All 73 articles, sorted alphabetically
ClickHouse
Vectorized execution + MergeTree. Sub-second on billions of rows.
Read article →CockroachDB Architecture Deep Dive
Ranges + Raft + serializable isolation. PostgreSQL compatible.
Read article →Database Connection Pooling
PgBouncer, pgcat, cloud-native pools. Why pool + how to tune.
Read article →Database Indexing
Composite, covering, partial, expression. Right index for right query.
Read article →ACID Transactions
The ACID properties, why they matter for correctness, and how databases implement each.
Read article →Bitmap index architecture
Deep-dive on bitmap indexes: one bitmap per distinct value, boolean AND/OR/NOT and popcount query evaluation, compression with RLE/Roaring, where they…
Read article →Bloom filter architecture in LSM engines
Deep-dive on Bloom filters in log-structured merge-tree databases: how a compact bit array and k hash functions answer 'defin…
Read article →Buffer pool architecture
Deep-dive on database buffer pools: page tables and frames, pin counts and latches, clock sweep and midpoint LRU scan resistance, the WAL-before-data …
Read article →CDC via logical decoding
Deep-dive on Change Data Capture via logical decoding: WAL-based change streaming, logical decoding of physical records, replication slots and output …
Read article →Columnar Database Architecture in Depth
A 2500-word walkthrough of columnar databases: columnar storage, vectorized engine, compression, predicate pushdown, SIMD, parallelism, OLAP fit.
Read article →Connection pooling architecture
Deep-dive on database connection pooling: why connections are expensive, application pools vs proxy poolers, session vs transaction pooling trade-offs…
Read article →Database deadlock detection architecture
Deep-dive on deadlock handling in databases: the lock manager and wait-for graph, eager vs lazy cycle detection, victim-selection policies, timeout fa…
Read article →GIN inverted index architecture
Deep-dive on the Generalized Inverted Index (GIN): extracting many keys per composite value, mapping each key to a sorted posting list of row ids with…
Read article →Group commit architecture
Deep-dive on database group commit: why one fsync per transaction caps throughput at flush latency, how the commit queue and group leader let many com…
Read article →Hash join architecture
Deep-dive on the hash join: the algorithm that makes equality joins on large, unindexed relations fast by building a hash table on the smaller input a…
Read article →Index-only scan architecture
Deep-dive on index-only scans in Postgres: covering index, visibility map, VACUUM, INCLUDE, fallback, cost model.
Read article →B-tree Indexes
How B-tree indexes work, why they're the default, and how they enable range queries and sorting.
Read article →Hash Indexes
How hash indexes support O(1) equality lookup, why they don't support ranges, and when to prefer them over B-trees.
Read article →Database indexing architecture
Deep-dive on database indexing: B-tree, LSM, hash, partial, expression, covering, concurrency, maintenance, observability.
Read article →Database Isolation Levels
The SQL standard isolation levels, the anomalies they permit, and how modern databases implement them.
Read article →LSM-tree storage engine architecture
Deep-dive on the Log-Structured Merge tree: WAL-plus-MemTable write path, immutable SSTables with bloom filters and block index, L0/L1..Ln level struc…
Read article →Materialized views -- precomputed query results
Deep-dive on database materialized views: the expensive-query need, precomputing and storing results, materialized vs regular view (stored vs recomput…
Read article →MVCC
How MVCC lets readers and writers coexist without locks, and why it powers Postgres, MySQL InnoDB, and Oracle.
Read article →MVCC -- readers and writers that never block each other
Deep-dive on Multi-Version Concurrency Control (MVCC): the reader-writer contention problem, keeping multiple versions, consistent snapshots, no read …
Read article →OLTP vs OLAP Database Architectures in Depth
A 2500-word walkthrough of OLTP row stores vs OLAP column stores, CDC/ETL pipelines, lakehouse architectures, and HTAP alternatives.
Read article →Database partitioning architecture
Deep-dive on database partitioning: range, hash, list, composite, partition key, pruning, local + global indexes, maintenance.
Read article →Database Query Planner
How the query planner translates SQL into an execution plan, why statistics matter, and how EXPLAIN reveals what's happening.
Read article →Database query planner architecture
Deep-dive on database query planner: parser, logical plan, rewriter, cost model, physical plan, join order, adaptive execution.
Read article →Database Replication
How database replication works: streaming, logical, sync vs async, and the operational realities.
Read article →Database replication architecture
Deep-dive on database replication: sync vs async, physical vs logical, multi-master with conflict resolution, failover with fencing.
Read article →Serializable Isolation
How serializable isolation guarantees transactions behave as if serial, the anomalies weaker levels permit, and modern implementations.
