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Engineering Blog

I can VibeCode Salesforce, but that's not the point.

There's a lot of noise right now about "vibe coding" your own tools instead of paying for SaaS. But the conversation often collapses into a lazy binary. Businesses pay for the unsexy parts—the operational parts. If you're a technical founder, internalizing the difference is one of those lessons that quietly separates people who ship hobby projects from people who build enduring products.
Christof ZirklerJanuary 23, 2026

Idempotent APIs

The importance of idempotency keys and idempotent APIs in building robust and reliable distributed systems.
Christof ZirklerMay 18, 2024

The Misleading Nature of Averages

The reality is that the average rental price, often cited in discussions about Berlin's housing market, is practically a mythological figure.
Christof ZirklerApril 6, 2024

When Technological Advancement Feels Intimidating

 It's understandable to feel overwhelmed by the rapid pace of technological advancements. As technology continues to evolve at an unprecedented rate, it's common for people to experience a range of emotions, including excitement, fear, and anxiety. The feelings of fear of missing out (FOMO) and anxiety you're experiencing are valid and more common than you might think. Here are a few thoughts on how to manage these feelings.
Christof ZirklerFebruary 24, 2024

Adjust MacOS Menu Bar App Icon Spacing

 NSStatusItemSelectionPadding & NSStatusItemSpacing let's us adjust the spacing of MacOS menu bar app icons.
Christof ZirklerFebruary 12, 2024

HTTP Redirects: 301 vs 302

 301 and 302 redirects are widely used but often misunderstood or incorrectly implemented. This blog post aims to delve into the technical aspects of these redirects, highlighting their differences, use cases, and implications on server-side tracking and browser caching.
Christof ZirklerJanuary 22, 2024

OLTP vs OLAP: Use Cases and Technologies

In this article, we will delve into the realms of OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) and OLAP (Online Analytical Processing), and explore the role of PostgreSQL and other DBMS in these contexts
Christof ZirklerJanuary 16, 2024

Postgres with Docker in 30s

A docker-compose.yml file allowing to spin up a Postgres database quickly.
Christof ZirklerDecember 5, 2023

Disabling the GUI on Ubuntu

This guide provides steps to disable the graphical user interface on an Ubuntu system, particularly useful when the system is primarily accessed via SSH.
Christof ZirklerNovember 21, 2023

How to Conduct Developer Experience Surveys

Conducting developer experience surveys is a valuable practice for startups and scaleups. It helps you understand your team's needs, make informed improvements, and create a more productive and enjoyable development environment.
Christof ZirklerOctober 17, 2023

Full-Height Flexbox Layouts with TailwindCSS

Flexbox is a versatile CSS layout module that empowers developers to effortlessly create flexible and responsive web layouts. However, it's natural to occasionally forget its semantics. To address this, I've compiled a couple of examples in this blog for future reference
Christof ZirklerJuly 17, 2023

Why Engineering Teams Need Easy Time

In the pursuit of excellence, engineering teams must find a balance between challenging tasks and "easy" time. Similar to training for a marathon, where most training occurs in the "easy" zone, engineering teams thrive when they prioritize foundational work, skill development, innovation, and collaboration.
Christof ZirklerJuly 1, 2023

Technical Debt Management Strategies

Technical debt is a common challenge in software development that, if left unaddressed, can hinder productivity and long-term success.
Christof ZirklerFebruary 25, 2023

Understanding Peer Dependencies in React and Node.js

Beginner programmers often encounter a concept called "peer dependencies" that can be perplexing and cause unexpected issues. In this article, we will unravel the mystery of peer dependencies, explaining their purpose, common pitfalls, and best practices.
Christof ZirklerDecember 5, 2022

Growing Software Engineers into Leaders

In the dynamic and fast-paced world of software engineering, the demand for effective leaders continues to rise. However, true leadership is not something that can be acquired overnight.
Christof ZirklerSeptember 5, 2022