When Lambda@Edge log groups refuse to exist during deployment. A journey through AWS documentation, failed attempts, and the realization that some problems don't have elegant solutions.
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Go beyond single packages! Learn how to structure, configure, and manage complex multi-project Python setups with proper dependency management, testing strategies, and deployment patterns.
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When your ECS agent vanishes into thin air and AWS documentation sends you down a rabbit hole of despair. A tale of debugging, coffee, and the triumph of stubbornness over cloud services.
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Stop the Python path madness! Learn how to properly install local projects with virtual environments, pyproject.toml, and editable installs. Your future self will thank you.
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AWS says MySQL 8.0 reaches end of standard support in July 2026. But they conveniently forgot to mention which version you should actually upgrade to. Spoiler: It's 8.4, and here's why.
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A deep dive into RDS Reserved Instance pricing reveals that paying everything upfront might not be the smart financial move you think it is. Let's do the math.
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A story about investigating AWS cost anomalies, Amazon Q's AI debugging attempts, and discovering the real culprit was... wait for it! (Spoiler Alert) Expired Reserved Instances.
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A comprehensive guide to implementing cost-effective IP gating with Lambda@Edge, including real-world gotchas, cost comparisons with AWS WAF, and a decision framework for choosing the right solution.
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Learn how to create clean, testable service layers that encapsulate business logic and database operations. Complete guide to CRUD operations, query patterns, and best practices.
Read moreMaster the art of creating clean, maintainable DynamoDB models with boto3-assist. Learn about composite keys, GSIs, lambda functions, and advanced patterns for real-world applications.
Read moreDiscover how to efficiently model parent-child relationships in DynamoDB using single-table design. Learn how to retrieve an order and all its items in a single query with boto3-assist.
Read moreLearn how boto3-assist makes DynamoDB single-table design simple and maintainable. Discover the benefits of storing all your entities in one table and how to leverage composite keys for maximum performance.
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A deep dive into the highs and lows of using Windsurf AI for software development, and how it has boosted my productivity by a factor of 10.
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Move from messy, unstructured logs to clean, queryable JSON logs in your Python AWS Lambda functions using aws_lambda_powertools and unlock powerful querying with CloudWatch Logs Insights.
Read moreEncountering the dreaded 'internal error occurred' message in Windsurf, especially with Claude? This guide explores common workarounds, why it happens, and a reliable fix for this frustrating issue.
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Deconstruct your .NET monolith into scalable microservices. This guide walks you through containerizing your application, setting up a CI/CD pipeline, and deploying to AWS Fargate for a resilient and modern architecture.
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Protect your serverless APIs with robust authentication and authorization. This tutorial provides a step-by-step guide to implementing custom Lambda authorizers with JSON Web Tokens (JWT) for fine-grained access control.
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Unlock the power of AWS for data processing. This guide covers everything a Python developer needs to know about using Boto3 to interact with S3, from basic file uploads to advanced operations like presigned URLs and multipart uploads.
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Don't let infrastructure bugs break production. This article introduces the core principles of testing your AWS CDK applications, including unit tests, snapshot tests, and validation tests.
Read moreExplore the power of .NET 8's minimal APIs for serverless applications. This guide shows you how to build lightweight, high-performance APIs on AWS Lambda, complete with examples and deployment scripts.
Read moreMove beyond basic stacks by learning how to create and publish your own reusable L3 constructs for AWS CDK, covering best practices for building modular and testable infrastructure components.
Read moreDiscover cdk-factory, a framework that brings a declarative, configuration-first mindset to your AWS CDK projects, making your deployments more reusable and consistent.
Read moreMeet AWS Kiro, the latest AI-powered coding assistant from Amazon. We explore its key features and compare it to existing tools like CodeWhisperer and GitHub Copilot.
Read moreDiscover a powerful, interactive script that automates version management, dependency checks, and uploading to PyPI, streamlining your entire release workflow.
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Learn why and how to maintain a healthy Git repository with essential cleanup commands
Read moreAn introduction to py-aws-code-artifact-tool, a command-line tool that simplifies building, configuring, and publishing Python packages to AWS CodeArtifact.
Read moreA quick guide to py-setup-tool, a simple shell script that automates Python project initialization, including virtual environment creation and dependency installation.
Read moreSimplify your AWS scripting with boto3-assist, a lightweight Python library that wraps common Boto3 operations in an intuitive, developer-friendly interface. Spend less time reading docs and more time building.
Read moreA modern guide to packaging your Python project and publishing it to the Python Package Index (PyPI) using the standard `build` and `twine` tools.
Read moreStop using SSH and bastion hosts. Learn how to use AWS Systems Manager Session Manager and Run Command to securely access and manage your EC2 instances without opening any inbound ports.
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When deploying modern web applications to CloudFront, the routing strategy you need depends entirely on your application architecture. Get it wrong, and your users will see the homepage when they refresh /about. Get it right, and everything just works.
Read moreIAM is the cornerstone of AWS security. This deep dive covers essential best practices for crafting least-privilege IAM roles and policies to secure your cloud resources.
Read moreGo beyond the basics of dependency injection in .NET. This guide covers advanced topics like keyed services, factory registrations, and managing service lifetimes for complex scenarios.
Read moreGo beyond generic code suggestions by fine-tuning a foundation model on your own codebase to generate more accurate and context-aware code with Amazon Bedrock.
Read moreSafely roll out new features with canary deployments. Learn how to configure API Gateway and Lambda to gradually shift traffic to a new version of your API, minimizing the impact of potential bugs.
