iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Almog @almog.xyz · 23/04/2026

A deep dive to how metrics are stored and queried. Inverted indexes, roaring bitmaps, and ... gorillas? www.bitsxpages.com/p/how-metric...

bitsxpages.com

how metrics are stored and queried

the data structures powering your metrics dashboard

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Almog @almog.xyz · 16/04/2026

The team worked insane hours to get this release ready and we've finally shipped it! We built a first of its kind, prometheus-compatible database that is object native. ~22x cheaper than AWS AMP and stupid easy to operate. www.opendata.dev/blog/introdu...

opendata.dev

OpenData Timeseries: Prometheus-compatible metrics on object storage | OpenData

An MIT-licensed, Prometheus-compatible timeseries database built on SlateDB, bringing the operating model and cost structure of object-store-native systems to the Prometheus and Grafana ecosystem.

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Almog @almog.xyz · 27/03/2026

I know "measure twice, cut once" applies to performance optimizations, but where's the fun in that? I am quite proud of my lopsided planter boxes and custom memory allocators.

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Almog @almog.xyz · 23/03/2026

Databases have strange economic incentives that end up making them "worse" over time. The problem is an asymmetry between who benefits from innovations at first (database companies) and who benefits in the long run (hyperscalers that sell hardware). Blogged: www.bitsxpages.com/p/the-broken...

bitsxpages.com

the broken economics of databases

Why database companies charge so much, earn so little, and keep making things complicated

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Almog @almog.xyz · 17/03/2026

I regularly get asked "how do you create your diagrams for your blogs"? Recently I've been using my own tool, and I'm open sourcing it! Yuzudraw is a visual editor for ASCII that has a token-efficient DSL that lets agents generate/modify your diagrams. Give it a ⭐! github.com/agavra/yuzud...

github.com

GitHub - agavra/yuzudraw: ASCII diagramming tool for both humans and agents

ASCII diagramming tool for both humans and agents. Contribute to agavra/yuzudraw development by creating an account on GitHub.

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Almog @almog.xyz · 02/03/2026

“Gradually, then suddenly.” That’s how adoption works when you’re building something new. Opendata is still "gradually" but 100 stars with $0 spent on marketing is a good start. Back to building! github.com/opendata-oss...

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Almog @almog.xyz · 10/02/2026

I implemented prefix compression for SlateDB & noticed benchmarks looked "worse". Fell down a rabbit hole. Turns out I was thinking about compression backwards... Wrote up my learning: www.bitsxpages.com/p/the-mathem...

bitsxpages.com

the mathematics of compression in database systems

why compression is (almost) always worthwhile

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Almog @almog.xyz · 28/01/2026

Can you beat 180KB? I created a challenge to reduce a dataset as much as possible 🏆 my approach uses delta encoding & prefix compression + zstd(22) compression to reduce 25MB -> 180KB github.com/agavra/bit-g...

github.com

GitHub - agavra/bit-golf: a compression golf challenge for GitHub event data

a compression golf challenge for GitHub event data - agavra/bit-golf

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Almog @almog.xyz · 09/01/2026

I fixed the problem with reviewing code written by Claude in "accept edits on" mode: github.com/agavra/tuicr would love to know what you think, and if you want to contribute to an OSS rust project there's a bunch of open issues to pick up!

github.com

GitHub - agavra/tuicr: Review AI-generated diffs like a GitHub pull request, right from your terminal.

Review AI-generated diffs like a GitHub pull request, right from your terminal. - agavra/tuicr

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Almog @almog.xyz · 05/01/2026

I'll die on this hill: Sorted String Tables (SSTs) are the single most important data structure for modern DBs. They lean in to the limitations of SSDs and Object Storage, making them (and similar layouts) the best choice for many databases. Blogged in detail: www.bitsxpages.com/p/sorted-str...

bitsxpages.com

sorted string tables (SST) from first principles

why sorted string tables are the swiss army knife for data systems and how they are implemented

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Almog @almog.xyz · 09/12/2025

The inner join between sets of people who build databases, write, and draw? Low cardinality. I'm in that set, so I'm starting a blog! Here's my first post: www.bitsxpages.com/p/frameworks...

bitsxpages.com

frameworks for understanding databases

building mental models for tradeoffs in performance, availability and durability in data systems

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Almog @almog.xyz · 25/11/2025

Sometimes the best solution is "do nothing", but it's always more fun to play with tools.

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Almog @almog.xyz · 21/10/2025

Calling database nerds in SF! I'm covering SlateDB at the systems meetup next Wednesday (10/29). If you're around, I'd love to meet you in person (that way you'll have proof I'm not just an AI bot). 👉 luma.com/e7feg2i6

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Almog @almog.xyz · 08/08/2025

Beans on toast is underrated.

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Almog @almog.xyz · 07/08/2025

I recently implemented Gorilla encoding (www.vldb.org/pvldb/vol8/p...) for a SlateDB PR. Pretty cool stuff - easy to understand but really powerful. Here it is, explained by a gorilla.