Read article →Database Sharding
How sharding splits data across nodes for scale, sharding key selection, and cross-shard query challenges.
Read article →Database sharding -- horizontal partitioning across nodes
Deep-dive on database sharding: the single-node limit, the critical shard key choice, sharding strategies (hash/range/directory), routing, hot shards …
Read article →Snapshot isolation architecture
Deep-dive on snapshot isolation: MVCC, read-view, write-write conflict, write skew anomaly, SSI escalation, vacuum.
Read article →Transaction isolation architecture
Deep-dive on transaction isolation: MVCC, snapshot, isolation levels, write skew, predicate locks, SSI, vacuum, and deadlock detection.
Read article →Transactional Database Architecture in Depth
A 2500-word walkthrough of transactional DB: MVCC, lock manager, WAL/redo, rollback, isolation levels, 2PC, vacuum, recovery.
Read article →Two-phase commit architecture
Deep-dive on two-phase commit: the prepare and decide phases, write-ahead logging on coordinator and participants, held locks and the in-doubt window,…
Read article →Vacuum and bloat architecture
Deep-dive on Postgres vacuum and bloat: why MVCC updates leave dead tuples, the cluster-wide visibility horizon and the idle transactions, replication…
Read article →Vector Database Architecture in Depth
A 2500-word walkthrough of vector database architecture: embedder, HNSW/IVF/DiskANN indexes, metadata filter, hybrid search, quantization, sharding.
Read article →Database Write-Ahead Log
How the WAL provides durability, enables recovery from crashes, and supports replication and PITR.
Read article →WAL architecture
Deep-dive on write-ahead logging: WAL append, LSN ordering, fsync, group commit, checkpoint, replay, archive, storage.
Read article →Write amplification architecture
Deep-dive on write amplification in LSM storage engines: the WAL/memtable/flush path, leveled vs tiered compaction rewrites, the read/write/space trad…
Read article →DuckDB
In-process OLAP. Columnar. No server. Modern data science default.
Read article →DuckDB Practical Uses
Local analytics embedded OLAP CSV crunching.
Read article →DynamoDB
Partition + sort key + GSI + LSI. Read/write capacity + on-demand.
Read article →Postgres Logical Replication Use Cases
Beyond HA — sharding migration CDC.
Read article →Materialized Views in Postgres
Refresh strategies and concurrent refresh patterns.
Read article →MongoDB
BSON docs + WiredTiger + sharding. Modern MongoDB architecture.
Read article →MongoDB: When It Actually Fits
And when Postgres JSONB is the better answer.
Read article →MySQL InnoDB
Clustered index + row locks + redo log. Understand for tuning.
Read article →MySQL Replication
Row/statement/mixed. GTID for automation. Group replication.
Read article →MySQL vs Postgres in 2026
When MySQL still wins.
Read article →pgvector at 100M Scale
HNSW tuning partitioning hybrid filtering.
Read article →PostgreSQL WAL
Durability + replication foundation. Understand WAL to tune Postgres.
Read article →Postgres Index Strategies
B-tree, GIN, GiST, BRIN — when each one wins.
Read article →PostgreSQL Indexes
Right index for right query. When each shines.
Read article →Postgres Isolation Levels
Read committed repeatable read serializable.
Read article →PostgreSQL Logical Replication + CDC
Row-level replication. Selective + cross-version. Debezium base.
Read article →PostgreSQL MVCC + Vacuum
Multi-version concurrency + tuple bloat + autovacuum tuning.
Read article →PostgreSQL Table Partitioning
Declarative range/list/hash partitions. Scale + retention.
Read article →PostgreSQL Streaming Replication
Primary + replicas. Sync vs async. Failover patterns.
Read article →Redis Data Structures
Beyond strings — sorted sets streams and HyperLogLog.
Read article →Redis
Strings, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets, streams. Persistence + cluster.
Read article →Redis Persistence Modes
RDB, AOF, none — pick by what you can lose.
Read article →ScyllaDB vs Cassandra
C++ rewrite trade-offs and operational differences.
Read article →Sharding Strategies Compared
Hash range and directory-based with the gotchas of each.
Read article →SQL Query Optimization
Read execution plans. Find missing indexes. Rewrite for perf.
Read article →TimescaleDB
Hypertable abstraction. Continuous aggregates. Compression.
Read article →TimescaleDB vs InfluxDB
Both target time-series; the trade-offs are real.
Read article →TimescaleDB vs InfluxDB vs Prometheus
Long-term storage vs real-time monitoring.
Read article →When to Pick Cassandra
Write-heavy multi-region with eventual consistency.
Read article →When to Pick DynamoDB
Single-table design and access pattern modeling.
Read article →When to Pick Postgres
The default-good choice and when it isn't enough.
Read article →