Read moreAutomate your infrastructure deployments directly from your source control. This guide provides a complete workflow for setting up a GitHub Actions pipeline to build, test, and deploy your AWS CDK stacks.
Read moreFastAPI is a modern, fast web framework for building APIs with Python. When deploying to AWS, two popular choices are Lambda and Fargate. This article explores the pros and cons of each, helping you decide which is the right fit for your next project.
Read moreA step-by-step tutorial on creating a classic serverless data pipeline where files dropped into an S3 bucket automatically trigger a Python Lambda function to process the data and store the results in DynamoDB.
Read moreInstrument your .NET serverless applications like a pro. This guide introduces AWS Powertools for .NET, a suite of utilities that simplifies structured logging, custom metrics, and distributed tracing.
Read moreImprove the quality and reliability of your Python code by adding static type checking. This guide introduces Mypy, the standard tool for finding type errors before you even run your code.
Read moreTired of theoretical advice? This article dives into 5 actionable, real-world strategies for cutting down your AWS bill, from right-sizing instances to leveraging Savings Plans and Spot Instances effectively.
Read moreUnlock advanced, real-time patterns in DynamoDB. Learn how to use DynamoDB Streams to trigger Lambda functions on data changes and how to implement Time To Live (TTL) for automatic data expiration.
Read moreUnderstand the core components of an Amazon VPC, including subnets, route tables, and security groups, and learn why it's the foundational building block for security on AWS.
Read moreBuild powerful, real-time GraphQL APIs with ease. This tutorial walks you through creating an AWS AppSync API, connecting it to a DynamoDB data source, and writing your first resolvers.
Read moreDecouple your microservices and build resilient, event-driven systems. Learn how to use Amazon EventBridge to filter and route events between different AWS services.
Read moreMove beyond simple Lambda chains. This guide explores how to use AWS Step Functions to build robust, stateful, and observable serverless workflows.
Read moreA beginner's guide for .NET developers on how to containerize an ASP.NET Core application using Docker, covering the Dockerfile, build process, and running the container.
Read moreA practical guide to getting started with Amazon Cognito. Learn how to use User Pools and Identity Pools to add user sign-up, sign-in, and secure access to your web and mobile applications.
Read more2024 was a pivotal year for artificial intelligence. We review the biggest trends, from the rise of autonomous AI agents and multimodal models to the maturation of AI-powered developer tools.
Read moreA detailed comparison between running containers on AWS Lambda and AWS Fargate, helping you decide which service is the best fit for your workload's scalability, performance, and cost needs.
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An in-depth look at Windsurf, the new AI-powered code editor from Codeium. Discover how it compares to Cursor and Copilot, and whether it's the future of AI-assisted development.
Read moreLearn how to implement powerful structured logging in your .NET applications using Serilog, with examples for enriching log events and writing to sinks like the console and files.
Read moreA deep dive into Python's asyncio library, explaining the fundamentals of asynchronous programming, the event loop, and how to use `await` and `asyncio.gather` for concurrent I/O operations.
Read moreLearn how to move beyond simple Lambda functions and orchestrate complex, multi-step workflows in a reliable and visual way using AWS Step Functions.
Read moreAutomate the deployment of your AWS CDK applications by creating a self-mutating CI/CD pipeline using AWS CDK Pipelines, CodeCommit, and CodeBuild.
Read moreLearn how to structure your Python projects for scalability and maintainability. This guide covers a standard layout including source directories, tests, and configuration files.
Read moreElevate your testing game by learning best practices for writing clean, maintainable, and effective unit tests in .NET using popular frameworks like xUnit and Moq.
Read moreUnderstand the power of IAM Roles in AWS by exploring the most common use cases, from granting EC2 instances access to S3 to enabling cross-account access.
Read moreA detailed comparison between Python's built-in Data Classes and the powerful Pydantic library to help you decide which is best for your data modeling and validation needs.
Read moreLearn how to replace traditional cron jobs with the more powerful and serverless AWS EventBridge Scheduler to trigger Lambda functions, ECS tasks, and more on a recurring schedule.
Read moreLearn how to securely grant temporary access to private S3 objects by generating presigned URLs for both uploading and downloading files using Python and Boto3.
Read moreA practical guide to understanding and using the built-in dependency injection container in .NET, covering service lifetimes, constructors, and best practices.
Read moreExplore the power of event-driven architecture on AWS by connecting services like S3, SQS, and EventBridge to AWS Lambda functions for scalable and resilient systems.
Read moreA 2024 guide to Python dependency management, comparing the classic Pip/venv with modern tools like Poetry and PDM to help you choose the right workflow for your project.
Read moreLearn how to customize foundation models for your specific tasks by fine-tuning them with your own data using Amazon Bedrock, and when to choose fine-tuning over RAG.
Read moreGo beyond the basics and learn five practical, high-impact strategies for reducing your AWS bill, including right-sizing, storage lifecycle policies, and leveraging serverless.
Read moreAn introductory guide to Amazon Bedrock, showing you how to use Python and Boto3 to interact with powerful foundation models like Anthropic's Claude for text generation tasks.
Read moreGo beyond basic print statements and learn how to implement robust, structured, and configurable logging in your Python applications using the built-in logging module.
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An objective comparison between two leading Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools, Terraform and the AWS CDK. Learn the pros and cons of each to decide which is right for your team.
Read moreA clear comparison between VPC Peering and AWS Transit Gateway to help you decide which service is the right choice for connecting your Amazon VPCs.
