Fundamentals

Primer on Database Sharding

Covers what database sharding means and different implementations

Intro Another exciting database article! I bet you couldn’t wait! =) I’m going to keep this one short, and cover one topic: database sharding. What Is It? Let’s say you have an application that needs a backend database. You’re using Postgres, and you’ve scaled it as much as you can vertically. Like, you’re using AWS X1E 32xlarge that cost around $20,000 USD per month. What can you do next?

Primer on NewSQL

Covers what NewSQL is and when to use it

Intro Note This article goes well with this primer on databases, so you may want to read that one first. If the thing most missing from your life is another type of SQL, then you’ve come to right article! I speak, of course, of NewSQL. WTF is NewSQL? You get NewSQL when you take NoSQL (or a plain KV store) and put SQL on top to form a sort of unholy sandwich.

Primer on Database Types

Covers the major types of databases and when to use which type

Intro Hello! This article gives you an overview of the major database types, a summary of how they work, and when and why you should use one. This is not a short entry. Sorry. =) CAP Theorem You may have heard this term whispered amongst your colleagues. While it is an actual theorem, and an important one, people often take different meanings away after hearing about it.

Vertical and Horizontal Scaling

Summary

Hello! This article discusses the two types of scaling found in infrastructure. These concepts aren’t extra-mysterious or anything; there are some subtleties to them that can trip you up.