A personal essay blog by Allan Ninal. Writing about systems, trade-offs, and the parts of engineering that don't fit on a slide.https://templates.allanninal.dev/en-ushttps://templates.allanninal.dev/blog/measure-before-you-cache/https://templates.allanninal.dev/blog/measure-before-you-cache/Every 'make it faster' project I've ever joined has had the same first hour. Here's what I've learned about resisting the urge to add a Redis.Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTEvery 'make it faster' project I've ever joined has had the same first hour. Here's what I've learned about resisting the urge to add a Redis.performancepragmatismengineering-habitslandix.ninal@gmail.com (Allan Ninal)https://templates.allanninal.dev/blog/in-praise-of-boring-systems/https://templates.allanninal.dev/blog/in-praise-of-boring-systems/The most valuable technology in my last three jobs was Postgres and a queue. Everything else was either a tool or a tax.Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe most valuable technology in my last three jobs was Postgres and a queue. Everything else was either a tool or a tax.architecturepragmatismlandix.ninal@gmail.com (Allan Ninal)https://templates.allanninal.dev/blog/the-shape-of-a-good-pull-request/https://templates.allanninal.dev/blog/the-shape-of-a-good-pull-request/I've reviewed about ten thousand PRs. The good ones look almost identical. Here's the shape — what to put in the diff, the description, and what to leave on the floor.Sun, 08 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMTI've reviewed about ten thousand PRs. The good ones look almost identical. Here's the shape — what to put in the diff, the description, and what to leave on the floor.engineering-habitscode-reviewlandix.ninal@gmail.com (Allan Ninal)https://templates.allanninal.dev/blog/types-as-conversations/https://templates.allanninal.dev/blog/types-as-conversations/I used to think strong typing was about preventing bugs. Now I think it's about thinking out loud — and the bugs prevented are a side effect.Mon, 19 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMTI used to think strong typing was about preventing bugs. Now I think it's about thinking out loud — and the bugs prevented are a side effect.type-systemsengineering-habitslandix.ninal@gmail.com (Allan Ninal)https://templates.allanninal.dev/blog/why-i-stopped-writing-rfcs/https://templates.allanninal.dev/blog/why-i-stopped-writing-rfcs/The RFC process at the last three places I worked was a way of pretending we were having a conversation. Here's what I do instead.Thu, 04 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMTThe RFC process at the last three places I worked was a way of pretending we were having a conversation. Here's what I do instead.processengineering-habitscode-reviewlandix.ninal@gmail.com (Allan Ninal)