Series
Multi-part deep dives you can read end to end or jump into at any chapter. Currently covering system design and design engineering.
System Design
Deep dives into system design concepts, from databases and caching to distributed systems and scalability patterns.
13 articles · 430 min read
- 1. Database Transaction Internals: ACID, WAL, MVCC & LockingDatabase transaction internals explained: how ACID, WAL, MVCC, and locking work across PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MongoDB to keep data consistent.
- 2. Understanding Database Scaling and Sharding PatternsMaster database scaling from vertical to horizontal scaling, read replicas, sharding strategies, and partitioning techniques. Learn when to use synchronous vs asynchronous replication and how to choose the right shard key.
- 3. CachingUnderstand caching fundamentals: what it is, why it matters, and how to use it. Learn about cache architecture, key-value access patterns, and real-world examples with Redis and Memcached.
- 4. Non-Relational DatabasesExplore the world of NoSQL databases: Document DBs, Key-Value Stores, and Graph Databases. Learn when to use each type, their trade-offs, and why they scale horizontally out of the box.
- 5. Message Queues vs Streams: SQS, RabbitMQ, Kafka, Pub/SubMessage queues vs streams explained with SQS, RabbitMQ, Kafka, and Redis Pub/Sub, covering ack, dead letter queues, and async processing at scale.
- 6. Load BalancersLearn how load balancers enable horizontal scalability by distributing traffic across multiple servers. Understand load balancing algorithms, request flow, and key advantages for building resilient systems.
- 7. Circuit BreakersLearn how circuit breakers prevent cascading failures in distributed systems. Understand why services fail together, how to implement circuit breakers, and practical patterns for building resilient microservices.
- 8. Communication ProtocolsUnderstand how clients and servers communicate over the network. TCP fundamentals, HTTP, WebSockets, Server-Sent Events, and API paradigms like REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and tRPC.
- 9. High AvailabilityLearn how to build resilient systems through data redundancy, automatic failover, and leader election. Understand backup strategies, database replication, disaster recovery patterns, and how leader election enables zero-downtime auto-recovery.
- 10. Introduction to Big Data ToolsLearn why big data processing exists, how distributed computing works, and why tools like Apache Spark handle the heavy lifting so you can focus on business logic.
- 11. Bloom FiltersLearn how Bloom filters work: a probabilistic data structure that tells you with 100% certainty when something doesn't exist. Understand hash functions, bit arrays, false positives, and real-world use cases like recommendation engines and web crawlers.
- 12. Consistent HashingLearn how consistent hashing solves the data ownership problem in distributed systems. Understand hash-based routing, the ring abstraction, and how to scale up and down with minimal data movement.
- 13. Rate LimitingLearn how rate limiters protect your systems from being overwhelmed. Understand where to place them, why Redis is the go-to database, five popular algorithms, and how to scale with sharding. Includes the practical insight of building rate limiters as libraries instead of services.
Design Engineering
Motion design, micro-interactions, and the craft of building interfaces that feel alive. From CSS fundamentals to advanced Framer Motion patterns.
10 articles · 179 min read
- 1. The Psychology of Motion in UIDiscover why some animations feel natural while others feel off. Explore the brain's wiring for movement, the uncanny valley of UI, and when animation becomes harmful.
- 2. Easing Curves That Feel NaturalMaster easing curves to make your animations feel natural. Learn why linear is almost always wrong, how cubic-bezier works, and which easing to use for different interactions.
- 3. The Physics Behind Natural MotionMove beyond duration-based animations. Learn how spring physics creates motion that responds, adapts, and feels genuinely natural. The secret behind iOS's fluid interactions.
- 4. When to Animate and When to SkipNot every interaction needs motion. Learn how frequency, duration, and context determine whether animation helps or hurts your interface. The difference between delight and frustration.
- 5. Training Your Eye for MotionWhy taste is the skill that separates good interfaces from great ones. Learn how to develop your intuition for animation, study the work of others, and build the judgment that AI can't replace.
- 6. Offloading Motion to the GPUFix janky CSS animations by understanding the rendering pipeline. Learn which properties trigger GPU acceleration, why transform beats width, and when to choose CSS over JavaScript.
- 7. Moving Things Without Moving ThemUnderstand CSS transforms and why they're the foundation of performant animations. Learn translate, rotate, scale, the order trap that catches everyone, and how to think in 3D.
- 8. Smooth OperatorsCSS transitions interpolate between UI states so changes feel intentional. Learn the four transition properties, why to avoid 'all', when transitions beat keyframes, and how to keep hover effects off touch devices.
- 9. Choreographing Multi-Step MotionKeyframe animations let you choreograph multi-step sequences that play automatically, loop forever, or pause mid-flight. Learn when to reach for keyframes over transitions, how fill-mode controls the before and after, and how to stack independent animations on a single element.
- 10. Invisible Scissorsclip-path trims elements into circles and polygons, but it is also a powerful animation tool. Learn how inset clipping works, build before and after sliders without extra wrappers, reveal images without layout shift, and fire reveals with Intersection Observer.