AI Trust Drops to 29%, Usage Climbs to 84%: On What We Don't Trust
I examine the paradox behind the decline in trust in AI technologies despite their increasing usage, from a pragmatic perspective. Why we don't trust...
142 posts
Life experiences, personal growth and daily reflections.
I examine the paradox behind the decline in trust in AI technologies despite their increasing usage, from a pragmatic perspective. Why we don't trust...
In my twenty years of tech experience, I've repeatedly seen that privacy is not paranoia, but a practical necessity. It's a matter of mindset.
In my twenty years of experience, I share how technology took over my life and the concrete steps I took to break free from this cycle.
I share my experience of how you can be scammed via fake QR codes on parking machines and how to protect yourself from such quishing attacks.
A SIM Swap attack, also known as losing your phone number, is a serious threat to your digital security. In this guide, we'll explain how SIM Swap works…
When you realize your account has been hacked, you can minimize the damage by taking the right steps quickly, without panicking. Here's what you need to do in.
My experiences with the unexpected maintenance burdens and personal time costs encountered while expanding my homelab.
As we enter 2026, I analyze the most common scam methods in Turkey through my own observations and experiences. e-Devlet links, fake SMS, and…
Is writing code with AI tools blunting our developer skills? I share my own experiences and thoughts on this topic.
With 20 years of tech experience, Mustafa Erbay shares ways to move forward without being crushed by the pressure of continuous learning.
With 20 years of system architecture experience, I share the technologies I've deemed 'useless' in my career and why. A pragmatic perspective.
Before deciding to set up a homelab, learn what awaits you in this exciting world from Mustafa Erbay's experiences. Costs, time, and…
A deep dive into the adaptation process for newcomers to software engineering, the challenges they face, and practical solutions, with Mustafa Erbay's.
Exploring the technical and ethical dimensions of secretly holding two full-time remote jobs, leveraging the flexibility of remote work. The reality of.
How did AI's promise to reduce workload actually create a new, more insidious form of burnout? I explore this paradox based on my own experiences.
My personal observations on the risk of skill degradation in a two-decade technology career and my experiences in coping with this threat.
A pragmatic analysis of Stack Overflow's traffic decline, the future of technical knowledge sharing, and my personal experiences.
One of the most controversial topics I've encountered in my career: working multiple jobs at the same time. Is this a smart move, or a breach of professional.
An in-depth analysis and practical tips on master data management, the backbone of ERP systems. A guide full of real-world experiences.
How does the complexity of enterprise ERP integrations affect my personal side projects? An analysis of my experiences and lessons learned.
Explore step by step what Zero-Trust architecture is, why it matters, and how to implement it. Get ready for a new era in security.
In my 20-year career, I still break things every week. The real issue isn't what you break, but how you fix it and what you learn. This week's incidents and…
I examine the technical and operational costs encountered when choosing lock mechanisms in distributed systems, with concrete examples.
Learn what eventual consistency is in distributed systems, its practical challenges, and realistic expectations through Mustafa Erbay's experiences.
Read about the theoretical benefits and practical costs of idempotency in distributed systems, with concrete examples from Mustafa Erbay's perspective.
I explain how corporate ERP standards affect my side projects, balancing flexibility and innovation with my own experiences.
I analyze the setup, operational costs, and real benefits of push notifications in side projects based on my experiences. Tips for a balanced strategy.
Is switch hardening on your side projects unnecessary? I bring a pragmatic perspective to this topic with my experiences.
Optimizing your mobile app's size is crucial for increasing download rates and improving user experience. Here are 3 critical priorities from an indie hacker's.
I analyze my experiences with multi-tenant architecture in my side projects and the traps this architecture brings, from my own perspective.
I'm sharing different API versioning strategies, their advantages/disadvantages, blended with my own experiences.
Optimize build cache management in your CI/CD pipelines to save time and reduce infrastructure costs. A detailed guide.
Analyzing the real cost and benefit of IPv6 transition for solo creators. Focusing on practical utility rather than technical jargon.
The operational burden, performance losses, and correct log level strategy created in production by haphazardly added logs during software development...
I'm exploring the reliability of push notifications in mobile apps through update strategies. The risks of updates and more robust approaches.
