How I made a learning platform where every page comes from YAML
Separating content from code turned a Next.js side project into something I can grow to thousands of pages without touching React.
WRITING / NOTES FROM THE FORGE
Articles
In-depth tech articles on system design, DSA, AI engineering, data engineering, and building software that lasts.
Two pointers: turning O(n²) scans into one pass
Two indexes moving with a purpose can replace nested loops. The trick is knowing which pointer to move and why it is safe to skip what you skip.
Cohort and Retention Analysis in SQL: A Step-by-Step Guide
Cohort retention analysis in SQL, step by step: define cohorts, write the retention matrix query, read the triangle, and choose N-day or bracket retention.
SQL Window Functions Explained With Practical Examples
SQL window functions explained with runnable examples: ROW_NUMBER vs RANK, LAG and LEAD, running totals, moving averages, and the ROWS vs RANGE frame trap.
Partitioning and Clustering: How to Make Warehouse Queries Faster
Data partitioning for faster queries: how partition pruning works, pick partition keys, avoid the small files problem, and when clustering or Z-ordering helps.
Binary search is a decision rule, not a trick
Once you see binary search as "find the first place a condition becomes true", a whole family of interview problems collapses into one template.
Parquet vs Avro vs ORC vs CSV: Choosing a Data File Format
Parquet vs Avro vs ORC vs CSV compared: row vs columnar, compression, predicate pushdown, schema evolution, and which format fits streaming or analytics.
Data Quality: How to Test and Monitor Your Data Pipelines
Learn data quality testing for pipelines: the six quality dimensions, SQL tests, data contracts, anomaly monitoring, and alerting that catches bad data early.
Data Pipeline Best Practices: Building Reliable, Idempotent Pipelines
Data pipeline best practices for reliable systems: idempotency, safe backfills, partitioned writes, retries, schema evolution, observability, SLAs, and cost.
ETL vs ELT: Key Differences and When to Use Each
ETL vs ELT explained: where transformation happens, cost, governance, and tooling trade-offs, plus a simple framework for choosing the right data pipeline.
Feeds at scale: when to push, when to pull
Fan-out on write makes reads instant until one account has fifty million followers. Here is how to reason about the hybrid most real feeds use.
How to Prepare for Coding Interviews: A 12-Week Roadmap
How to prepare for coding interviews in 12 weeks: a week-by-week plan for data structures, patterns, mock interviews, and communicating clearly under pressure.
Microservices vs Monolith: How to Choose (and When to Switch)
Microservices vs monolith compared honestly: trade-offs, the modular monolith middle ground, warning signs it is time to split, and how to migrate safely.