Read moreLearn how to secure your Amazon API Gateway endpoints using AWS Lambda authorizers, with a focus on validating JWTs (JSON Web Tokens) for robust, token-based authentication.
Read moreA comprehensive comparison of AWS's flagship database services—RDS, DynamoDB, and Aurora—to help you choose the perfect database for your application's needs in 2024.
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A comprehensive review of Cursor, the AI-first code editor. Discover how it compares to VS Code with Copilot, its killer features, and whether it's worth switching your entire workflow.
Read moreMaster the powerful and flexible configuration system in .NET. Learn how to use appsettings.json, environment variables, user secrets, and the options pattern to build robust applications.
Read moreFrom optional comments to a core language feature, explore the journey of Python's type hinting system and how modern features in Python 3.12+ are making code more robust and readable.
Read moreMove beyond the basics and learn five essential best practices for writing clean, scalable, and maintainable AWS CDK applications in 2024.
Read moreA head-to-head comparison of two leading AI code assistants, Cursor and GitHub Copilot. Discover which tool is best suited for your development workflow in 2024.
Read moreExplore how to build lightweight, high-performance serverless APIs using .NET 8's Minimal API framework and the Amazon.Lambda.AspNetCoreServer package on AWS Lambda.
Read moreLearn the importance of Python virtual environments and master the built-in venv module to manage project-specific dependencies and avoid the dreaded 'dependency hell'.
Read moreA comprehensive guide to AWS IAM Identity Center, the service formerly known as AWS SSO. Learn how it simplifies multi-account access and centralizes user management.
Read moreDemystify the purpose of the __init__.py file in Python. Learn how it turns directories into packages and how you can use it to control your package's public API.
Read moreUnderstand what AWS Lambda cold starts are, why they happen, and explore the latest strategies and features in 2024 to mitigate their impact on your serverless applications.
Read moreElevate your team's workflow with this guide to essential Git best practices. Learn how to write better commit messages, use branches effectively, and keep your repository history clean and understandable.
Read moreA look back at 2023, the transformative year when generative AI went from a niche technology to a mainstream phenomenon. We review the impact of GPT-4, the explosion of AI tools, and the rise of the open-source movement.
Read moreA look at the key features introduced in C# 11 with the release of .NET 7, including raw string literals, generic math, and required members, and how they improve the developer experience.
Read moreA guide to automating the deployment of your serverless applications using the AWS Serverless Application Model (SAM) CLI. Learn how to use `sam build` and `sam deploy` to create a simple CI/CD pipeline.
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A developer's guide to JSON Web Tokens (JWTs). Learn what they are, how they are structured, why they are the standard for securing modern REST APIs, and how they compare to traditional sessions.
Read moreElevate your serverless applications with AWS Lambda Powertools for Python. This guide introduces the three core utilities—Tracer, Logger, and Metrics—for implementing structured logging, distributed tracing, and custom metrics.
Read moreAn introduction to Boto3, the official AWS SDK for Python. Learn how to set up your credentials and use clients and resources to interact with AWS services like S3 and EC2.
Read moreA detailed comparison between Python's built-in Data Classes and the powerful Pydantic library to help you decide which is best for your data modeling and validation needs.
Read moreLearn the power of Docker multi-stage builds to create smaller, more secure, and more efficient container images for your .NET applications. A crucial best practice for modern containerization.
Read moreAmazon Bedrock is a new, fully managed service that makes leading foundation models from AI startups and Amazon available via an API. Learn what it is and how to get started.
Read moreUnderstand the Lambda proxy integration, the standard and most powerful way to connect Amazon API Gateway to your AWS Lambda functions. Learn about the event payload and response format.
Read moreDiscover the pyproject.toml file, the modern, unified standard for configuring Python projects. Learn how it replaces older files like setup.py and requirements.txt and how to use it to manage your project's dependencies and tools.
Read moreAn introduction to C# records. Learn what they are, why they are useful for creating immutable data types, and how their concise syntax can make your code cleaner and more robust.
Read moreA practical introduction to the core components of an Amazon VPC, including subnets, route tables, and security groups. Learn why the VPC is the foundational building block for security on AWS.
Read moreAn introduction to pytest, the most popular testing framework for Python. Learn how to write simple, readable tests, use fixtures for setup, and run your test suite.
Read moreMaster the powerful and flexible configuration system in .NET. This guide covers the modern approach using appsettings.json, environment variables, user secrets, and the options pattern.
Read moreAn essential guide to understanding AWS IAM Roles. Learn what they are, how they work, and see practical examples for granting EC2 instances access to S3 and enabling cross-account access.
Read moreA clear and practical guide to understanding decorators in Python. Learn what they are, how they work, and how to use them to add functionality to your functions without modifying their code.
Read moreStop creating new HttpClient instances. This guide explains the problems with traditional HttpClient usage and shows how to use IHttpClientFactory in .NET to create resilient and performant HTTP clients.
Read moreA practical guide to understanding the importance of the partition key in Amazon DynamoDB. Learn how to choose a key that ensures even data distribution and avoids hot partitions for optimal performance.
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Discover AWS CodeWhisperer, Amazon's AI-powered coding companion. Learn how it compares to GitHub Copilot, best practices for AI-assisted development, and tips to maximize your productivity.
Read moreUnlock the power of LINQ (Language-Integrated Query) in C#. This guide covers the essential methods like Where, Select, OrderBy, and GroupBy to help you write more declarative and readable data manipulation code.