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Almog @almog.xyz · 05/08/2025

It's true. Every company eventually becomes a database company.

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Almog @almog.xyz · 15/07/2025

Despite using so many new technologies, I somehow never learn my lesson: read the docs sooner and read the docs thoroughly.

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Almog @almog.xyz · 08/07/2025

Reading the tokio-rs async documentation makes me feel like...

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Almog @almog.xyz · 01/07/2025

One day I'll open a coffee shop dedicated to the not-insignificant intersection between database nerds and coffee snobs. Until then, enjoy this comic.

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Almog @almog.xyz · 28/04/2025

Maybe... just maybe, adding more features and complexity into stream processors is NOT what we need?

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Almog @almog.xyz · 24/04/2025

The new electric Caltrain cars have WiFi. 🙏 SF bay area has finally entered the 21st century (on this dimension of public transit only).

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Chris @chris.blue · 22/04/2025

Today marks SlateDB’s one year anniversary! It’s been a lot of fun. Thanks to @rohanpd.bsky.social @flaneur2024.bsky.social @almog.ai @vigneshc.bsky.social @paulbutler.org Jason Gustafson, David Moravek, and many others for joining the project. 😀

slatedb.io

SlateDB - An embedded storage engine built on object storage | SlateDB

Description will go into a meta tag in <head />

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Almog @almog.xyz · 21/04/2025

Prompt engineering was v0. Context engineering is v1.0. How should you think about supplying LLMs with the right information? 📖 [1/N]

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Almog @almog.xyz · 10/02/2025

"Kafka Configs: A Rube Goldberg Machine?" - an actual quote from a customer after discussing cleanup.policy and Kafka Streams changelogs.

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Chris @chris.blue · 03/02/2025

SlateDB now has clones 🤯 Users can clone an existing DB's data to a new location. It's nearly instantaneous since it references the data from the old bucket rather than copying. Writes to the clone update the new location. Compaction lazily merges old data into the new directory./ht @responsive.dev

github.com

Initial clone implementation by hachikuji · Pull Request #430 · slatedb/slatedb

Fixes #315. This patch contains the logic to create and initialize clones as outlined in RFC-0004.

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Apurva Mehta @apurvamehta.com · 04/02/2025

Should you use Kafka? If so, when? And what are the tradeoffs presented by the dizzying variety of Kafka-adjacent technologies? I hope that my latest blog post provides unique and useful answers to these questions. Let me know what you all think! 👉 www.responsive.dev/blog/why-whe...

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Almog @almog.xyz · 30/01/2025

As part of my post-Elden Ring hunt for a game, I tried Balatro last night. I'm starting to think I may have made a mistake.

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ScyllaDB @scylladb.com · 29/01/2025

How did Responsive simplify its architecture and achieve monstrously high availability with unlimited scale potential? Co-founder @almog.ai will share how replacing RocksDB with #ScyllaDB in #Kafka Streams led to big wins for their team at Monster Scale Summit. www.scylladb.com/monster-scal...

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Almog @almog.xyz · 29/01/2025

My hobbies all have the ability to "reclaim" waste: 🪴 for ceramics, wasted clay from throwing goes right back in to your next pot 🪵 for wood working, reusing 2x4s is second nature 🥘 for cooking, leftover food is tossed into salads 💻 what's for software? bin-packing containers? 😆

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Almog @almog.xyz · 28/01/2025

Kafka Streams 101: Windows & Time! 🕰️ What's the difference between event, stream and wall clock time? 🪟 What are the four different types of windows? ⁉️ What are the important error messages and metrics, and what do they mean? 👉 Read the full lesson here: www.responsive.dev/blog/windows...

The different types of windows in Kafka Streams

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Almog @almog.xyz · 28/01/2025

🙏 A @notion.com feature on my wishlist: @jetbrains.com IDEs have this features that lets you select the open file in the nav hierarchy. I've always wanted to be able to do this in Notion so I can more easily explore without navigating away from a page.

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Almog @almog.xyz · 24/01/2025

Kicking the tires on animated explanations of windowing strategies in Kafka Streams. Would love feedback on if this animation for session windows resonates: they keep growing until there is an 'inactivity gap' (no events for the key). This here shows a session window with inactivity gap of 10.

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Almog @almog.xyz · 23/01/2025

There are some learnings that only come from having seen a wildly successful technology go from a nascent project to ubiquitous. These insights can change the trajectory for new tech. Jason's summary about error handling is a great read for practical engineers: github.com/slatedb/slat...

github.com

API Error Guidance · Issue #454 · slatedb/slatedb

Dumping a few thoughts on API errors. At the moment, we have a single flat error SlateDBError which is exposed through the public API. This is the same pattern used in Kafka and there are some less...

