Notes
Engineering notes
Writing on software architecture, backend systems, developer tooling, and AI-assisted workflows.
N-001
July 30, 2026
Monoliths vs Microservices: The Real Trade-Off Is Operational Complexity
Microservices do not replace monoliths. They trade in-process simplicity for network, data, and platform complexity that only pays off when the system and organization truly need it.
backend / software-architecture / system-design
8 min read
N-002
July 29, 2026
Why URL Shorteners Are the Hello World of System Design
A URL shortener looks tiny until identifiers, cache invalidation, analytics, abuse prevention, and global traffic turn it into a compact tour of real system design trade-offs.
backend / software-architecture / system-design
11 min read
N-003
July 6, 2026
When LIMIT/OFFSET Stops Working: Choosing Between Offset and Cursor Pagination
A practical look at why offset pagination becomes expensive on large result sets, where cursor pagination helps, and what trade-offs each approach brings.
backend / database / performance
7 min read