Read moreLearn the fundamentals of Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS). This guide covers what message queues are, the difference between Standard and FIFO queues, and how to use SQS to build resilient, decoupled applications.
Read morePython 3.11 is one of the most significant releases in the language's history, bringing major performance improvements. We dive into what makes it faster and why you should upgrade.
Read moreA practical guide to asynchronous programming in C#. Demystify the async and await keywords and learn how they work together to write responsive, non-blocking code.
Read moreGo beyond the basics of Python's requests library. This guide covers everything from making simple GET requests to handling headers, authentication, and sessions for robust API interactions.
Read moreA practical guide to building lightweight, high-performance APIs in .NET 7 using the Minimal APIs framework. Learn how to get rid of the boilerplate and focus on your endpoints.
Read moreA look back at 2023, the year generative AI went mainstream. We explore the impact of groundbreaking models like GPT-4 and the explosion of AI-powered tools that changed the tech landscape forever.
Read moreA straightforward guide to using Python's built-in venv module. Learn why you don't need complex tools for most projects and how to master the standard for dependency isolation.
Read moreA practical checklist for developers to ensure their Amazon S3 buckets are secure. Cover the essentials from Block Public Access and bucket policies to encryption and access logging.
Read moreDiscover the power and simplicity of Python's f-strings. This guide covers the basics, formatting options, and why they are the modern, preferred way to build strings.
Read moreA clear and practical guide to the three main service lifetimes in .NET dependency injection: Transient, Scoped, and Singleton. Understand the difference and when to use each one.
Read moreLearn how to use AWS Lambda Layers to manage your function's dependencies and share common code. A practical guide to keeping your Lambda deployment packages small and organized.
Read moreDiscover the modern, object-oriented way to handle filesystem paths in Python. This guide introduces the pathlib module and shows why it's a superior alternative to os.path.
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An introduction to the principles of Clean Code. Learn why writing clean, readable, and maintainable code is crucial for professional software development, and discover practical tips you can apply today.
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A look back at the major technology trends that defined 2022. From the explosion of generative AI with DALL-E 2 and ChatGPT to the continued rise of Rust and the consolidation of the cloud, we review the year's most impactful developments.
Read moreA guide to the modern Python best practices you should be using in 2023. From project management with pyproject.toml to type hints and f-strings, these are the standards for writing clean, professional Python code.
Read moreAn introduction to IAsyncEnumerable<T> and async streams in C#. Learn how to use `yield return` with `async` methods to create and consume streams of data asynchronously, improving performance and reducing memory usage.
Read moreLearn how to use Docker Compose to define and run multi-container applications. This guide covers the basics of the docker-compose.yml file and shows you how to easily manage complex applications with a single command.
Read moreA guide to one of Python's most beloved features: list comprehensions. Learn how to write concise, readable code to create lists from existing iterables, complete with conditional logic.
Read moreA guide to Amazon EventBridge, the serverless event bus for AWS. Learn how to use it to build decoupled, event-driven applications by routing events between AWS services, custom applications, and SaaS providers.
Read moreDemystify the *args and **kwargs syntax in Python. This guide explains how to use them to write flexible functions that can accept a variable number of positional and keyword arguments.
Read moreAn introduction to the built-in dependency injection (DI) container in .NET. Learn what DI is, why it's important, and how to register and inject services in your ASP.NET Core applications.
Read moreA developer's guide to the core components of an AWS IAM policy. Learn how to read and write policies by understanding Effect, Principal, Action, Resource, and Condition.
Read moreExplore the powerful container datatypes in Python's collections module. This guide covers Counter, defaultdict, deque, and namedtuple, and shows how they can help you write cleaner and more efficient code.
Read moreAn introduction to generics in C#. Learn how to use generic classes, methods, and interfaces to write flexible, reusable, and type-safe code that avoids casting and boxing.
Read moreLearn the fundamentals of Amazon SNS (Simple Notification Service). This guide covers the pub/sub pattern, topics, and subscriptions, and shows how to use SNS to build decoupled, event-driven applications on AWS.
Read moreUnlock the power of Python's itertools module. This guide explores the most useful functions for creating fast, memory-efficient iterators for handling simple and complex looping tasks.
Read moreAn introduction to Terraform, the popular Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool. Learn the basic workflow of writing, planning, and applying configuration to provision your first AWS resources.
Read moreA comprehensive guide to Python dictionaries. Learn how to create, access, modify, and loop through dictionaries, and discover the essential methods that make them so powerful.
Read moreAn introduction to Minimal APIs, the new, streamlined way to build web APIs in .NET 6. Learn how to create a fully functional API with just a few lines of code, and see how it compares to the traditional controller-based approach.
Read moreA beginner's guide to Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service). Learn the core concepts of buckets, objects, and keys, and discover why S3 is the backbone of data storage on AWS.
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Boost the performance of your I/O-bound Lambda functions by leveraging Python's async/await. This guide covers the setup, best practices, and common pitfalls of writing asynchronous Lambda handlers.
Read moreAn introduction to type hints in Python. Learn why adding types to your code can improve readability and prevent bugs, and how to use tools like Mypy to catch errors before you run your code.
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Implement essential security headers with AWS CloudFront Functions. Learn how to add HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options, and more to protect your users from common web vulnerabilities.
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Troubleshooting a common Entity Framework Core migration error
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Learn how to build, deploy, and optimize AWS Lambda functions with .NET 6 and C#. From cold starts to dependency injection, master serverless development with .NET.
