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How to move DynamoDB tables between CloudFormation stacks without data loss
Learn how to safely migrate stateful resources like DynamoDB between CloudFormation stacks without data loss. This article details a strategy to protect your data from accidental deletion.
Prevention Over Reaction
Observability and monitoring aren't nice-to-haves. They're the difference between companies that scale gracefully and companies that collapse under their own success. Yet this remains one of the most undervalued aspects of modern engineering.
From Service Provider to Strategic Partner: A Guide to Creating Real Value
Learn how to stop being a simple service provider and become a strategic partner who delivers true value by solving a client’s most important problems.
Failure Isn't the End, It's the Path to Evolution
Discover why a project's true success is measured by both the evolution of your product and the skills you gain.
DDoS Defense: Why a VPS Isn't Always the Answer
Can your VPS survive a DDoS attack? Discover why choosing the cloud is essential for your product's security and scalability, and how to build a multi-layered defense.
How Interfaces Saved You From a Dependency Migration Nightmare
Abstract early, abstract often. Future teams will thank you when the next breaking change notification hits their inbox.
Infrastructure vs Software: The Fundamental Tension Every Cloud Architect Must Master
After mastering simplicity and embracing delivery-first approaches, I discovered a deeper architectural challenge that initially puzzled me. Why did infrastructure teams move so cautiously while software teams celebrated rapid iterations?
The Hidden Cost of Perfectionism: Why Great Architecture Ships First
After embracing the power of simple architecture, I thought I had cracked the code. Then I encountered projects stuck in endless planning cycles, teams paralyzed by the pursuit of the "perfect" design, and competitors shipping while we were still whiteboarding.
The First Lesson of My Cloud Architect Quest: The Case for Boring Architecture
Early in my cloud architect journey, I believed technical complexity was a badge of expertise. My first projects were sophisticated code cathedrals I was proud of. But through enlightening discussions with seasoned mentors and a few painful failures, I discovered a counter-intuitive truth: the most brilliant architecture isn't the one that impresses with its complexity, but the one that gets forgotten because of its simplicity. This first lesson of my quest reveals why "boring" architecture is actually the smartest choice.
TIL #6: Why a 'Stable' CloudFormation Stack Rollback is Anything but Stable
A recent deployment issue taught me a lesson about the hidden complexities of cloud infrastructure and the true meaning of the Shared Responsibility Model. A failed CloudFormation stack should theoretically revert to a clean, stable state, but I learned firsthand that this isn't always the case.
How Going Freelance Changed My Work Mindset
A personal journey from employee comfort zone to entrepreneurial thinking, where every decision impacts the bottom line and authentic results become the only currency that matters.
The Data Preview Challenge at DataByte Co.
DataByte Co. worked around Lake Formation limitation by creating a custom solution for secure data previews.
TIL #5: A Look into ASSOCIATE permission for your AWS Data Lake
This TIL presents the importance of ASSOCIATE permission in Lake Formation.
TIL #4: The Golden Rule of Cloud: "No Tag, No Existence"
This TIL presents the fundamental principle of tagging cloud resources for improved management and FinOps control. It details the impact of missing tags, proposes essential tags, and emphasizes automation to ensure their consistent application.
TIL #3: Automating Data Lake Governance: The Power of Infrastructure as Code (CDK/CloudFormation)
This TIL demonstrates the importance of using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for managing your Lake Formation governance. It explains the key benefits of automation and provides concrete examples of deploying Lake Formation configurations via AWS CloudFormation and CDK.
TIL #2: From SQL-like to ABAC: Elevating Your Data Governance with Lake Formation Tags
This TIL introduces Lake Formation's SQL-like granular permissions and highlights the limitations of traditional access management at scale. It then presents Lake Formation tags (ABAC) as a scalable approach to simplify and automate data access policies.
TIL #1: LakeFormation: Your Data Lake’s Double Lock 🔒
This TIL explains how AWS Lake Formation acts as an additional security layer for your Data Lake. It clarifies the essential interaction between IAM and Lake Formation permissions, and discusses S3 location registration as a prerequisite for effective data governance
The Power of Intellectual Humility in Tech
Fostering Innovation Through 'I Don't Know’: A Data Engineer’s Perspective