C++ Functions, References, and Pass-By-Value
Write C++ functions that pass data correctly: by value, by reference, by const reference, with overloading, default arguments, and clear ownership.
·5 min read · #cpp#functions#beginner
Blog
1745 posts · page 30 of 37
Modern C++ Features You Should Use: auto, range-for, structured bindings
Tour the modern C++ features that pay back every day: auto, range-for, structured bindings, if-init, std::optional, and string_view.
·5 min read · #cpp#modern#intermediate
C++ Pointers and Manual Memory Basics
Learn C++ pointers, the stack vs the heap, new and delete, nullptr, pointer arithmetic, and why modern C++ pushes you toward smart pointers.
·6 min read · #cpp#pointers#intermediate
Modern C++ Smart Pointers: unique_ptr and shared_ptr
Use unique_ptr, shared_ptr, and weak_ptr to model ownership in modern C++ without manual new and delete or memory leaks.
·5 min read · #cpp#memory#intermediate
C++ STL Containers: vector, map, set, unordered_map
Pick the right C++ STL container for the job: vector, deque, list, map, set, unordered_map, and unordered_set with their complexity guarantees.
·5 min read · #cpp#stl#intermediate
C++ Templates: Generics That Compile to Specifics
Learn C++ templates from scratch: function templates, class templates, type deduction, specialization, and how the compiler stamps out concrete code.
·5 min read · #cpp#templates#intermediate
C++ Variables and Fundamental Types
Understand C++ fundamental types, fixed-width integers, floating point, char, bool, const, and how initialization actually works in modern C++.
·5 min read · #cpp#types#beginner
Behavioral Interviews: The STAR Method With Real Examples
STAR is the most-recommended behavioral interview format and the most-misused. Here is how to actually use it without sounding rehearsed or robotic.
·7 min read · #career#interviews
Code Review Best Practices for Authors and Reviewers
Code reviews shape engineering culture more than any other ritual. Here is how to do them well as both the author and the reviewer.
·7 min read · #career#code-review
Contributing to Open Source: Your First Real PR
Most first-time open source PRs never get merged. Here is how to pick the right project, the right issue, and ship something real that maintainers will actually accept.
·7 min read · #career#open-source
Freelancing and Consulting as a Software Developer
Going freelance is more business than code. Here is a candid guide to finding clients, pricing your work, scoping projects, and not getting burned.
·8 min read · #career#freelancing
Negotiating Your First Software Job Offer
First offer in hand and afraid to ask for more? Here is a candid guide to negotiating without sounding greedy, losing the offer, or selling yourself short.
·7 min read · #career#negotiation
On-Call Survival Guide for Software Engineers
On-call is part of the job for most production engineers. Here is how to survive your first rotation, sleep better, and come out a stronger engineer.
·7 min read · #career#on-call
Backend Developer Roadmap: APIs, Databases, and Beyond
A practical roadmap to becoming a Backend Developer. One language deep, databases, SQL, REST and GraphQL, auth, caching, queues, and production deployments.
·5 min read · #career#roadmap#backend
AI Engineer Roadmap 2026: From Zero to First Job
A practical, opinionated roadmap to becoming an AI Engineer in 2026. Covers LLMs, RAG, evals, embeddings, Python, FastAPI, and vector databases.
·6 min read · #career#roadmap#ai-engineer
Data Engineer Roadmap: From SQL to Production Pipelines
A practical roadmap to becoming a Data Engineer. SQL deep, Python, warehouses, dbt, Airflow orchestration, batch vs streaming, and cloud data services.
·5 min read · #career#roadmap#data-engineer
DevOps Engineer Roadmap: Tools, Skills, and Order of Learning
A practical roadmap to becoming a DevOps Engineer. Linux, scripting, Docker, CI/CD, Kubernetes, Terraform, AWS, and observability, in the right order.
·5 min read · #career#roadmap#devops
Frontend Developer Roadmap: HTML to Production React
A practical roadmap to becoming a Frontend Developer. HTML, CSS, JavaScript deep, TypeScript, React and Next.js, accessibility, performance, and testing.
·5 min read · #career#roadmap#frontend
Software Engineer (SDE) Roadmap: A Practical Path
An honest, opinionated roadmap to becoming a Software Development Engineer. CS fundamentals, one language deep, DSA, system design, Git, and real apps.
·5 min read · #career#roadmap#software-engineer
SRE Roadmap: How to Become a Site Reliability Engineer
A practical roadmap to becoming a Site Reliability Engineer. Linux, networking, observability, IaC, Kubernetes, incident response, and SLOs explained in order.
·5 min read · #career#roadmap#sre
Software Test Engineer (STE) / QA Engineer Roadmap
A practical roadmap to becoming a Software Test Engineer or QA Engineer. Manual testing, Playwright and pytest automation, CI, performance testing, and career growth.
·5 min read · #career#roadmap#qa-engineer
How to Approach a System Design Interview: A 6-Step Framework
A practical 6-step framework for system design interviews that keeps you on track when you are nervous, short on time, and asked to design something huge.
·6 min read · #career#system-design
Switching Engineering Jobs Without Burning Bridges
Leaving a job is easy. Leaving well is rare. Here is how to switch engineering jobs without torching your reputation or your future references.
·7 min read · #career#job-switch
ArgoCD and GitOps for Kubernetes
ArgoCD makes Git the source of truth for your Kubernetes clusters. Learn the GitOps pattern, the App-of-Apps model, and sync strategies that work.
