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#databases

5posts

System DesignJun 19, 20267 min read

DuckDB Is Fast Because It Skips the Part Everyone Forgets

A deep dive into DuckDB internals: why an in-process SQL engine that skips the network beats clusters that cost millions, and what HN thinks about it.

#duckdb#databases#sql

System DesignMay 25, 20235 min read

Database Indexing: The 'Library Card Catalog' Mental Model

Why does adding an index make a query 100x faster? A mastery guide to B-Trees, compound indexes, covering indexes, and the queries that kill your database.

#databases#sql#performance

System DesignMay 25, 20233 min read

Why Cheap Hardware Won't Make Redis Replace a Core Database

As hardware gets cheaper, why not use Redis as the main database? The short answer: because the limitation isn't speed. It's guarantees and data semantics.

#system-design#databases#redis

System DesignMay 21, 20236 min read

Partitioning, Bucketing, Sharding, Replication, Edge: The Clean Mental Model

A precise mental model for partitioning, bucketing, sharding, replication, and edge computing - when to use each and why they exist at different layers.

#system-design#databases#scaling

System DesignMay 21, 20234 min read

SQL vs. NoSQL: The 'Library vs. Warehouse' Mental Model

Why is MongoDB faster but Postgres safer? A mastery guide to Schema, ACID, and why JSONB might be the only NoSQL you need.

#system-design#databases#postgresql