puppet vs Chef
April 25, 2016
Modern infrastructure requires configuration management. Here's a practical comparison of Ansible, Puppet, and Chef to help you choose the right tool for your team.
Postgres vs MySQL in 2016: A Practical Comparison
April 12, 2016
Choosing between PostgreSQL and MySQL remains one of the most common database decisions for new projects. Here's a practical comparison based on real-world experience with both systems.
AWS Lambda: When Serverless Makes Sense (And When It Doesn't)
March 28, 2016
Serverless computing promises simplified operations and reduced costs. After deploying Lambda functions in production, here's a realistic assessment of where it excels and where it falls short.
Building a DevOps Culture from Scratch
March 10, 2016
DevOps is a culture change, not a job title. Here's how to build genuine collaboration between development and operations, starting from organizational dysfunction.
The True Cost of Technical Debt
February 22, 2016
Technical debt is easy to accumulate and hard to quantify. Here's how to measure it, communicate it to executives, and make the business case for paying it down.
Docker in Production: Lessons from Running Containers at Scale
February 8, 2016
After two years of running Docker in production environments, here are the hard-won lessons about what works, what doesn't, and what we wish we'd known from the start.
Why Microservices Aren't Always the Answer
January 15, 2016
Microservices architecture has become the default recommendation for modern applications, but this one-size-fits-all mentality ignores the real costs and complexities. Here's when monoliths still make sense.