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Tech tutorials, programming guides, and developer resources

Message Queues: RabbitMQ vs Redis vs SQS

Use RabbitMQ for complex routing and guaranteed delivery. Use Redis for simple, fast queues. Use SQS for managed, scalable queues on AWS. All handle async tasks - choose based on complexity, scale, and infrastructure.

Load Testing: Finding Your Breaking Point Before Users Do

Load test before launch. Use k6 or Artillery to simulate traffic. Test realistic scenarios, not just homepage. Find your breaking point. Monitor CPU, memory, database connections. Fix bottlenecks before users find them.

XSS Attacks Explained: How to Prevent Cross-Site Scripting

XSS happens when user input is rendered as HTML/JavaScript. Escape all output. Use textContent not innerHTML. Sanitize HTML with DOMPurify. Enable Content Security Policy. React/Vue escape by default - don't use dangerouslySetInnerHTML.

SQL Injection: How It Happens and How to Prevent It

SQL injection happens when user input goes directly into SQL queries. Never concatenate user input into SQL. Use parameterized queries, prepared statements, or ORMs. Validate input. Escape output. Test with SQLMap.

The N+1 Query Problem: How to Detect and Fix It

N+1 queries happen when you fetch records in a loop - 1 query becomes 1000. Detect with query logging and APM tools. Fix with eager loading, joins, or batching. 100x performance improvement is common.

Logging in Production: What to Log, What to Skip

Use structured logging with levels. Log requests, errors, and key events - not sensitive data or debug spam. JSON format for aggregation. Keep performance impact under 5%. Fix log leaks before they become breaches.

REST API Error Handling: The Right Way

Use proper HTTP status codes. Return consistent error format with code, message, and details. Log errors server-side. Never expose stack traces to clients.

API Versioning: URL vs Header vs Query Parameter

URL versioning (/v1/users) is simplest and most discoverable. Header versioning is cleaner but harder to use. Start with URL versioning, only use headers if you have a strong reason.

Background Jobs and Queues: Stop Blocking Your API

Never block API responses with slow operations. Use job queues for emails, image processing, reports. Bull with Redis is simple and reliable. Process jobs in workers, not request handlers.

Rate Limiting Algorithms Explained with Code

Rate limiting prevents API abuse. Token bucket is most flexible, fixed window is simplest, sliding window is most accurate. Implement in-memory for single servers, Redis for distributed systems.

Database Indexes Explained: The Only Guide You Need

Indexes make queries fast by avoiding full table scans. But too many indexes slow down writes. Use EXPLAIN to identify slow queries, add indexes on WHERE/JOIN columns, and avoid indexing everything.

Your Startup Doesn't Need Microservices

Microservices add operational complexity that small teams can't afford. Monoliths are faster to build, easier to debug, and simpler to deploy. Split services when you have a reason, not because it's trendy.

Why I Write SQL Instead of Using ORMs

ORMs hide complexity that eventually bites you. Raw SQL is explicit, performant, and easier to debug. Use ORMs for CRUD, write SQL for anything complex.

UUID v7: The New UUID That Actually Makes Sense

UUID v7 puts timestamps at the beginning, making database indexes happy. I saw 3x better insert performance and 50% smaller indexes after migrating. Here's how and when to switch.

CORS Errors: Every Fix That Actually Works

CORS errors are never quite the same. Here's every fix I've used in production, why each error happens, and actual code you can copy-paste for your specific situation.

Why I Stopped Using Frameworks for Everything

Frameworks solve real problems but add complexity. Use them when they solve problems you actually have, not because they're trendy. Sometimes vanilla code is faster to write and maintain.