Software & CodingSep 03, 2026
How to Manage Technical Debt in Software Projects
Technical debt in software projects requires systematic tracking, code refactoring, and prioritization alongside new features to maintain system stability.
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Ethan Mercer is a software development specialist focused on modern web applications, software architecture, and engineering practices.
He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Computer Science and combines software engineering fundamentals with an interest in modern development technologies.
His areas of expertise include application architecture, APIs, databases, development workflows, and scalable software systems. Ethan focuses on making complex development concepts understandable and useful for developers and technology teams.
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Articles by Ethan Mercer
Software & CodingSep 03, 2026
Token Bucket vs Sliding Window Rate Limiting: What's the Difference?
Token Bucket permits sudden traffic bursts up to a fixed capacity, whereas Sliding Window provides smoother, more precise rate limiting across a rolling time frame.
Read articleSoftware & CodingSep 03, 2026
What Is Distributed Tracing and How Is It Used in Microservices?
Distributed tracing tracks request flows across microservices, identifying latency and errors in complex architectures. It ensures observability.
Read articleSoftware & CodingSep 03, 2026
What Is Observability and How Do You Monitor Applications?
Observability relies on metrics, logs, and traces to assess system health. Application monitoring actively tracks these signals to resolve performance issues efficiently.
Read articleSoftware & CodingSep 02, 2026
What Is a Feature Flag and How Is It Used in Software Releases?
A feature flag is a software development technique used to enable or disable functionalities without deploying new code. It facilitates safe rollbacks and A/B testing.
Read articleSoftware & CodingSep 02, 2026
What Is API Versioning and How Should You Implement It?
API versioning allows developers to update software interfaces without breaking existing client integrations. Methods include URI path, query parameters, and custom headers.
Read articleSoftware & CodingSep 02, 2026
What Is the GraphQL N+1 Problem and How Do You Fix It?
The GraphQL N+1 problem occurs when a server executes multiple separate database queries for nested data. Use tools like DataLoader to batch and cache requests efficiently.
Read articleSoftware & CodingSep 02, 2026
What Is the CAP Theorem and How Does It Affect Distributed Systems?
The CAP theorem states that distributed data stores can only guarantee two out of three traits: Consistency, Availability, and Partition Tolerance simultaneously.
Read articleSoftware & CodingSep 02, 2026
What Does ACID Mean in Databases and Why Does It Matter?
ACID stands for Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability. These database properties guarantee transaction reliability, preventing data corruption during system failures.
Read articleSoftware & CodingSep 02, 2026
What Is a Database Index and How Does It Speed Up Queries?
A database index is a specialized data structure that drastically reduces query execution time by minimizing disk I/O and locating data rows instantly without full table scans.
Read articleSoftware & CodingSep 02, 2026
What Is Caching and How Does It Improve Application Performance?
Caching stores frequently accessed data in temporary memory locations, significantly reducing server load and accelerating application response times for optimal performance.
Read articleSoftware & CodingSep 02, 2026
Kafka vs RabbitMQ: What's the Difference?
Apache Kafka is an event streaming platform built for high-throughput data pipelines, whereas RabbitMQ is a traditional message broker optimized for complex routing.
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