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Engineering Insights & Guides

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

11,851 articles
Engineering — Just How Long Should Alt Text Be?

Just How Long Should Alt Text Be?

I teach a class over at the local college here in Long Beach and a majority of the content is hosted on the Canvas LMS so students can access it online. And,

GGGeoff GrahamGeoff Graham·May 27, 2022Engineering
Engineering — Implementing Equality in Ruby - Shopify

Implementing Equality in Ruby - Shopify

Ruby is one of the few programming languages that get equality right. I often play around with other languages, but keep coming back to Ruby. This is because Ruby’s implementation of equality is so nice. Let's walk through all forms of equality in Ruby and how to implement them.

SEShopify Engineering·May 26, 2022Engineering
Frontend — Manage Accessible Design System Themes With CSS Color-Contrast() — Smashing Magazine

Manage Accessible Design System Themes With CSS Color-Contrast() — Smashing Magazine

Developing accessible products can be challenging, especially when some of the requirements are beyond the scope of development. It’s one thing to enforce `alt` text for images and labels for form fields, but another to define an accessible color palette. From working with design handoffs to supporting custom themes in a design system, the CSS `color-contrast()` function can become a cornerstone f

DYDaniel YuschickDaniel Yuschick·May 26, 2022Frontend
Systems — Dig through SERVFAILs with EDE

Dig through SERVFAILs with EDE

Now we’re happy to announce we will return more error code types and include additional helpful information to further improve your debugging experience.

SMStanley, MarekStanley, Marek·May 25, 2022Systems
Security — How we use Dependabot to secure GitHub

How we use Dependabot to secure GitHub

A two-part story about how GitHub’s Product Security Engineering team rolled out Dependabot internally to track vulnerable dependencies, and how GitHub tracks and prioritizes technical debt.

PTPhil TurnbullPhil Turnbull·May 25, 2022Security
Performance — Understanding Weak Reference In JavaScript — Smashing Magazine

Understanding Weak Reference In JavaScript — Smashing Magazine

One of the most important aspects of software development, are memory and performance management and every software developer should pay attention to them. In this article, Frank Joseph explains both weak and strong references in JavaScript, as well as the concept of reachability. Let’s dig in!

FJFrank JosephFrank Joseph·May 25, 2022Performance
Engineering — Improved REST API documentation

Improved REST API documentation

We’re excited to announce some big improvements to our REST API documentation. We know developers rely on this documentation to integrate with GitHub, and we are committed to making it trustworthy, easy to find, and easy to use.

RSRachael SewellRachael Sewell·May 24, 2022Engineering
Career & Teams — Developing An Award-Winning Onboarding Process (Case Study) — Smashing Magazine

Developing An Award-Winning Onboarding Process (Case Study) — Smashing Magazine

A well-constructed onboarding process boosts engagement, improves product adoption, increases conversion rates, and educates users about a product. This article is a case study of how the platformOS team has researched, developed, and iteratively adjusted their onboarding processes over more than three years to eventually create the multiple award winning developer experience they provide today.

KDKatanagygyorgy Dianalakatos·May 24, 2022Career & Teams