Techreport blog

Engineering Insights & Guides

The best problem-solving writing in software engineering — databases, performance, security, frontend and distributed systems, in one feed.

11,670 articles
Security — The code that wasn’t there: Reading memory on an Android device by accident

The code that wasn’t there: Reading memory on an Android device by accident

CVE-2022-25664, a vulnerability in the Qualcomm Adreno GPU, can be used to leak large amounts of information to a malicious Android application. Learn more about how the vulnerability can be used to leak information in both the user space and kernel space level of pages, and how the GitHub Security Lab used the kernel space information leak to construct a KASLR bypass.

MYMan Yue MoMan Yue Mo·February 23, 2023Security
Distributed — Consistent hashing algorithm - High Scalability -

Consistent hashing algorithm - High Scalability -

You can subscribe to the system design newsletter to excel in system design interviews and software architecture. You can view the original article Consistent hashing explained on systemdesign.one website. How does consistent hashing work? At a high level, consistent hashing performs the following operations: 1. The output of the hash function is placed on a virtual ring structure (known as the ha

NNK·February 22, 2023Distributed
Engineering — How Meta brought AV1 to Reels

How Meta brought AV1 to Reels

We’re sharing how we’re enabling production and delivery of AV1 for Facebook Reels and Instagram Reels. We believe AV1 is the most viable codec for Meta for the coming years. It offers higher quality at a much lower bit rate compared with previous generations of video codecs. Meta has worked closely with the open source […]

CWChris Wiltz·February 21, 2023Engineering
Career & Teams — The Case Against Monkey Patching, From a Rails Core Team Member - Shopify

The Case Against Monkey Patching, From a Rails Core Team Member - Shopify

Monkey patching is considered one of the more powerful features of the Ruby programming language. However, by the end of this post I’m hoping to convince you that they should be used sparingly, if at all, because they are brittle, dangerous, and often unnecessary. I’ll also share tips on how to use them as safely as possible in the rare cases where you do need to monkey patch.

SEShopify Engineering·February 21, 2023Career & Teams
Design & UX — Keys To An Accessibility Mindset — Smashing Magazine

Keys To An Accessibility Mindset — Smashing Magazine

An accessible product can be daunting to build as there’s so much nuance and technical depth to consider. In this article, Daniel Yuschick demonstrates three keys for approaching and developing accessible content without leaving you lost in the weeds.

DYDaniel YuschickDaniel Yuschick·February 20, 2023Design & UX
Design & UX — A Step-By-Step Guide To Building Accessible Carousels — Smashing Magazine

A Step-By-Step Guide To Building Accessible Carousels — Smashing Magazine

Most carousels come along with usability and accessibility issues. To avoid these issues, this article addresses step-by-step design considerations as well as semantic requirements for carousels to be accessible. It is intended to create an in-depth understanding of the implementation and its impact on users.

SWSonja WeckenmannSonja Weckenmann·February 17, 2023Design & UX