Read moreAn introduction to Entity Framework Core (EF Core), the standard ORM for .NET. Learn how to set up a DbContext, define entities, and use LINQ to query a database without writing raw SQL.
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Master AWS API Gateway with these essential best practices. Learn about throttling, caching, authentication, monitoring, and cost optimization for scalable API design.
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Master DynamoDB single table design patterns. Learn why AWS recommends one table, how to model complex relationships, and best practices for scalable NoSQL database design.
Read moreExplore the major new features in C# 10, including global usings, file-scoped namespaces, and record structs. Learn how these changes can make your .NET code cleaner and more concise.
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Learn how to build and deploy AWS infrastructure using AWS CDK with Python. From your first stack to best practices, discover why CDK is changing how we write Infrastructure as Code.
Read moreStop using os.path! This guide introduces Python's pathlib module, the modern, object-oriented way to handle filesystem paths. Learn how to create, manipulate, read, and write files with clean and readable code.
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A comprehensive guide to securing your Amazon S3 buckets. Learn how to implement least-privilege access, enable encryption, block public access, and monitor for threats.
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Learn essential best practices for building scalable, secure, and cost-effective AWS Lambda functions. From cold starts to error handling, discover what separates good Lambda functions from great ones.
Read moreA clear and practical comparison of interfaces and abstract classes in C#. Understand the key differences and learn when to use each one to write better, more flexible object-oriented code.
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An introduction to the core concepts of REST (Representational State Transfer). Learn what an API is, what makes an API RESTful, and understand the key principles like resources, HTTP verbs, and status codes.
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A beginner's guide to SQL (Structured Query Language). Learn the fundamental concepts and the basic syntax for querying and manipulating data in relational databases.
Read moreA practical guide for developers to get started with Docker. Learn what containers are, why they are useful, and how to use the essential Docker commands to build and run your first application.
Read moreA foundational guide to AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM). Learn about the core components of IAM—users, groups, roles, and policies—and how they work together to securely control access to your AWS resources.
Read moreA look back at the defining technology trends of 2021. From the unification of .NET with .NET 6 to the dominance of GitHub Actions and the rise of serverless containers, we review a year defined by the maturation of development platforms.
Read moreAn introduction to the new global using directives feature in C# 10. Learn how this feature can help you reduce repetitive using statements and clean up the top of your C# files.
Read moreAn introduction to AWS CloudTrail, the service that provides a complete audit trail of all actions and API calls made in your AWS account. Learn why it's a fundamental tool for security, compliance, and operational auditing.
Read moreA guide to the common Python idiom if __name__ == '__main__':. Learn what this block of code does, why it's important, and how it allows you to write Python files that can be used as both runnable scripts and importable modules.
Read moreAn introduction to the new Minimal APIs feature in .NET 6. Learn how to build fast, lightweight web APIs with just a few lines of code, and see how it compares to the traditional controller-based approach.
Read moreAn overview of the final release of .NET 6, a Long-Term Support (LTS) release packed with performance improvements, new features like Minimal APIs and Hot Reload, and the official launch of .NET MAUI.
Read moreA summary of the most important best practices for writing asynchronous code in C# with async and await. Learn how to avoid common pitfalls like deadlocks and how to write clean, efficient async code.
Read moreA guide to type hints in Python. Learn what type hints are, how to use them to annotate your code, and how they can help you write more robust and maintainable programs with the help of static analysis tools.
Read moreA developer's guide to the AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK). Learn how you can use familiar programming languages like TypeScript and Python to define your cloud infrastructure and provision it through AWS CloudFormation.
Read moreAn early look at the exciting new features coming in .NET 6 and C# 10. From Minimal APIs and Hot Reload to global usings and file-scoped namespaces, we explore the next evolution of the .NET platform.
Read moreA guide to the ValueTask<T> struct in C#. Learn how it can be used as a lightweight alternative to Task<T> to improve performance and reduce allocations in high-throughput, asynchronous scenarios.
Read moreAn introduction to Amazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR), AWS's fully managed container registry service. Learn how ECR provides a secure and reliable place to store, manage, and deploy your Docker container images.
Read moreAn introduction to Pydantic, the powerful data validation and settings management library for Python. Learn how to use Python type hints to define data models that automatically parse and validate your data.
Read moreAn introduction to one of the biggest new features in Python 3.10: structural pattern matching. Learn how to use the new match/case statement to write cleaner, more expressive conditional logic.
Read moreA foundational guide to interfaces in C#. Learn what an interface is, how it differs from a class, and why interfaces are a crucial tool for building flexible, loosely coupled, and testable applications.
Read moreA conceptual guide to Object-Relational Mapping (ORM). Learn what an ORM is, the problem it solves (the object-relational impedance mismatch), and how it allows you to work with databases using the objects and classes of your favorite programming language.
Read moreA guide to the newly released AWS Lambda Powertools for .NET. Learn how this suite of utilities can help you implement serverless best practices for structured logging, custom metrics, and distributed tracing.
Read moreA beginner's guide to AWS CloudFormation, the native Infrastructure as Code (IaC) service for AWS. Learn how to define your AWS infrastructure in a declarative template to automate and standardize your deployments.
Read moreA guide to attributes in C#, a powerful mechanism for adding declarative metadata to your code. Learn how attributes work and see common examples from data validation to testing frameworks.
Read moreAn introduction to Blazor WebAssembly, the revolutionary .NET framework for building interactive, client-side web UIs with C#. Learn how it works and how it compares to the server-side Blazor hosting model.
