Engineering Notes

Thoughts on backend engineering, distributed systems, databases, messaging systems, cloud-native architectures, and software design. These notes capture concepts, trade-offs, and engineering decisions that shape production-grade software.

Featured

Featured Engineering Notes

A curated collection of articles covering backend development, distributed systems, software architecture, and production engineering.

Cloud & DevOps•2026-08-11•14 min read

CI/CD Explained

Learn how Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery automate software builds, testing, and deployments to improve development speed and reliability.

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Cloud & DevOps•2026-08-10•15 min read

Kubernetes Explained

Learn how Kubernetes automates container deployment, scaling, self-healing, and orchestration for modern cloud-native applications.

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Cloud & DevOps•2026-08-09•13 min read

Docker Explained

Learn how Docker packages applications into containers, why containers are different from virtual machines, and how Docker simplifies development and deployment.

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System Design•2026-08-08•15 min read

Saga Pattern Explained

Learn how the Saga Pattern manages distributed transactions across multiple microservices without relying on traditional two-phase commit protocols.

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System Design•2026-08-07•14 min read

CQRS Explained

Learn how Command Query Responsibility Segregation (CQRS) separates read and write operations to improve scalability, performance, and maintainability in distributed systems.

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System Design•2026-08-06•13 min read

API Gateway Explained

Learn how API Gateways simplify microservice communication by handling routing, authentication, rate limiting, request aggregation, and security.

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System Design•2026-08-05•14 min read

Load Balancers Explained

Learn how load balancers distribute traffic, improve availability, eliminate single points of failure, and enable modern distributed systems to scale efficiently.

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Databases•2026-08-04•13 min read

Database Sharding Explained

Learn how database sharding enables horizontal scalability, distributes data across multiple servers, and helps backend systems handle millions of users efficiently.

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Databases•2026-08-03•14 min read

Database Indexing Explained

Learn how database indexes improve query performance, how B-Tree indexes work, and the trade-offs every backend engineer should understand before adding an index.

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Messaging•2026-08-02•12 min read

Kafka Partitions Explained

Understand how Kafka partitions enable horizontal scalability, message ordering, fault tolerance, and parallel event processing in distributed systems.

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Messaging•2026-08-01•12 min read

Kafka Consumer Groups Explained

Learn how Kafka Consumer Groups enable horizontal scalability, fault tolerance, and parallel event processing in modern distributed systems.

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Distributed Systems•2026-07-31•10 min read

How Redis Makes a URL Shortener Fast

A practical look at using Redis in a distributed URL shortener to reduce database load, improve redirect latency, handle cache misses, and design an efficient cache-aside strategy.

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Databases•2026-07-30•9 min read

PostgreSQL vs MongoDB

Comparing relational and document databases, their trade-offs, and when to choose PostgreSQL or MongoDB for production systems.

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Databases•2026-07-29•8 min read

Redis Is More Than a Cache

Understanding how Redis is used for caching, distributed locking, pub/sub, rate limiting, and session management in modern backend systems.

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Messaging•2026-07-28•10 min read

Why Kafka over RabbitMQ?

A practical comparison between Kafka and RabbitMQ, covering architecture, scalability, ordering guarantees, throughput, and when each technology should be used.

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Latest

Latest Notes

Recently published engineering notes exploring technologies, patterns, and design decisions from modern backend systems.

Cloud & DevOps•2026-08-11•14 min read

CI/CD Explained

Learn how Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery automate software builds, testing, and deployments to improve development speed and reliability.

Read Note→
Cloud & DevOps•2026-08-10•15 min read

Kubernetes Explained

Learn how Kubernetes automates container deployment, scaling, self-healing, and orchestration for modern cloud-native applications.

Read Note→
Cloud & DevOps•2026-08-09•13 min read

Docker Explained

Learn how Docker packages applications into containers, why containers are different from virtual machines, and how Docker simplifies development and deployment.

Read Note→
System Design•2026-08-08•15 min read

Saga Pattern Explained

Learn how the Saga Pattern manages distributed transactions across multiple microservices without relying on traditional two-phase commit protocols.

Read Note→
System Design•2026-08-07•14 min read

CQRS Explained

Learn how Command Query Responsibility Segregation (CQRS) separates read and write operations to improve scalability, performance, and maintainability in distributed systems.

Read Note→
System Design•2026-08-06•13 min read

API Gateway Explained

Learn how API Gateways simplify microservice communication by handling routing, authentication, rate limiting, request aggregation, and security.

Read Note→
System Design•2026-08-05•14 min read

Load Balancers Explained

Learn how load balancers distribute traffic, improve availability, eliminate single points of failure, and enable modern distributed systems to scale efficiently.

Read Note→
Databases•2026-08-04•13 min read

Database Sharding Explained

Learn how database sharding enables horizontal scalability, distributes data across multiple servers, and helps backend systems handle millions of users efficiently.

Read Note→
Databases•2026-08-03•14 min read

Database Indexing Explained

Learn how database indexes improve query performance, how B-Tree indexes work, and the trade-offs every backend engineer should understand before adding an index.

Read Note→
Messaging•2026-08-02•12 min read

Kafka Partitions Explained

Understand how Kafka partitions enable horizontal scalability, message ordering, fault tolerance, and parallel event processing in distributed systems.

Read Note→
Messaging•2026-08-01•12 min read

Kafka Consumer Groups Explained

Learn how Kafka Consumer Groups enable horizontal scalability, fault tolerance, and parallel event processing in modern distributed systems.

Read Note→
Distributed Systems•2026-07-31•10 min read

How Redis Makes a URL Shortener Fast

A practical look at using Redis in a distributed URL shortener to reduce database load, improve redirect latency, handle cache misses, and design an efficient cache-aside strategy.

Read Note→
Databases•2026-07-30•9 min read

PostgreSQL vs MongoDB

Comparing relational and document databases, their trade-offs, and when to choose PostgreSQL or MongoDB for production systems.

Read Note→
Databases•2026-07-29•8 min read

Redis Is More Than a Cache

Understanding how Redis is used for caching, distributed locking, pub/sub, rate limiting, and session management in modern backend systems.

Read Note→
Messaging•2026-07-28•10 min read

Why Kafka over RabbitMQ?

A practical comparison between Kafka and RabbitMQ, covering architecture, scalability, ordering guarantees, throughput, and when each technology should be used.

Read Note→