Daily micro-tips for C#, SQL, performance, and scalable backend engineering.
Heavy JavaScript computation freezing your webpage? Web Workers run code in a separate thread, keeping your UI responsive. The UI Freezing Problem: // ❌ BAD: Blocks UI for 5 seconds function processLargeData() { const data = Array.from({ length: 10000000 }, (_, i) => i); const result = data .filter(n => n % 2 === 0) […]
Common Table Expressions (CTEs) make queries readable but can cause performance disasters when SQL Server evaluates them multiple times. The CTE Performance Trap: — ❌ BAD: CTE evaluated 3 times! WITH RecentOrders AS ( SELECT CustomerId, OrderDate, Total FROM Orders WHERE OrderDate >= DATEADD(month, -1, GETDATE()) — Complex calculation that takes 5 seconds ) SELECT […]
Created an index but your query still takes 30 seconds? SQL Server might be ignoring it due to implicit conversions, functions, or wildcard positioning. Index Killer #1 – Functions on Indexed Columns: — Index exists on CreatedDate CREATE INDEX IX_Orders_CreatedDate ON Orders(CreatedDate); — ❌ BAD: Index ignored, full table scan SELECT * FROM Orders WHERE […]
Building strings in loops? String interpolation is clean but creates a new string on every concatenation. Here’s when to use what. The Readability Winner: // Old way – hard to read string message = “User ” + userName + ” (ID: ” + userId + “) logged in at ” + timestamp; // Modern way […]
Using .Count() > 0 to check if a collection has items? You’re forcing LINQ to enumerate the entire collection just to answer a yes/no question. The Performance Killer: var users = dbContext.Users.Where(u => u.IsActive); // BAD: Counts ALL active users first if (users.Count() > 0) { Console.WriteLine(“We have active users”); } // Database query generated: […]
Nested if-else statements making your code unreadable? C# 9+ switch expressions with pattern matching can reduce 50+ lines to 10. The Old Nightmare: public decimal CalculateDiscount(Customer customer, Order order) { if (customer == null) return 0; if (customer.IsPremium) { if (order.Total > 1000) return order.Total * 0.20m; else if (order.Total > 500) return order.Total * […]
Tired of writing boilerplate Equals, GetHashCode, and ToString methods? C# records do it automatically with better performance. Old Way – Traditional Class: // BAD: 60+ lines for simple data class public class Person { public string FirstName { get; set; } public string LastName { get; set; } public int Age { get; set; } […]
Using async/await everywhere doesn’t automatically make your code faster – it can actually make it slower if done wrong. Here are the critical mistakes. Mistake 1: Async All The Way Down (Unnecessarily): // BAD: Unnecessary async overhead public async Task GetUserIdAsync(string username) { return await Task.FromResult(_cache.Get(username)); // Why async? } // This creates a Task, […]
Processing large arrays or strings eating up memory? Span<T> lets you work with slices of memory without allocating new arrays. The Problem – Traditional Approach: // BAD: Creates new array on every call public byte[] ProcessChunk(byte[] data, int start, int length) { byte[] chunk = new byte[length]; // Heap allocation Array.Copy(data, start, chunk, 0, length); […]
Getting “Transaction was deadlocked” errors randomly? Deadlocks happen when two transactions lock resources in opposite order. Here’s how to fix them permanently. Identify Deadlocks – System Health Session: — SQL Server automatically logs deadlocks to system_health session SELECT CAST(target_data AS XML) AS deadlock_xml FROM sys.dm_xe_session_targets st JOIN sys.dm_xe_sessions s ON s.address = st.event_session_address WHERE s.name […]
Application running slow but can’t figure out which queries are the culprits? Query Store is SQL Server’s built-in performance tracker that records everything. Enable Query Store (SQL Server 2016+): — Enable for your database ALTER DATABASE YourDatabaseName SET QUERY_STORE = ON ( OPERATION_MODE = READ_WRITE, DATA_FLUSH_INTERVAL_SECONDS = 900, INTERVAL_LENGTH_MINUTES = 60, MAX_STORAGE_SIZE_MB = 1000, QUERY_CAPTURE_MODE […]
Your .NET application’s memory usage grows infinitely? You’re probably not disposing resources properly. Here’s the complete guide. The Memory Leak – Classic Example: // WRONG: Memory leak public async Task ProcessOrdersAsync() { var dbContext = new ApplicationDbContext(); var orders = await dbContext.Orders.ToListAsync(); // Process orders… // dbContext never disposed = connection stays open = memory […]
Your .NET Docker builds take 5-10 minutes every time? Improper Dockerfile layer ordering is killing your cache efficiency. Bad Dockerfile (No Cache Optimization): FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:8.0 AS build WORKDIR /src # This invalidates cache on EVERY code change COPY . . RUN dotnet restore RUN dotnet build -c Release RUN dotnet publish -c Release -o /app/publish […]
Is ‘git clone’ taking 10 minutes? Your repository probably has bloated history from large files that were deleted years ago but still exist in Git’s object database. Diagnose the Problem: # Check repository size du -sh .git # If this is >500MB for a code project, you have bloat # Find largest objects in Git […]
Accidentally did ‘git reset –hard’ and lost hours of work? Your commits aren’t deleted – they’re just orphaned. Here’s how to find them. The Magic Command – Reflog: git reflog This shows every HEAD movement in your repository, even deleted commits. Output looks like: a1b2c3d HEAD@{0}: reset: moving to HEAD~3 e4f5g6h HEAD@{1}: commit: Added user […]
