Arc Notes Weekly #86: Open Source
This week, Cloudflare’s DNS migration boosted reliability, AWS uses automated reasoning to optimize systems, and Jujutsu bridges Mercurial and Git.
This week, learn how Cloudflare migrated billions of active DNS records without downtime, gaining efficiency and reliability along the way. Discover why automated reasoning is reshaping AWS systems for greater performance and maintainability. Finally, dive into Jujutsu, a tool offering Mercurial users a smooth transition to Git.
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Enjoy this week's round-up!
— Mahdi Yusuf (@myusuf3) or LinkedIn
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Articles
Why Software Only Moves Forward
Why Software Only Moves Forward,” Swizec Teller discusses the challenges of maintaining software systems, emphasizing that once data is stored, the software must continually evolve to accommodate it, as rolling back is often impractical. Migrating Billions of DNS Records
Cloudflare’s blog post provides a detailed look at the ambitious migration of billions of active DNS records to a new database, executed seamlessly without service disruption. This technical deep dive showcases how they tackled challenges like minimizing downtime, ensuring data integrity, and optimizing performance for one of the most critical components of the internet infrastructure.What I Wish Someone Told Me About Postgres
In “What I Wish Someone Told Me About Postgres,” the author shares insights from years of experience with PostgreSQL, covering topics like data normalization, effective use of psql, indexing strategies, and the nuances of JSONB. The article offers practical advice to help developers navigate PostgreSQL’s complexities and optimize their database management practices.Helping You Flex Your Product Muscles.
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How Automated Reasoning Enhances AWS Systems
AWS explores how automated reasoning—a technique using logic to verify system behavior—has improved efficiency, reliability, and maintenance across services like S3 and IAM. By identifying subtle bugs and enabling secure updates, AWS demonstrates the transformative potential of this approach in modern system design.Jujutsu: A Haven for Mercurial Users
We have covered jj (we love it) before this article discusses the challenges faced by Mercurial enthusiasts at Mozilla as the organization transitions to Git. He introduces Jujutsu, a version control system developed by Martin Von Zweigbergk, which integrates Mercurial’s features with Git’s backend, offering a seamless experience for users accustomed to Mercurial’s workflows.Magic of Tidying Up Code
In this post, the author reflects on the practice of “tidying” code—small, safe cleanups that can lead to significant improvements over time. They share rules like avoiding difficult tasks when tired, landing changes immediately, and reverting when encountering issues. The process encourages incremental progress without requiring a grand vision of the final design. The post emphasizes how tidying can lead to major architectural improvements through disciplined, low-risk steps.Should we decompose our monolith?
This article explores strategies for deciding whether to decompose a monolith into microservices. It outlines key considerations such as business and engineering constraints, trade-offs in managing complexity, and the overhead of both architectures. The piece emphasizes that while microservices can offer benefits, they often introduce operational burdens, making a careful evaluation essential before proceeding with decomposition.Consuming the Firehose for Less Than $2.50/mo
In “Consuming the Firehose for Less Than $2.50/mo,” Phil explores cost-effective methods to access Bluesky’s real-time data stream. By utilizing Jetstream—a WebSocket JSON feed—users can connect to the network’s live events effortlessly. Phil shares insights from developing a lightweight application that monitors and displays deleted posts, all while operating on a minimal budget.Projects
libSQL
This change isn't without its drama. libSQL is an open-source fork of SQLite that maintains full compatibility with the original API while introducing enhancements like server capabilities, HTTP protocol support, and replication features. It offers developers the flexibility to use it as an embedded database or as a server, catering to diverse application needs.docling
Docling is an open-source tool designed to streamline the conversion of various document formats—including PDF, DOCX, PPTX, images, HTML, AsciiDoc, and Markdown—into structured outputs like Markdown and JSON.