Read moreAn introduction to NuGet, the package manager for .NET. Learn what NuGet is, how it helps you manage dependencies, and how to use it to add third-party libraries to your .NET projects.
Read moreA practical guide to the assignment expression operator (:=), also known as the walrus operator, introduced in Python 3.8. Learn how it can simplify common coding patterns and make your code more concise.
Read moreAn introduction to Amazon EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service). Learn what EKS is, how it simplifies running Kubernetes on AWS, and understand the core components of the EKS architecture.
Read moreA conceptual guide to Infrastructure as Code (IaC). Learn how IaC allows you to manage and provision your IT infrastructure through code instead of manual processes, and understand its key benefits.
Read moreAn introduction to C# 9's top-level statements feature, which allows you to write simple programs without the ceremony of a Program class and a Main method. Learn how it simplifies code and makes C# more beginner-friendly.
Read moreA look at the significance of .NET 5, the first major step in Microsoft's journey to unify the .NET ecosystem. Learn about its key goals, performance improvements, and what it means for the future of .NET development.
Read moreAn introduction to Amazon Aurora, AWS's cloud-native relational database. Learn how its unique architecture provides the performance and availability of commercial databases at a fraction of the cost.
Read moreAn introduction to C# 9 records, a new reference type that provides a simplified syntax for creating immutable data objects. Learn how records can help you reduce boilerplate and write more robust, data-centric code.
Read moreAn introduction to pytest, the most popular testing framework for Python. Learn how its simple syntax, powerful fixture model, and rich plugin ecosystem can make writing tests easier and more enjoyable.
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A guide to configuring Nginx to serve Blazor WebAssembly applications alongside API endpoints.
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A quick script to create and mount an EBS (elastic block storage) device to an EC2 instance in sixty seconds or less.
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A quick guide to mounting an AWS S3 bucket as a local directory on your EC2 instance
Read moreA guide to AWS Fargate, the serverless compute engine for containers. Learn how Fargate allows you to run containers on ECS and EKS without managing servers, and understand when to choose Fargate over EC2.
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A quick guide to install and configure AWS CloudWatch on your EC2 instances.
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Understanding and implementing the Docker multi-stage build pattern to create smaller, more efficient Docker images.
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A quick guide to installing Docker on your Amazon Linux 2 EC2 instance
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Take control of your application logs with CloudWatch!
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Troubleshooting MySQL connection string issues with Entity Framework and AWS RDS
Read moreA comparison of two of the most popular data access technologies in the .NET world: the full-featured ORM Entity Framework Core and the high-performance micro-ORM Dapper. Learn about their key differences and when to choose one over the other.
Read moreA beginner's guide to GitHub Actions. Learn the core concepts of workflows, events, jobs, and steps to automate your build, test, and deployment pipelines directly within your GitHub repository.
Read moreA practical guide to AWS Cost Explorer, the tool that lets you visualize, understand, and manage your AWS costs and usage over time. Learn how to use its reports and filters to identify cost drivers and find savings.
Read moreAn introduction to Python's modern `pathlib` module. Learn how to use its object-oriented approach to handle filesystem paths in a way that is simpler, more readable, and less error-prone than the traditional `os.path`.
Read moreA deep dive into the major features introduced in C# 9 with .NET 5, including records, top-level statements, and improved pattern matching. Learn how these additions can make your code more concise and expressive.
Read moreA guide to the classic string.Format method in C#. Learn how to use this powerful method with indexed placeholders and format specifiers to create complex, formatted strings.
Read moreA foundational guide to the string data type, one of the most basic building blocks in programming. Learn what a string is, how it's used to represent text, and some of the most common operations performed on it.
Read moreA look back at 2020, a year that transformed how we work and live. We review the massive acceleration of cloud adoption, the rise of remote collaboration tools, and the key technology trends that defined a year of unprecedented change.
Read moreA practical guide to the special *args and **kwargs syntax in Python functions. Learn how to use them to accept a variable number of positional and keyword arguments.
Read moreA developer's guide to gRPC, the modern, high-performance RPC framework. Learn how to build a simple gRPC service in ASP.NET Core, define a service with Protocol Buffers, and see how it compares to REST.
Read moreA beginner's guide to the core components of an Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC). Learn about subnets, route tables, internet gateways, and security groups to build your own isolated network in the AWS cloud.
Read moreA guide to the str.format() method for string formatting in Python. Learn how to use this powerful and flexible method with positional and keyword arguments to create dynamically formatted strings.
Read moreA beginner's guide to building your first REST API with ASP.NET Core. Learn about the basic project structure, controllers, and how to use dependency injection to build clean, testable APIs.
Read moreA foundational guide to the 'for' loop, one of the most fundamental control flow statements in programming. Learn how to use it to iterate over a sequence of items and execute a block of code repeatedly.
Read moreA look at the major new features coming in Python 3.9, including the new dictionary merge operators, more flexible type hinting, and the new zoneinfo module for timezone support.
Read moreAn early look at the ambitious vision for .NET 5. Learn about Microsoft's plan to unify the .NET ecosystem into a single platform and what it means for the future of building applications with C#.
Read moreA foundational guide to the 'finally' block in structured exception handling. Learn how 'finally' guarantees the execution of cleanup code, regardless of whether an exception was thrown or not.
Read moreA beginner's guide to the fundamentals of Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service). Learn about buckets, objects, and keys, and understand why S3 is the foundational building block for data storage in the cloud.
Read moreA deep dive into the async and await keywords in C#. Learn how they work together to simplify asynchronous programming, improve application responsiveness, and increase scalability.
