Time-Series Databases Compared: InfluxDB, TimescaleDB, Prometheus
Time-series databases explained: metrics, IoT and events, compression, retention and downsampling, plus InfluxDB vs TimescaleDB vs Prometheus vs ClickHouse.
Blog
Databases
Installing, tuning, securing and backing up MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB and more.
How to Install MongoDB on Ubuntu (Community Edition)
Install MongoDB Community Edition on Ubuntu from the official repository, enable authentication, create users, configure remote access safely and back up.
Connect MongoDB Compass to a Remote Server Securely
Use MongoDB Compass with MongoDB on a VPS: enable auth, connect over an SSH tunnel (recommended) or open the port with TLS and firewall rules, troubleshoot.
Database Security on a VPS: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis
Secure self-hosted databases: network exposure, authentication, least privilege, TLS, encrypted backups, patching, auditing and common breach causes.
Database Indexing Basics: Make Slow Queries Fast
How indexes work in MySQL and PostgreSQL, choosing columns, composite index order, covering indexes, reading EXPLAIN and when indexes hurt.
Database Connection Pooling Explained (App and Proxy Pools)
Why database connections are expensive, how pools work, sizing them correctly, app-side pools vs PgBouncer and ProxySQL, and common pitfalls.
MySQL Point-in-Time Recovery With Binary Logs
Restore MySQL to any moment: enable and keep binary logs, take consistent full backups, find the bad statement, replay binlogs with mysqlbinlog, and test.
How to Reset the MySQL or MariaDB Root Password
Recover a lost MySQL or MariaDB root password: try sudo mysql first, then reset with --skip-grant-tables safely, on Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux and Rocky.
PostgreSQL Performance Tuning for a VPS: Settings That Matter
Tune PostgreSQL on a VPS: shared_buffers, effective_cache_size, work_mem, WAL and checkpoints, autovacuum, connections and pooling, and finding slow queries.
MariaDB vs MySQL: Differences, Compatibility and Which to Use
MariaDB vs MySQL compared: history, licensing, compatibility, JSON, authentication, replication, performance features and when switching between them is safe.
Vector Databases Explained: pgvector, Qdrant and Self-Hosting
How vector databases power AI apps: embeddings, similarity search, HNSW, pgvector vs Qdrant vs Milvus, self-hosting on a VPS, RAM sizing and RAG search.
Automate Database Backups on a VPS (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB)
A practical database backup routine: consistent dumps, compression, encrypted off-site copies with restic, retention, monitoring and restore tests.
Install ClickHouse on Ubuntu: Fast Analytics on a VPS
Install ClickHouse from the official repository, secure the default user, create a MergeTree table, load data and run fast analytical queries.
Redis Streams: Durable Message Queues With Consumer Groups
Use Redis Streams for event logs and job queues: XADD, XREAD, consumer groups, XREADGROUP and XACK, pending entries, XAUTOCLAIM, trimming, vs Pub/Sub.
Install and Secure Memcached on Ubuntu or Debian
Install Memcached, bind it to localhost, disable UDP, set memory and connections, connect from PHP and Python, and check its stats.
CockroachDB Basics: Distributed SQL on Your Own Servers
How CockroachDB replicates with Raft, starting a three-node TLS cluster, PostgreSQL compatibility, survival goals, licensing and when it pays off.
Redis maxmemory and Eviction Policies Explained
Set Redis maxmemory, choose the right eviction policy (allkeys-lru, volatile-ttl, noeviction and more), monitor evictions and memory, and avoid OOM on a VPS.
MySQL Partitioning: RANGE, LIST and HASH With Real Examples
Partition large MySQL tables: when it helps and when it doesn't, RANGE by date, LIST, HASH and KEY, partition pruning, dropping old data, and limits.
Useful PostgreSQL Extensions: Install, Enable and Choose
Extend PostgreSQL: install and enable extensions, and the most useful ones: pg_stat_statements, pgcrypto, pg_trgm, PostGIS, TimescaleDB, pgvector, pg_cron.
MongoDB Backup and Restore with mongodump and mongorestore
Back up MongoDB with mongodump: whole server, databases and collections, gzip archives, oplog consistency, restores and automation.
Percona XtraBackup: Fast Hot Backups for Large MySQL Databases
Back up big MySQL databases without downtime using XtraBackup: install, full and incremental backups, prepare and restore, compression and streaming.
How to Install MySQL on Ubuntu: Setup and Secure Configuration
Install MySQL 8 on Ubuntu, run mysql_secure_installation, understand auth_socket, create an app user and database, and tune basic settings.
Install OpenSearch and Dashboards with Docker Compose
Run OpenSearch and OpenSearch Dashboards on a VPS with Docker Compose: admin password, heap and kernel settings, single-node mode, security and first queries.
Fix MySQL ERROR 1045 (28000): Access Denied for User
Diagnose MySQL error 1045: wrong password, user@host mismatch, socket vs TCP, auth plugins, anonymous users and root on Ubuntu, with fixes.