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Deep dives on transaction log processing, Change Data Capture, and the infrastructure that moves data in real time.

Engineering·10 min read

What a Lost ACK Means for Data Delivery

A lost acknowledgment leaves destination state unknown. Learn how retries, Kafka producer settings, and recovery policy shape a safe delivery decision.

DistributedSystems·Kafka·Reliability
Aug 24, 2026
Engineering·10 min read

When Can a Data Pipeline Safely Delete History?

Learn when source WAL, replay archives, audit records, and recovery logs can be deleted without breaking delivery or recovery.

DataEngineering·Reliability·PostgreSQL
Aug 24, 2026
Engineering·9 min read

What PostgreSQL wal_level Changes, and What It Does Not

Learn what PostgreSQL wal_level enables, why a restart is required, and how slot state separates source settings from stream operation.

PostgreSQL·WAL·CDC
Aug 20, 2026
Fundamentals·9 min read

Logical vs Physical Replication: When to Use Each

PostgreSQL offers two replication modes with different trade-offs. Learn when to use physical replication, when to use logical, and when to run both.

PostgreSQL·Replication·CDC
Jul 18, 2026
Fundamentals·12 min read

PostgreSQL WAL: How It Works

Learn how PostgreSQL's Write-Ahead Log works, from WAL records and full-page writes to checkpoints, replication slots, and monitoring queries.

PostgreSQL·WAL·DataEngineering
Jul 15, 2026
Fundamentals·9 min read

What is Change Data Capture (CDC)?

Change Data Capture streams database changes to downstream systems in real time. Learn how CDC works, the three approaches, and when to use each.

DataEngineering·CDC·Streaming
Jul 12, 2026
Fundamentals·8 min read

What is a Transaction Log? WAL, Binlog, and Oplog Explained

Transaction logs power crash recovery, replication, and CDC. Learn how PostgreSQL WAL, MySQL binlog, and MongoDB oplog work and how they differ.

DataEngineering·PostgreSQL·MySQL
Jul 9, 2026

One processor. Six transaction log functions.

Move committed data through one controlled path, with explicit ordering, delivery, and recovery boundaries.

Read the fundamentals