·6 min read · #argocd#gitops#intermediate
GitHub Actions Matrix Builds: Test Across Versions
Use the matrix strategy in GitHub Actions to test across Node versions, operating systems, and dependency sets without duplicating workflow files.
·5 min read · #github-actions#ci#intermediate
NGINX as a Reverse Proxy: Configuration That Works
Set up NGINX as a reverse proxy for Node, Python, or container backends with the right headers, timeouts, and TLS configuration for production.
·6 min read · #nginx#networking#intermediate
Terraform Basics: HCL, Providers, and Your First Resource
Learn the foundations of Terraform: writing HCL, configuring providers, managing state, and creating your first cloud resource the right way.
·5 min read · #terraform#iac#intermediate
Docker Networking Basics: Bridges, Ports, and DNS
A practical guide to Docker networking: the default bridge, user-defined bridges, host networking, container DNS, and how port publishing actually works.
·6 min read · #docker#networking#intermediate
Backtracking Patterns: Subsets, Permutations, N-Queens
A practical guide to backtracking: the recursion template, pruning, classic problems with code, and complexity analysis for subsets and permutations.
·6 min read · #dsa#backtracking#intermediate
Bellman-Ford and Negative-Weight Edges
Understand Bellman-Ford's relaxation loop, how it handles negative edges, detects negative cycles, and why it costs more than Dijkstra.
·5 min read · #graphs#shortest-path#intermediate
Dijkstra's Algorithm: Shortest Paths Explained
Learn Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm with a clean Python implementation, complexity analysis, and the priority queue intuition behind it.
·5 min read · #graphs#shortest-path#intermediate
Divide and Conquer: Mental Model with Merge Sort and Quick Sort
Learn the divide-and-conquer pattern through merge sort and quick sort, recurrence relations, the Master theorem, and how to recognize the pattern.
·7 min read · #dsa#divide-and-conquer#intermediate
Fenwick Tree (BIT): Prefix Sums on the Cheap
Implement and understand the Fenwick tree, also called the binary indexed tree, for O(log n) prefix sums and point updates in just a few lines.
·6 min read · #data-structures#fenwick-tree#intermediate
Heap and Priority Queue: The Data Structure Behind Top-K
Learn how heaps power priority queues, why heapq runs push and pop in O(log n), and how to solve classic Top-K and merge problems in Python.
·6 min read · #dsa#heap#beginner
Kruskal's and Prim's MST Algorithms
Build minimum spanning trees with Kruskal's union-find approach and Prim's priority queue approach, with side-by-side Python implementations.
·5 min read · #graphs#mst#intermediate
3Sum — Sort and Two Pointers, Step by Step
A careful walkthrough of 3Sum using sort plus two pointers. We handle duplicate triplets cleanly and avoid the classic off-by-one traps.
·7 min read · #dsa#leetcode#two-pointers
Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock — One-Pass Min Tracker
Walk through Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock. We go from the quadratic brute force to a clean one-pass solution tracking the running minimum.
·5 min read · #dsa#leetcode#arrays
Binary Tree Level Order Traversal — Queue Size Snapshot
The queue-with-size BFS pattern, why DFS still works, and how this template extends to zigzag and right-side view.
·5 min read · #dsa#leetcode#trees
Climbing Stairs: Fibonacci in Disguise
Walk through Climbing Stairs from brute force recursion to bottom-up DP, with edge cases, complexity analysis, and an interview script.
·5 min read · #dsa#leetcode#dynamic-programming
Clone Graph — DFS With a Node-to-Copy Hash Map
Why a hash map from original to copy is the entire idea, plus the BFS variant for stack-limited environments.
·5 min read · #dsa#leetcode#graphs
Coin Change: Bottom-Up DP Explained
Walk through Coin Change with brute force recursion, memoization, and bottom-up DP. Includes complexity analysis and interview script.
·6 min read · #dsa#leetcode#dynamic-programming
Container With Most Water — Two-Pointer Walkthrough
Solve Container With Most Water with the two-pointer technique. We prove correctness and contrast it with the quadratic brute force.
·6 min read · #dsa#leetcode#two-pointers
Combination Sum: Backtracking With Reuse
Solve Combination Sum with a clean backtracking template. Pruning, duplicate avoidance, complexity discussion, and interview script.
·5 min read · #dsa#leetcode#backtracking
Course Schedule — Topological Sort With DFS
Detect cycles and produce a valid course order using DFS-based topological sort. Includes BFS Kahn alternative and interview script.
·6 min read · #dsa#leetcode#graphs
Edit Distance: 2D DP Step by Step
Edit Distance fully unpacked — the three-operation recurrence, the 2D table, and the rolling-array space optimization that makes interviewers nod.
·6 min read · #dsa#leetcode#dp
Daily Temperatures — Monotonic Stack Pattern
Solve Daily Temperatures with a monotonic decreasing stack of indices. Includes brute force comparison, walkthrough, complexity, and interview tips.
·6 min read · #dsa#leetcode#stack
Group Anagrams — Hash Map of Canonical Keys
Solve the Group Anagrams problem cleanly with a hash map keyed by sorted strings or character counts. Includes complexity analysis and interview talking points.
·6 min read · #dsa#leetcode#hashing
Generate Parentheses: Counting Backtrack
Solve Generate Parentheses with counting-based backtracking. Clean invariant, walkthrough, complexity discussion, and interview tips.
·4 min read · #dsa#leetcode#backtracking