Read moreA beginner's guide to Content Delivery Networks (CDNs). Learn how a CDN works to deliver web content faster and more reliably to users around the world by caching it in geographically distributed locations.
Read moreA comprehensive guide to f-strings (formatted string literals) in Python. Learn why they are the modern, clean, and fast way to embed expressions inside string literals.
Read moreAn introduction to AWS IAM Roles, a fundamental security tool. Learn what roles are, how they work, and why they are the secure way to grant permissions to your AWS resources and applications.
Read moreA clear explanation of the difference between the two most important .NET CLI commands: `dotnet build` and `dotnet publish`. Learn what each command does and when you should use them.
Read moreA foundational guide to relational databases. Learn the core concepts of tables, rows, columns, and keys, and understand how SQL is used to define and manipulate the structured data within them.
Read moreA practical guide for .NET developers on how to get started with Docker. Learn how to containerize an ASP.NET Core application, understand the Dockerfile, and use multi-stage builds to create small, secure production images.
Read moreAn explanation of the purpose of the __init__.py file in Python. Learn how it's used to mark directories as Python packages and how you can use it to control your package's namespace.
Read moreA look at the key features introduced in Python 3.8, including the controversial but powerful assignment expression operator (:=), positional-only arguments, and f-string improvements.
Read moreA foundational guide to the __init__ method in Python classes. Learn how this special method acts as the constructor to initialize the state of a new object.
Read moreA foundational guide to the 'for' loop in C#, a fundamental control flow statement for executing a block of code a specific number of times. Learn the classic syntax and how it gives you precise control over iteration.
Read moreA look back at the defining technology trends of 2019. From the landmark release of .NET Core 3.0 to the dominance of Kubernetes and the continued rise of serverless, we review a year defined by the maturation of cloud-native technologies.
Read moreA foundational guide to the 'while' loop in Python. Learn how to use this control flow statement to execute a block of code repeatedly as long as a certain condition remains true.
Read moreAn essential guide for Python developers on what virtual environments are, why they are crucial for project dependency management, and how to use the built-in venv module to create and manage them.
Read moreA beginner's guide to Terraform, the popular open-source Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool. Learn the core workflow of writing, planning, and applying infrastructure configurations in a safe and repeatable way.
Read moreA foundational guide to the 'struct' keyword in C#. Learn how structs are used to create lightweight value types and understand the key differences between a struct and a class.
Read moreAn overview of the official release of .NET Core 3.0. We explore the final features of this landmark release, including support for WPF and Windows Forms, C# 8.0 with nullable reference types, and first-class support for gRPC.
Read moreA beginner's guide to the core concepts of serverless computing and AWS Lambda. Learn what 'serverless' really means, how Lambda works, and why it's a revolutionary way to build applications in the cloud.
Read moreA deep dive into the most significant feature of C# 8.0: nullable reference types. Learn how this new feature aims to eliminate null reference exceptions by changing how the language treats null.
Read moreA beginner's guide to Amazon DynamoDB, AWS's fully managed NoSQL database service. Learn about its core concepts, including tables, items, and primary keys, and understand its benefits for building scalable applications.
Read moreAn early look at the major new features coming in .NET Core 3.0. From support for WPF and Windows Forms to the introduction of C# 8.0 with nullable reference types, we explore what makes this one of the most anticipated .NET releases ever.
Read moreAn introduction to LINQ (Language-Integrated Query) in C#. Learn how to use its powerful and expressive syntax to query in-memory collections, databases, and other data sources.
Read moreA guide to one of the most fundamental concepts of cloud security: the AWS Shared Responsibility Model. Learn what AWS is responsible for (security OF the cloud) and what you are responsible for (security IN the cloud).
Read moreA beginner's guide to the Python programming language. Learn why Python is so popular, how to write your first program, and understand the basic concepts of variables, data types, and functions.
Read moreA beginner's guide to ASP.NET Core, Microsoft's modern, open-source, and cross-platform framework for building web applications and services. Learn about its key features and what makes it a great choice for web development.
Read moreA conceptual guide to abstraction, one of the four fundamental pillars of object-oriented programming. Learn how abstraction simplifies complex systems by hiding implementation details and exposing only the essential features.
Read moreA look back at the defining technology trends of 2018. From the massive performance gains in .NET Core 2.1 to the developer-friendly features in Python 3.7, we review a year defined by a focus on performance and developer productivity.
Read moreA beginner's guide to Amazon API Gateway, the fully managed service for creating, publishing, and securing APIs at any scale. Learn how it acts as the 'front door' for your backend services, especially for serverless applications.
Read moreA beginner's guide to unit testing in .NET Core using the popular xUnit.net framework. Learn how to set up a test project, write your first tests with Facts and Theories, and follow the Arrange-Act-Assert pattern.
Read moreA conceptual guide to polymorphism, one of the four fundamental pillars of object-oriented programming. Learn how polymorphism allows objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common superclass.
Read moreA guide to the major new features in Python 3.7. We take a deep dive into the new @dataclass decorator, which dramatically reduces boilerplate, and explore other improvements like built-in breakpoint() and asyncio enhancements.
Read moreA beginner's guide to Docker, the world's leading containerization platform. Learn the fundamental concepts of images and containers, and walk through building and running your first containerized application.
Read moreA look at the small but useful new features introduced in C# 7.3, including tuple equality, enum constraints, and performance improvements for working with `in` parameters.
Read moreA foundational guide to the set, Python's data structure for storing unordered collections of unique elements. Learn how to create sets and perform common mathematical set operations like union and intersection.