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Chris @chris.blue · 19/01/2025

Nice short read. Got me wondering if we should support SI in SlateDB. So far I’ve been pretty hardline on just SSI.

brooker.co.za

Snapshot Isolation vs Serializability - Marc's Blog

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Almog @almog.xyz · 16/01/2025

I just discovered @localfirst.fm and can’t help but compare the parallels between that movement and the resurgence of popularity of embedded data systems & BYOC (or even on prem) tech. “Serverless” has its uses, but the limitations are increasingly clearer.

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Almog @almog.xyz · 15/01/2025

I wish @xkcd.com published an autobiography. Somehow their work constantly hits bullseye and I’d love to get just a glimpse of the story behind the person that generates creativity in the same league as history’s greatest artists.

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Sophie Blee-Goldman @ableegoldman.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

[1/5] Hey fellow Kafka Streams otters! You may have already seen my previous blog posts such as the "Debugging Rebalances" and "EOS guide" from last year (and if you haven't, go check them out! Links in thread) But now it's 2025, and time for me to think about what to write next...

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Almog @almog.xyz · 14/01/2025

[1/2] Tombstones & consistency in distributed databases: you have to take care when deleting rows! 😨 If there's no data for a key, it could mean: 🌱 First write attempt 🪦 Deleted but no longer retained What if it's a zombie writer that needs to check the row's epoch?

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Almog @almog.xyz · 10/01/2025

Single-writer systems are 🤩 - they transform traditional transactions into a much simpler problem: fencing zombies. This allows read-modify-write without coordination, instead relying on commits to discard data if its fenced (rare). SlateDB enforces single-writer. Let the use cases "sync" in 😉

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Almog @almog.xyz · 08/01/2025

I've learned more about ACID in the last two days reviewing the discussion on github.com/slatedb/slat... than I have in the last decade in industry. A big takeaway is that using object store for durability opens a new can of worms that existing systems can ignore (high write latency).

github.com

docs: Add rfc about Transaction by flaneur2020 · Pull Request #260 · slatedb/slatedb

fixes #248 this doc is still in WIP, but the discussion is open here. TLDR of this doc: Snapshot (with sequence number in keys) and WriteBatch are MUST before working on the Transaction feature SS...

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Almog @almog.xyz · 21/12/2024

Interviewer: Can you explain this gap in your resume? Kafka Streams: I was taking some R&R… rebalancing and restoration.

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Kafka Streams @kafkastreams.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

Kafka Streams has officially come to Bluesky! Follow this account for updates on everything Kafka Streams and keep up to date with new features, bug fixes, and upcoming KIPs. Long live the otter!

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Almog @almog.xyz · 19/12/2024

Kafka Streams: 25 improvements in time for 2025! Big wins in performance (KIP-925: Rack Aware Assignment), customization (KIP-924: Custom Task Assignment, KIP-954: Custom Storage) and monitoring (KIP-1091: thread state metrics) - just to name a few. See them all: www.responsive.dev/blog/kafka-s...

responsive.dev

Kafka Streams Wrapped: 2024 in review

Kafka Streams had some tremendous additions and improvements in 2024. Here are the highlights.

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Almog @almog.xyz · 14/12/2024

Who’s building a Reddit clone on atproto?

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Almog @almog.xyz · 13/12/2024

👋 Welcome @davistreybig.bsky.social to bluesky! He's played such an important part in every stage of Responsive's journey: from market research, to product to pricing. If you want great startup content, give him a follow.

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Chris @chris.blue · 12/12/2024

SlateDB is on fire right now. No other way to put it. WIPs: - range queries (Jason @ responsive.dev) - snapshots/transactions (@flaneur2024.bsky.social @ databend.com) - merge operator (David Moravek @ CFLT) - checkpoints (@rohanpd.bsky.social @ r.d) - ttl (@almog.ai @ r.d) RFCs below 👇

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Almog @almog.xyz · 12/12/2024

Starting in 10 minutes! If you are in production with Kafka Streams or curious about how Metronome handles insane throughput in realtime, you won't want to miss this at 9:30AM PT. www.linkedin.com/events/q-a-s...

linkedin.com

Q&A: Scaling Event Driven Architectures with Metronome | LinkedIn

We're hosting a live Q&A session with two engineers who have seen it all: - Casey Crites, a founding engineer at Metronome, implemented and scaled the Kafka pipeline at Metronome from zero to where i...

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Almog @almog.xyz · 12/12/2024

The momentum on SlateDB development can't be stopped! We're getting close to closing out another foundational RFC by @flaneur2024.bsky.social: transactions 🏦 Mostly taking inspiration from Badger, but there's some innovative stuff there. Check it out: github.com/slatedb/slat...

github.com

docs: Add rfc about Transaction by flaneur2020 · Pull Request #260 · slatedb/slatedb

fixes #248 this doc is still in WIP, but the discussion is open here. TLDR of this doc: Snapshot (with sequence number in keys) and WriteBatch are MUST before working on the Transaction feature SS...

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Almog @almog.xyz · 11/12/2024

It's the bloom filters. It's always the bloom filters.

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Almog @almog.xyz · 08/12/2024

There are 2.4999999999994 hard things in computer science: naming, floating point math and exactly once delivery.

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