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Logs in Distributed Systems

Sat, 26 Aug 2023 15:16:26 +0530

Introduction

A few years ago, logs had a simple meaning to me: data written to standard output on the terminal or a file to monitor an application and assist in debugging in case of a crash. This definition of logs was confined to mostly human-readable application logs. Although essential, this view of logs was limited.

So what are logs in distributed systems?
In the context of distributed and data systems, logs are an append-only sequence of records written to a file, ordered by time, often in a non-human-readable format, and sometimes compressed for better performance. These simple yet powerful append-only files allow an easy way to record an ordered sequence of immutable records and store them reliably. Now, let’s explore how these logs are utilized in distributed systems.

Serialization in Protocol Buffers

Sun, 20 Aug 2023 14:47:17 +0530

In the world of distributed systems and microservices, we often want to communicate with different services hosted on different servers in various geographical locations. To do this, we need to serialize the payload (in-memory structure to bytes) at the sender’s end and send it over the network. Then it’s deserialized (bytes to in-memory structure) at the receiver’s end. We want to make this process as fast and efficient as possible. So how can we achieve this, and what are our options?

Understanding Transaction Isolation in DynamoDB: From Concepts to Conflicts

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 20:00:33 +0530

Isolation in DynamoDB transactions or any data system for that matter is often an overlooked property but it is very important to understand, as concurrent transactions are almost unavoidable when working on distributed systems.

But what is isolation in relation to a database system? Isolation is a property of a database system that specifies how and when any change made by an operation becomes visible to another operation that is happening concurrently.

Prawns Pickle

Sat, 04 Feb 2023 10:59:44 +0530

About

Fresh Goan prawns pickle recipe.

Quantity

1 Kg Prawns.

Ingredients

20x Red chillie (Kashmiri ,bedki).
5-6 Green chillie.
1 inch Ginger.
1 solo garlic.
10 Curry leaves.
1 inch cinnamon.
3-4 Clove.
8-10 Black pepper.
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds.
1 teaspoon turmeric.
350ml white vinegar (can vary a bit).
Salt as per taste.
2 tablespoon Chillie powder.
250 gm oil.

Steps

Wash, clean and peel the prawns properly and then keep it to dry off for some time.
Take 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 2 table spoon chillie powder and salt according to taste and mix it with prawns and keep it to marinate for one hour.
Shallow fry the prawns in oil and keep it to cool off.
Take all the above-mentioned ingredients in given quantity (red chillie, green chillie, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, clove, black pepper, cumin seeds, turmeric, vinegar, salt) and grind them finely into a paste.
Next take 200 gm oil separately and fry curry leaves in it for 10–15 mins under slow fire.
Next add the above grinded masala and fry it in the same vessel as above for 15–20 mins on slow fire.
Post that, add all the marinated prawns in the mixture & fry it for 10 mins.
Shut the fire off and keep it to cool up to room temperature with the lid uncovered.
And you’re done, now your prawns pickle is ready to be enjoyed!.

NOTE: Pickle kept outside at room temperature can have shelf life upto 6 months. You can refrigerate the pickle to increase it

Mutton Chop Fry

Sat, 28 Jan 2023 12:31:23 +0530

About

Delicious finger-lickin good mutton chop fry.

Quantity

1 Kg Mutton Chops.

Ingredients

Small bunch Green coriander.
1/2 Mint bunch.
2x Lemon.
50g Ginger.
75g Garlic.
2 inch Cinnamon.
6 Cloves.
10 Black pepper.
5 Green Cardamom.
1 Black Cardamom.
1 tablespoon Whole Coriander seeds.
1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds.
1 tablespoon Fennel seeds.
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric powder.
1/2 kg oil.
250g Bread crumbs.
3x eggs.
Salt according to taste.

Steps

Take the whole mixture (Green coriander, mint, lemon, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, green cardamom, black cardamom, whole coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, turmeric in above-mentioned quantity and salt & water as per required) mix and grind it into thick paste.
Wash the mutton chops separately and then dry them off thoroughly.
Mix the chops in the prepared masala and keep it to marinate overnight or for at least 4hrs.
Next boil the chops in a cooker on high flame until 1 whistle, then keep it on slow flame for 5 mins more, then keep the chops to cool to room temperature.
Separately, beat 3x eggs in a container and then dip each chops in it and apply the bread crumbs around it. (Do this for all the chops).
Take 1/2 kg oil in a wok/kadai and deep-fry the chops in it.
Now your hot and finger lickin good chops are ready to be served.

- Bennicio Fernandes

Carrot and Celery Soup

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 22:14:58 +0530

About

A simple and delicious soup recipe that can warm up a chilly day.

Quantity

4 Servings

Ingredients

4 medium-sized carrots
2 big celery sticks
One table spoon of butter
Parsley
Half tea spoon black pepper
2 bouillon cubes (chicken or /veg)
Salt

Steps

Chop the carrots and celery sticks into small pieces.
Place the pressure cooker under a slow fire.
Put one tablespoon of butter in the cooker along with the chopped carrots and celery sticks.
Shallow fry and mix for 2 minutes.
Pour two glasses of water.
Heat it up to two or three whistles.
Turn off the stove and let it cool to room temperature.
Now blend the mixture in a blender until it becomes smooth.
Now strain the mixture.
Now add water to dilute the soup as required.
Now once again boil the soup, and at the same time add salt and bouillon cubes.
Before serving, add black pepper and parsley as toppings.

Now your delicious soup is ready to be served. Enjoy!

Red Chicken Sukka

Sun, 05 Dec 2021 20:55:30 +0530

About

Quick to make red medium spicy chicken sukka. Pros: Easy to make and beginner friendly.

Quantity

For 1Kg of Chicken.

Ingredients

5 onions (medium size).
5 big tomatoes
1 tablespoon red chilli powder
2 tablespoons of ginger-garlic paste along with 4 green chilies
2 tablespoons of garam masala powder.
1/2 table spoons of turmeric powder
Fresh cilantro leaves
Table salt (swadh anusar)

Steps

Take the 5 onions and slice them into small pieces.
Shallow fry them with around 5 tablespoons of oil. Fry them till they’re a golden brown color, which takes around 15 minutes (but is variable).
Once it’s brown, take the 5 tomatoes and make a paste out of them using a mixer (preferable over small pieces of the same) and mix them with the onions for about 2–5 minutes.
Next, add red chilli, garam masala, and turmeric powder and mix it well (quantity as listed above).
Once the above masala is ready, add the chicken to it and make sure to mix it well.
Add salt according to taste. (We added 1 tablespoon in the above case.)
Now cook for about 20 minutes (this is variable) and keep mixing at certain intervals to make sure all of the chicken is properly cooked.
In the end, add the cilantro leaves as a topping before being served.

And that’s it your red chicken sukka is ready to be served.