VLAN segmentation may seem like a cornerstone of network architecture, but the hidden costs and operational complexity it brings, based on my own experiences…
Why is switch hardening overlooked in my side projects and small-scale systems? The pressure for rapid production and cost concerns often push basic network.
I compare API versioning strategies based on my experiences: Should we prioritize simplicity or flexibility for developers? The trade-offs…
I examine the strategic choices made when balancing speed and security in CI/CD pipelines, and their real-world impacts.
I'm examining the product tree denormalization problem I encountered in my side projects and my pragmatic approach to it. Is it really always necessary?
I explore my personal trade-offs between speed and control when using ORMs in my side projects. When I choose ORM, when raw SQL, and why...
Find the balance between metrics and logs on your system observability journey. In which situations is each more effective? I analyze with my experience.
My personal experiences and lessons learned on practical methods, rapid response, and risk management strategies I apply when encountering Kernel CVEs.
We examine the pragmatic routine of those who are actually at the helm of real systems, rather than the 'LinkedIn engineers' who wake up at 5 AM and take cold.
What idempotency means in distributed systems, why it's critical, and the challenges I've faced in real-world projects, along with solution approaches and…
Examining the importance of app size in development processes from mobile, web, and backend perspectives; balancing functionality and optimization based on my.
As a solo developer, I analyze the hidden costs of clean code obsession and the balance of working code through my own experiences.
For independent developers integrating AI, understanding the true scope, cost, and pragmatic defense methods against the prompt injection threat…
I explain when and why I prefer the Eventual Consistency approach for my side projects, and the 3 criteria I consider when making this decision.
With 20 years of system and network experience, I examine why VLAN segmentation is no longer as essential as it used to be, in a practical and direct manner...
Why is idempotency necessary in distributed systems? In this post, I discuss the challenges I've faced in design, the associated costs, and my pragmatic.
I examine how important BGP truly is for indie hackers, when it's an unnecessary detail, and what you should focus on instead.
Drawing on years of experience, this post explores whether to simply patch or strengthen a system with layered defense when a Kernel CVE emerges…
Examining the dilemma of perfect architecture versus working code, I share pragmatic ways for solo developers to escape over-engineering traps.
I explore methods for improving retrieval quality in Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems, with concrete examples and cost analyses.
I'm delving into 3 different load balancing strategies I've used to ensure high availability in my own side projects or small-scale applications.
Managing software dependencies carries a continuous burden and security risk in today's software world. In this post, I explore the technical and financial.
Learn the impact of metric cardinality on system performance, its cost, and how to set it right in 4 steps. Explained through my own experiences.
I analyze the operational overhead of secret key rotation and the cost-effectiveness of automation. Real-world scenarios and trade-offs.
Reflecting on my own side projects, I share what I misunderstood about supply chain data flow management and why simpler approaches are often more efficient.
The allure of the offline-first approach in mobile applications, its real-world challenges, and the hidden costs it brings to developers, based on my own.
Learn practical ways to learn from mistakes and progress in your side projects. An experience-filled guide from Mustafa Erbay.
We explore key considerations, trade-offs, and step-by-step concrete examples when designing a multi-tenant architecture in ERP systems.
Exploring the meaning of eventual consistency in distributed systems and how it reflects in our lives and work methods, through my own experiences…
I examine the real-world advantages and disadvantages of running your own LLM locally in terms of cost, performance, and flexibility.
Optimize system observability and control costs by setting the right log levels. A practical guide based on my experiences.
Improve developer quality of life by speeding up slow CI/CD processes. We examine 3 practical and concrete methods for build cache optimization.
Discover 3 practical ways to solve high cardinality issues in your observability metrics and reduce costs. With real-world scenarios and concrete examples...
Comparing API versioning strategies through URI and Header approaches. A pragmatic decision-making guide.
We examine the stability issues, lost time, and hidden costs brought by dependency updates in software development, drawn from Mustafa Erbay's experiences.
How I approach CI/CD as an indie hacker, the impact of unnecessary complexity on time and cost, and simple, effective solutions. My journey...
