// research & insights
11 entries — last modified 7/26/2026
Most backend problems aren't really bugs — they're architecture decisions catching up with you. Here are 7 backend architecture patterns worth understanding before your next project.
A breakdown of 10 core DevOps concepts that separate developers who write code from architects who design systems — from API Gateways to Docker.
A comprehensive guide to 15 core database concepts that separate developers who use databases from developers who understand them — from indexing to CQRS.
A deep dive into payment system architecture from a senior engineer's perspective — covering phased processing, idempotency, exactly-once semantics, and reliability patterns.
A practical guide to the nine auth concepts that power everything from simple login flows to OAuth, SSO, JWTs, and access control.
Learn 10 backend engineering concepts that make systems faster, more stable, and scalable, with practical real-world examples.
A practical AI glossary for beginners and builders covering the most important AI terminology 2026 terms, from LLMs and RAG to agents, guardrails, and evaluation.
A practical breakdown of the core tradeoffs behind almost every system design decision — push vs pull, concurrency vs parallelism, scaling, consistency, and more.
Learn how to choose the right database by matching use cases, SQL vs NoSQL tradeoffs, and real-world patterns across PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, and more.
RFC 10008 gives HTTP a QUERY method — safe and idempotent like GET, but with a request body like POST. Here's why it ends the 20-year GET-vs-POST search dilemma.
MCP is a USB-C port for AI — one standard that lets models connect to your tools, data, and services without custom integrations. Here's how it works, with a real example and code.