Read moreA beginner's guide to the core principles of REST (Representational State Transfer). Learn what an API is, what makes an API 'RESTful', and understand the key concepts of resources, HTTP verbs, and statelessness.
Read moreAn overview of the major new features and improvements in .NET Core 2.1, a landmark Long-Term Support (LTS) release. We explore the massive performance gains, the introduction of global tools, and new features like SignalR.
Read moreA foundational guide to arrays in C#. Learn how to use this fundamental data structure to store a fixed-size, sequential collection of elements of the same type.
Read moreA beginner's guide to Git, the most popular version control system in the world. Learn the fundamental concepts of repositories, commits, branches, and how to use the basic commands to track your code.
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An introduction to the microservices architectural style. Learn what microservices are, how they compare to traditional monolithic applications, and understand their key benefits and challenges.
Read moreA beginner's guide to asynchronous programming in Python with async and await. Learn how the asyncio library enables cooperative multitasking to build high-performance, I/O-bound applications.
Read moreA foundational guide to the string (str) data type in Python. Learn how strings are used to represent text, their immutable nature, and some of the most common operations you can perform on them.
Read moreA beginner's guide to .NET Core, Microsoft's open-source, cross-platform successor to the .NET Framework. Learn about its key design principles and why it's the future of .NET development.
Read moreA look back at the defining technology trends of 2017. From the landmark release of .NET Core 2.0 to the continued rise of serverless and containers, we review a year that saw .NET emerge as a true cross-platform powerhouse.
Read moreAn introduction to extension methods in C#. Learn how to use this powerful feature to add new methods to existing types without creating a new derived type, recompiling, or otherwise modifying the original type.
Read moreA beginner's guide to the fundamental principles of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). Learn about classes, objects, and the four core concepts: Encapsulation, Abstraction, Inheritance, and Polymorphism.
Read moreA beginner's guide to Amazon SQS (Simple Queue Service), the fully managed message queuing service. Learn how message queues can help you build decoupled, scalable, and resilient distributed systems.
Read moreAn overview of the official release of ASP.NET Core 2.0. Learn about the major improvements, including the massive API expansion with .NET Standard 2.0 and the new Razor Pages model, which make the framework easier to use than ever.
Read moreA guide to the major new features introduced in Python 3.6, with a deep dive into the new formatted string literals (f-strings), which provide a more readable, concise, and faster way to format strings.
Read moreA beginner's guide to JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), the lightweight data-interchange format that has become the standard for web APIs. Learn its basic syntax and data types.
Read moreA foundational guide to modules in Python. Learn how modules are used to organize code into separate files, making your programs more manageable, reusable, and easier to understand.
Read moreAn early look at the major improvements coming in .NET Core 2.0. We explore the massive expansion of the API surface area with .NET Standard 2.0 and other features that promise to make .NET Core easier to use than ever.
Read moreA guide to the major new features introduced in C# 7.0, including tuples and deconstruction, pattern matching, and local functions. Learn how these features can make your C# code more concise and expressive.
Read moreA beginner's guide to the fundamental commands of SQL (Structured Query Language). Learn how to use SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE to query and manipulate data in a relational database.
Read moreA beginner's guide to the fundamental concepts of CI/CD. Learn what Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, and Continuous Deployment are, and why they are essential for modern software development.
Read moreA beginner's guide to the C# programming language. Learn about its key features, what it's used for, and walk through the basic syntax of variables, data types, and functions.
Read moreA look back at the defining technology trends of 2016. From Microsoft's historic open-source pivot with the release of .NET Core 1.0 to the mainstreaming of Docker and the rapid growth of AWS, we review a year of transformative change.
Read moreA beginner's guide to Entity Framework Core 1.0, the new, cross-platform Object-Relational Mapper (ORM) for .NET Core. Learn how to use it to work with databases using .NET objects instead of raw SQL.
Read moreAn early look at the exciting new features coming in Python 3.6. We explore the new f-strings for improved string formatting, underscores in numeric literals, and the new dictionary implementation.
Read moreA conceptual guide to asynchronous programming. Learn the difference between synchronous and asynchronous operations and understand why async is crucial for building responsive and scalable applications.
Read moreA beginner's guide to the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern in ASP.NET Core. Learn how MVC helps you build well-structured, testable web applications by separating concerns into three distinct roles.
Read moreA simple, non-technical explanation of what an API (Application Programming Interface) is. Learn how APIs allow different software applications to communicate and share data with each other.
Read moreCelebrating the landmark 1.0 release of .NET Core, ASP.NET Core, and Entity Framework Core. This is the official arrival of a cross-platform, open-source, and modular .NET for the modern era of software development.
Read moreA beginner's guide to the fundamental concepts of cloud computing. Learn what 'the cloud' is, the different service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), and the key benefits, using Amazon Web Services (AWS) as an example.
Read moreAn early look at the major changes in .NET Core Release Candidate 2 (RC2). We explore the shift from DNX to the new dotnet CLI and the evolution of the project format, which brings us closer to the final 1.0 release.
Read moreA beginner's guide to HTTP, the protocol that powers the World Wide Web. Learn about the basic request/response model, HTTP methods, and status codes.
Read moreA beginner's guide to JavaScript, the programming language of the web. Learn its basic syntax and how it's used to create interactive and dynamic web pages.
Read moreAn early look at .NET Core, Microsoft's radical new vision for a modular, cross-platform, and open-source .NET framework. Learn about the core principles behind this groundbreaking new platform.
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