PostgreSQL is a fine queue (until it isn't)
Before adding a message broker to a young product, consider the database you already run. Here's how I build job queues on PostgreSQL, and the signals that it's time to move on.
Writing
Notes from the work
Practical writing on building dependable software and working well with the people who use it.
Why I estimate in ranges, and how clients learned to like it
A single number feels reassuring and is almost always wrong. Ranges with stated assumptions lead to better decisions and fewer awkward conversations.
My first week on a legacy codebase
The checklist I follow when I join a team with years of history in its code: what to read, who to talk to and what not to change yet.
On-call for a team of one
When you're the only engineer, every alert is yours. Here's how small teams can set up monitoring that wakes you for the right things and lets you sleep through the rest.