Indexes That Get Used: PostgreSQL EXPLAIN Basics
Read EXPLAIN ANALYZE until you can tell a Seq Scan from an Index Scan, then add btree indexes that match filters, joins, and ORDER BY clauses.
Databases9 min read
NetBay journal
Databases
44 practical Databases articles from Netbay Engineering — written for operators running Linux and Windows VPS in India.
44 articles in this topic
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sqlite3 CLI: .schema, EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN, ANALYZE
Use sqlite3 .schema, EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN, and ANALYZE on the live file to see what SQLite stores, how it will read it, and which indexes it trusts.
Databases8 min read
MariaDB Binary Logs and Point-in-Time Recovery
Turn on MariaDB binary logs, take a consistent dump, and practice point-in-time recovery so a bad write is not a full-day restore from last night.
Databases9 min read
Redis Cache in Front of Postgres or MySQL
Put Redis in front of Postgres or MySQL with cache-aside reads, write-time invalidation, and TTLs so the cache stays a speed layer, not a second database.
Databases8 min read
Lock Down pg_hba.conf So Postgres Is Not Public
Rewrite pg_hba.conf with scram-sha-256, no 0.0.0.0/0, and one CIDR per role so PostgreSQL 16 rejects every host you did not explicitly name.
Databases8 min read
SQLite Schema Migrations Without a Framework
Version SQLite with a schema_migrations table and numbered SQL files so deploys apply ALTERs once, in order, without a heavy framework on the VPS.
Databases8 min read
mysqldump vs mariadb-dump and a Restore Drill
Pick mariadb-dump or mysqldump on purpose, schedule a logical backup, and run a restore drill on a second host before you ever need it in an incident.
Databases9 min read
Redis maxmemory and Eviction Policies by Workload
Set maxmemory before Redis eats the VPS, then pick allkeys-lru, volatile-ttl, or noeviction so the eviction policy matches cache, session, or queue data.
Databases8 min read
postgresql.conf: Memory, Connections, First Edits
Change shared_buffers, effective_cache_size, max_connections, and work_mem first so PostgreSQL 16 uses RAM instead of guessing at factory defaults.
Databases9 min read
SQLite File Placement: Permissions and Avoiding /tmp
Put SQLite on a dedicated data directory with tight permissions, never in /tmp or a git checkout, so reboots and deploys cannot wipe it by accident.
Databases8 min read
InnoDB Buffer Pool Settings That Matter on a VPS
Size the InnoDB buffer pool from real RAM, then change only the handful of knobs that actually move query latency on a single production VPS.
Databases9 min read
Redis Persistence: RDB vs AOF on a Small VPS
Choose RDB, AOF, or both on a small VPS by weighing restart durability against High-Speed SSD writes, fork cost, and how much data you can afford to lose.
Databases9 min read