Your AJAX calls fail randomly due to network hiccups or server load? Implement smart retry logic that actually works. The Problem with Basic Retry: // Bad: Immediate retry can make things worse function badRetry(url, maxAttempts) { for (let i = 0; i < maxAttempts; i++) { try { return await fetch(url); } catch (error) { […]
Search inputs lagging? Scroll events killing performance? Understanding debounce vs throttle is critical for responsive UIs. Debounce – Wait Until User Stops: function debounce(func, delay) { let timeoutId; return function(…args) { clearTimeout(timeoutId); timeoutId = setTimeout(() => { func.apply(this, args); }, delay); }; } // Usage: Search input const searchInput = document.getElementById(‘search’); const performSearch = debounce((query) […]
Still using Bootstrap modals or custom JavaScript? The native <dialog> element handles accessibility, focus trapping, and backdrop clicks automatically. The Complete HTML: <!– The dialog element –> <dialog id=”myModal”> <form method=”dialog”> <h2>Confirm Action</h2> <p>Are you sure you want to delete this item?</p> <div class=”actions”> <button value=”cancel”>Cancel</button> <button value=”confirm” autofocus>Delete</button> </div> </form> </dialog> <!– Trigger button […]
Page navigation feels jarring? The new CSS View Transitions API creates native app-like transitions without a single line of JavaScript. The Basic Setup: /* Enable view transitions for all navigations */ @view-transition { navigation: auto; } /* Customize the transition */ ::view-transition-old(root), ::view-transition-new(root) { animation-duration: 0.3s; animation-timing-function: ease-in-out; } /* Fade effect */ ::view-transition-old(root) { […]
Windows taking 2-3 minutes to reach the desktop? Your startup folder is probably cluttered with apps you don’t need launching immediately. See What’s Slowing Your Boot: # PowerShell command to list all startup programs with delay impact Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_StartupCommand | Select-Object Name, Command, Location, User | Format-Table -AutoSize This shows every program that auto-starts, […]
Fresh Windows 11 install comes with 30+ unnecessary apps and aggressive telemetry. Here’s the nuclear option to clean it all at once. The One-Script Solution: Open PowerShell as Administrator and run: # Remove bloatware apps Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Where-Object { $_.Name -like “*Xbox*” -or $_.Name -like “*3DViewer*” -or $_.Name -like “*Solitaire*” -or $_.Name -like “*Spotify*” […]
Skip generic tourist traps and discover authentic local experiences with this comprehensive road trip planning prompt. The Ultimate Road Trip Planner Prompt: You are a travel planning expert with deep knowledge of hidden gems and local culture. Create a detailed road trip itinerary. **Trip Details:** – Start: [City/Location] – End: [City/Location] – Duration: [Number of […]
Stop spending hours deciphering cryptic error messages. This prompt turns stack traces into actionable debugging steps. The Master Debugging Prompt: You are a senior software engineer debugging a production issue. Analyze the following error and provide a step-by-step debugging plan. **Error Context:** Application: [e.g., ASP.NET Core Web API] Environment: [Production/Staging] Frequency: [How often does this […]
Turn scattered code comments into beautiful, structured API docs in seconds with this prompt template. The Prompt Template: You are a technical documentation expert. Analyze the following code and generate comprehensive API documentation. **Input Code:** [PASTE YOUR CODE HERE] **Output Requirements:** 1. Extract all public methods/endpoints 2. For each endpoint, document: – HTTP method and […]
Your Docker image is 1.2GB when it should be 120MB? Multi-stage builds eliminate build dependencies from your final image. The Problem – Single Stage Build: FROM node:18 WORKDIR /app COPY package*.json ./ RUN npm install # Installs 300MB of dev dependencies COPY . . RUN npm run build # Creates 10MB production build CMD [“node”, […]
Your pod crashes in 2 seconds, and logs vanish before you can read them? Here’s how to catch the output before Kubernetes deletes the container. The Problem: When a pod CrashLoops, the container exits so fast that ‘kubectl logs’ shows nothing useful or “container not found” errors. By the time you run the command, Kubernetes […]
Accidentally permanently deleted a post? If you acted within 30 days and your host hasn’t optimized the database, there’s a good chance it’s still recoverable. How WordPress “Deletes” Posts: When you empty trash, WordPress doesn’t immediately erase the post row. It updates the post_status to ‘trash’ first, then later to ‘inherit’ (for revisions). The actual […]
Getting hundreds of spam comments daily? Here’s a plugin-free solution that blocks 95% of spam bots at the server level. The Problem: Most spam bots post comments by directly hitting your wp-comments-post.php file, bypassing your website’s front-end entirely. Anti-spam plugins catch this AFTER it reaches WordPress, wasting server resources processing garbage requests. The Solution – […]
Is Photoshop stuttering on your 4K monitor while other apps run smoothly? The problem isn’t your GPU – it’s how Photoshop uses it. The Issue: Modern GPUs have multiple performance modes. Photoshop often defaults to “power saving” mode on laptops or multi-monitor setups, limiting GPU acceleration even when plugged in and running intensive edits. The […]
Tired of Photoshop forcing you into Creative Cloud save dialogs every single time? Here’s the permanent fix. The Frustration: Adobe changed the default ‘Save As’ behavior to push their cloud services. What used to be a simple Ctrl+Shift+S now opens a cloud upload dialog, adding 4-5 extra clicks to save files locally. The 3-Click Fix: […]