November 2024
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Efficient Database Operations in a Galera Cluster with PHP
Working with distributed systems like a Galera cluster introduces unique challenges when managing database operations. Deadlocks, serialization issues, and transaction conflicts can easily disrupt your application’s performance if not handled properly. Recently, I implemented a robust PHP class to handle CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations efficiently in such an environment. Here’s how it was…
A Weekend in the Life of a Tech Enthusiast
Weekends are typically a time to relax, unwind, and recharge. For most people, that might involve a Netflix marathon, a lazy morning, or a walk in nature. For me, though, weekends are something entirely different—they’re a chance to dive headfirst into my world of systems, code, and optimization. Here’s a peek into what my weekends…
From Logs to Insights: Leveraging Load Balancer Data for Smarter Monitoring
In a complex infrastructure, where load balancers are key to ensuring smooth traffic flow, gaining actionable insights from traffic patterns is critical. The challenge? Turning raw log data into meaningful information. Recently, we embarked on a project to extract valuable data from our load balancer logs, integrate it into our monitoring system, and prepare for…
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From Time Series to Insights: Building Machine Learning Models with InfluxDB
In this blog, we will walk you through a practical process of extracting data from an InfluxDB time-series database, preparing it for analysis, and leveraging it to train machine learning models. InfluxDB is a powerful time-series database designed for metrics and events. Along the way, we’ll also explore how to identify the best features for your models.…
The Hidden Costs of Ignoring Database Compression
When optimizing databases, many focus on indexing, query optimization, and scaling infrastructure. While these are essential, one often-overlooked factor can silently drain resources and increase costs: compression—or the lack of it. For databases like InfluxDB, which handle time-series data or datasets with repetitive patterns, ignoring compression can lead to bloated storage, degraded performance, and unnecessary…
Hidden WordPress Optimization Tips You Probably Didn’t Know
WordPress optimization often revolves around common practices like caching, image compression, and installing popular SEO plugins. But if you want to truly maximize your website’s performance, you need to dig deeper. Here are some lesser-known but highly effective tips to make your WordPress site faster, leaner, and more efficient. 1. Disable Default Emojis WordPress loads emoji…
Unlocking the Power of Semantic Connections on Your Website
In today’s digital world, simply publishing content isn’t enough. To stand out, your website needs to be smart, not just stuffed with keywords. One of the most effective strategies for improving user engagement and SEO is leveraging semantic connections to organize and present your content intelligently. This not only makes it easier for visitors to find what…
The Human Side of Technology: Learning, Growing, and Creating
With 35 years of experience in programming and managing complex systems, I thought I had seen it all. But the past few months have shown me there is always something new to learn. While I have a strong foundation in IT, technologies like MongoDB, InfluxDB, SQLite, Python, and machine learning were uncharted territory for me.…
Simplify Your Server Deployments with a Smart Installation Script
Server deployments can be tedious, especially when you need to configure each server manually. Tasks like setting up directories, copying scripts, installing dependencies, and scheduling periodic jobs can be repetitive and error-prone. Wouldn’t it be great if all of this could be handled with a single command? That’s where a robust installation script comes in.…
By 2030, Our Monitoring System Decided We Weren’t Needed Anymore
Six years ago, it was just a humble monitoring project. We wrote a few scripts, set up agents, and proudly collected CPU and RAM metrics. But by 2030, that “simple system” has evolved into something far beyond what we ever imagined—or intended. Somewhere along the way, it decided it didn’t need us anymore. Spoiler alert:…
5 Things We Got Wrong While Building Our Monitoring and Backup Systems
Building a robust IT infrastructure is never a straightforward task. Between monitoring and backups, we thought we had it all figured out—until reality hit. While the end result is a system we’re proud of, the journey was anything but perfect. Along the way, we made our share of mistakes. But each misstep taught us something…
Proactive Monitoring: Building a Smarter IT Infrastructure
Managing an IT environment goes beyond simply keeping the lights on. As infrastructures grow, so do the complexities of managing them. Reacting to issues after they occur is no longer enough. That’s why we built a proactive monitoring system—one that doesn’t just detect problems but helps predict and prevent them. The Monitoring Challenge With dozens…
