Sign in Subscribe

JUSTINE GICHANA

The Truth About TypeScript: Is It Really Worth the Hype?

The Truth About TypeScript: Is It Really Worth the Hype? After three years of writing TypeScript professionally, I have opinions. Strong ones. TypeScript isn't the silver bullet the internet claims it is, but it's also not the productivity killer its critics suggest. Here's my

How I Cut My AWS Bill by 60% Without Changing Code

How I Cut My AWS Bill by 60% Without Changing Code Our AWS bill hit $12,000 last month. For a startup with 50,000 users, that was unsustainable. Three weeks later, we cut it to $4,800—without changing a single line of application code. Here's exactly

My Journey from Monolith to Kubernetes: What They Don't Tell You

My Journey from Monolith to Kubernetes: What They Don't Tell You Everyone talks about the benefits of Kubernetes. What they don't talk about is the six months of pain, the 3 AM incidents, and the moment you question every life decision that led you here. This

Building a Scalable API with FastAPI: Lessons from Production

Building a Scalable API with FastAPI: Lessons from Production When we decided to rebuild our API from Flask to FastAPI, I was skeptical. Another Python framework? Really? But after running FastAPI in production for 18 months serving 50 million requests per day, I'm a convert. Why We Switched

Why I Ditched React for Svelte and Never Looked Back

Why I Ditched React for Svelte and Never Looked Back After five years of building production apps with React, I made a decision that shocked my team: I rewrote our entire dashboard in Svelte. Here's why it was the best technical decision I've made in years.

How I Learned Docker the Hard Way While Building My First Startup

When I started my first SaaS, I thought I knew Docker. I had read the docs, watched tutorials, and even copied a few Dockerfiles from GitHub. How hard could it be? Two weeks later, my entire app stopped working in production, and I realized: I didn’t really know Docker

How I Built My First SaaS in 30 Days

I still remember the moment I decided to start my first SaaS project. I had no office, no team, just an idea scribbled on a notebook and a personal laptop. The goal? Build a digital product that people could use, subscribe to, and love—all in just 30 days. This

SQL and NoSQL Databases Compared for Developers

When I first built my side project as a solo developer, I faced a choice that many developers encounter: should I use a SQL or NoSQL database? It felt like a purely technical decision, but soon I realized the choice impacts everything from scalability and speed to developer sanity and

Automated Testing Strategies for Modern Apps

In modern software development, automated testing is critical for maintaining high-quality code and ensuring that new features don’t break existing functionality. Whether you’re building APIs, web apps, or microservices, having a robust testing strategy saves time, reduces bugs, and improves team confidence. This blog will explore different types