Learn 3 effective methods for managing dependency vulnerabilities in your software development processes with Mustafa Erbay's experience. Enhance CI/CD.
Why are retries in distributed systems inevitable? Practical approaches and life lessons learned from twenty years of experience.
I analyze the practical implications of MVCC, performance trade-offs, and real-world scenarios when choosing a database for indie hackers.
107 years ago one man stepped ashore at Samsun. No money, no plan, no army — just a decision. A short, sincere note on 19 May.
As an indie hacker, I discuss how I choose between Eventual and Strong Consistency for my systems, the trade-offs involved, and my real-world experiences.
Examining the hidden developer time costs of the Blue/Green deploy strategy and its implications.
I share my personal experiences on the differences between monolith and modular architectures, the challenges of transitioning for indie hackers, and practical.
Exploring secret rotation, a cornerstone of application security, and delving into my own principles of automation, lifecycle management, and seamless.
We examine why delaying responses to kernel security vulnerabilities can be costly with concrete examples. Read to understand the price of procrastination.
I examine the effects of build cache mechanisms on CI/CD times and, consequently, our daily workflow, looking at the differences between local and shared.
I share my experience with product tree issues in a manufacturing ERP, the reasons for denormalization, and how technical debt accumulates.
One VPS, fewer watts, less carbon. A 20-year engineer's pragmatic manifesto on why running lean isn't a green sticker — it's an architectural ethic.
I delve deep into the idempotency issues I encountered in an AI-powered pipeline, the resulting data loss, and my solution process. Real-world experiences and.
I'm sharing how I step-by-step resolved an unexpected error I encountered in an AI pipeline on a Sunday morning, and the lessons I learned from the process.
I'm sharing my experiences with hidden mistakes in AI projects that unknowingly consume time and resources, based on my own side project.
My guide to pruning dead projects that have been accumulating for years, consuming RAM on servers, and generating domain renewal bills.
I detail the process that began with my VPS's swap usage suddenly spiking and the system crashing, including the kernel CVE patch and the steps I took to.
Swap usage on my VPS suddenly spiked. I detail the root cause, solution, and lessons learned from this issue that began with a kernel CVE patch.
A practical guide from Mustafa Erbay on detecting unseen dangers in your systems and taking proactive measures.
I share my experiences managing my own servers and its impact on the 'indie hacker' lifestyle and work-life balance.
I'm sharing a first-hand account of an unexpected crisis on my own server, the alerts that came in during a family dinner, and the debugging process that.
Hosting my projects on my own server isn't just a technical choice; it's a life philosophy. The time and effort I spend for the sake of control and.
I'm intimately familiar with the inexplicable tension and the 'what if' feeling that comes after a deploy. Its reasons, symptoms, and how I cope with it...
The growing complexity of AI models drives engineers into the 'black box' problem. This piece explores the ethical, technical and professional weight of…
Deploy fear, RAM-watching, waking up at night to check 'is it up?'. Sharing the emotional cost of keeping my own products alive on a single 7.6 GB box.
DevOps isn't only about tools — it's a deep cultural shift. Discover how old habits and silo mindsets resist this change.
Learn about the impact of a critical system migration project not only on technology but also on your personal life — and how to manage the process.
Learn the hidden disasters a single 'magic number' can cause in your production processes — and how to avoid them.
A quiet danger that came with the rise of automation: the erosion of human trust and the growing skepticism toward automated systems. In this piece, we explore…
From an SRE perspective, we examine the long-term impact of stopgap fixes on systems and teams, and the unavoidable cost of technical debt.
Discover the frustration engineers face when trying to explain invisible risks to leadership or stakeholders, and the practical strategies to break through…
Learn about the hidden costs created by lack of automation during enterprise migrations and how you can pay down those bills.
System outages aren't just a technical problem for an SRE — they're a serious emotional burden. In this post, we explore how to cope with these challenges…
Discover the challenges of being the sole expert as a system administrator, the loneliness it brings, and strategies for coping with that burden. Work-life…
Look at silent drift — the gradual performance loss in ML models over time — from an SRE perspective. Learn detection, monitoring, and mitigation strategies.
