Read
Long-form, from the layer below. Every post here is the original; Medium and Substack link back. RSS
FUNDAMENTALS · STORAGE · 04
Why every database is secretly a log
Before indexes and query planners, there's an append-only file. Once you see it, replication and recovery stop being magic.
4 Oct 2026 · 4 min read · Read the post →- Retrieval · Durable fundamentalsWhat a vector index actually stores
A vector database is a list of numbers per document, plus a shortcut that skips most of them. Here is what's on disk, and what the shortcut costs you.
- SQL · Build logHow this site runs SQL in your browser
Every query on Built From Bits runs on your machine, not mine. Here is how that works, what it costs, and the trade-off I accepted to get there.
One letter a week
One fundamental, one problem to practice, and what I shipped. Unsubscribe anytime.