#88: The Creator of Everywhere SQLite

This week, I have a lot of exciting topics for you, including a guide to simplifying internal AWS Lambda APIs, features we'd like to see in PostgreSQL, how Cloudflare improved its DNS record build speed, a SRE checklist, and more. We'll also be discussing tools like Hearths, which helps prevent cold starts in AWS Lambda, Caretta, a visual Kubernetes network map creator, sls-mentor, a tool that analyzes AWS resources against best practice rules, and Gefyra, a tool that runs local code in any Kubernetes cluster.

And I have a special treat for you this week, as I shared a podcast featuring Richard Hipp, the creator of SQLite. Listen to the story of how his small project became a fundamental part of today's technology infrastructure, from smartphones to commercial planes. This is a must-listen for all tech enthusiasts and database enthusiasts alike.

I hope you enjoy this week’s newsletter! Share it with a friend or colleague if you find it helpful, drop me an email or send me a DM on Twitter about topics you’d like to hear about in future editions.

📖 POSTS OF THE WEEK

Simplifying internal AWS Lambda APIs
AWS Lambda's Lambda APIs are a powerful yet often overlooked feature. Discover the inner workings of these APIs through a comprehensive guide, complete with real-world examples of their practical applications.
Read more »

"Features I'd like in PostgreSQL" - Feature including "i-am-a-dummy mode" like in MySQL to prevent accidental deletion, a unit test mode that randomly sorts query results, query progress in the psql client like in MariaDB, and Pandas-like join validation - Read more »

"How we improved DNS record build speed by more than 4,000x" - Learn how Cloudflare has improved its DNS record propagation speed, allowing customers to quickly change their configurations and make their system more agile - Read more »

"SRE checklist" - A checklist for anyone practicing Site Reliability Engineering. It contains a list of skills and tools to master as well practices to follow - Read more »

"Visualize and gain insights into your AWS cost and usage" - This blog post demonstrates how you can visualize and analyze your AWS Cost and Usage data with Amazon Managed Grafana while using the Amazon Athena plugin - Read more »

"How to add a SBOM to your containers with GitHub Actions" - Learn how to add a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) to your containers with GitHub Actions in a few easy steps - Read more »

"Serverless streaming engine with AI/ML backend" - This demo shows how you can use CDK and amplify to build a streaming service with a smart backend that analyze the streaming media using a AI/ML service - Read more »

"Building a staging environment for data teams" - Building a staging environment for data teams is challenging. It’s complicated since tables don’t have a simple version control system. Changing scripts isn’t the only thing you need to do; you also need to find a way to change data in tables without affecting production - Read more »

"Never worry about Cold Starts in AWS Lambda again" - This blog post introduces Hearth, an open-source app that provides developers with the ability to set custom timers for each Lambda function and visualize key metrics, and aggregate recent CloudWatch logs for selected Lambda functions to assist with monitoring cold starts - Read more »

🛠 PROJECTS OF THE WEEK

An open source command line interface that runs checks on infrastructure as code to catch potential deployment issues before deploying - Learn more »

Caretta is a lightweight, standalone tool that instantly creates a visual network map in Grafana of the services running in your Kubernetes cluster - Learn more »

sls-mentor is a tool that analyzes the configuration of your AWS resources against best practice rules. It solves problems before they occur, and optimizes your app’s performances and costs - Learn more »

Gefyra runs local code in any Kubernetes cluster without the build and push cycle. It overlays containers in the cluster making code changes immediately available - Learn more »

RESTler is the first stateful REST API fuzzing tool for automatically testing cloud services through their REST APIs and finding security and reliability bugs in these services - Learn more »

Cloud-local developer experience for Serverless. Single-digit second deploys, and logs streamed from CloudWatch straight to your terminal - Learn more »

📰 NEWSWORTHY STORIES

"What is Google doing with its open source teams?" - Read more »

"Why WhatsApp only needs 50 engineers for its 900M users" - Read more »

"CircleCI incident report for January 4, 2023" - Read more »

"Will ChatGPT replace developers?" - Read more »

📕 BOOK OF THE WEEK

"Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age" by Paul Graham, founder of Hacker News and Y Combinator, is a must-read for tech enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. In this book, PG explores the intersection of art, technology, and business, discussing the impact of the computer age on these areas and the role of hackers in shaping the future. He argues that the ability to code is a valuable skill and offers insights on how to think like a hacker, encouraging readers to bring their big ideas to life.

🎧 PODCAST/WEBINAR OF THE WEEK

Richard Hipp is the creator of SQLite, an open-source database software that has become an essential part of today's technology infrastructure, found in products from smartphones to commercial planes. In this podcast, Hipp shares the story of how his small project grew beyond expectations, leading to relationships with tech giants, and more 🔥

💼 OPEN JOBS OF THE WEEK