Explore how, in critical moments of life, a single decision can drive an entire structure or system into disaster. On The Architect's Dilemma…
Look at the 'alarm fatigue' phenomenon — the mental exhaustion of constant notifications — and learn how to deal with it in the digital age.
Through an SRE's eyes, look at the 'Swap Storm' nightmare that paralyzes systems and causes sleepless nights — and how I made it through.
Learn how to untangle the hidden burden of undocumented systems you run into in your work or personal life. Step-by-step strategies and practical fixes for…
Learning from mistakes is a hard road. Look at the personal price tag behind post-mortem culture, the shift from blame to learning, and the individual…
A look at the hidden rate limiting problems that show up in production environments and how to solve them, from Mustafa Erbay's point of view.
Discover how unexpected failures are managed in distributed systems and how Chaos Engineering principles save lives in real-world scenarios.
Slow queries at the heart of monolithic applications are not just a technical problem — they cast a deep shadow over workflows and developer motivation…
Take a detailed look at the causes, consequences, and remedies for the hard-to-detect hidden IP conflicts that pop up in production environments.
Learn about the distributed lock deadlocks you encounter in microservice architectures and how to solve them, with Mustafa Erbay's guide. Hidden in production…
Explore the cognitive load that Eventual Consistency, a fundamental piece of distributed systems, places on engineers — and the strategies to manage it…
Take a guided look at the Thundering Herd problem behind unexpected bottlenecks in production processes — and the countermeasures Mustafa Erbay relies on…
A deep look at the ethical dilemmas and conscience-load engineers carry under the pressure of project deadlines.
Explore the toxic effects of Hero Engineer Syndrome in production environments and how to break out of the cycle, on Mustafa Erbay's blog.
Explore the battle critical-system architects fight with imposter syndrome and strategies to manage that inner war. Causes, effects, and ways forward.
The architect's dilemma — the hidden costs of chasing perfect design and the difficulty of striking that balance, from Mustafa Erbay's perspective…
We look at the potential human cost of Zero Trust security beyond its technical benefits — its effects on user experience and productivity. Overly strict…
How Chaos Engineering helps with panic management when unexpected issues hit cloud architectures, and how to handle the production-side earthquakes…
A real outage story driven by unscalable cloud architecture, and the lessons we can take away from it.
An in-depth look at the nature of intermittent errors in distributed systems, the stress they place on teams, and strategies for dealing with these 'ghosts'...
An exploration of the fear that comes with making the first change to a critical system and how automation makes the process easier.
An in-depth look, from Mustafa Erbay's perspective, at the production issues caused by hidden dependencies in distributed systems and the 'backfire battles'…
The benefits of automation are undeniable, yet confronting its overlooked shadows and battling its unexpected side effects matter just as much…
Examine the difficulties of achieving real-time data consistency in distributed systems, plus traps like the 'retry storm' that you need to avoid.
Learn the operational risks of depending on a single expert and how you can break free from this trap.
Learn how to put your leadership skills to work when an unexpected zero-day vulnerability triggers a team crisis in cybersecurity. Crisis management...
Strengthen your crisis management with effective communication strategies during operational crises and lessons drawn from the field.
Beyond code: 10 book recommendations that build the muscle for thinking, design, operations and leadership (with short notes).
Setting boundaries without dropping output, managing on-call fatigue, and building a sustainable rhythm in high-tempo tech roles.
A practical playbook on rhythm, communication, and focus management for keeping motivation alive and sustaining productivity while working remotely.
With 20 years of experience, what does 'trashing' a technology mean to me? A personal take on the allure of shiny innovations versus real-world pragmatism…
With 20 years of system architecture experience, I explain that the thing that stole most of my time in my career wasn't a line of code, but a 'yes'.
When I reached the brink of burnout in my 20-year career, I realized the biggest lesson wasn't a technical error, but not knowing my own limits. My experiences.
An experience illustrating how the root cause of seemingly complex system problems can sometimes be hidden not in code, but in a simple human or process error.
I'm sharing the challenges, operational burden, and realities beyond the dreams I've encountered on my indie hacker journey. From VPS dramas to AI pipelines...
A guide describing the hidden dependency problems faced in cloud-based microservice architectures and how to escape this hell.