Finding Solutions: A Backend Developer's Journey
Nothing gives a backend developer greater satisfaction than solving an issue they first struggled with. I recently encountered a challenge of this kind, which not only pushed the boundaries of my technical knowledge but also cemented my love for backend development.. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of that experience, along with a bit about the journey I’m about to embark on with the HNG Internship.
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The Challenge
I was approached with a seemingly simple request : To optimize database queries for an e-commerce app. Now , the problem here was that the application was experiencing serious slowdowns during peak traffic times. I did some troubleshooting and found out the problem was with the database.
Step-by-Step Breakdown
- Identifying the Root Cause
I started by figuring out which queries were making the app move slow. I used MySQL's slow query log and performance schemes to identify which of the queries took the longest to run
Action Taken: I enabled the slow query log and then I set a threshold to log the queries that took longer than one second to execute. Within some hours, I had myself a list of the problematic queries.
- Analyzing the Queries
I did some more troubleshooting on the slow queries. I wanted to understand why they were taking so long to execute. For this, I had to find out how MySQL was running these queries and so I used the "EXPLAIN" statement.
Action Taken: Running "EXPLAIN SELECT..." on the slow queries showed me that many of them were not making effective use of indexes. They were doing full table scans instead, which I found concerning
- Optimizing Indexes
After finding out the problematic queries, the next step I took was to optimize the indexes. This involved adding new indexes and optimizing existing ones to ensure that the queries could run more efficiently, without the prior slowdowns.
Action Taken: I added composite indexes on the columns that were frequently used together in WHERE clauses and JOIN operations. I also removed redundant indexes that I believed were no longer needed.
- Query Refactoring
In some cases, adding indexes just wasn’t enough. Some queries needed to be written altogether. This involved breaking down complex queries into simpler, more efficient ones.
Action Taken: I restructured several queries to reduce the number of JOIN operations and to use subqueries where necessary. I also implemented caching for some read-heavy operations to reduce the load on the database.
- Testing and Monitoring
After making these changes, I needed to be sure that they actually improved performance without introducing new issues. I set up a staging environment that mirrored the production environment to test the latest changes.
Action Taken: I used load testing tools to simulate peak traffic and monitored the performance of the database. The optimized queries showed a huge reduction in execution time, and the application’s overall responsiveness improved.
The Outcome
The result of these optimizations was a dramatic improvement in the application’s performance during peak traffic times. I gained valuable insights into database optimization techniques following this.
My Journey with HNG Internship
Looking back on this experience, I’m more excited than ever about the journey I’m about to start with the HNG Internship. This internship for me is a great opportunity to learn from experts, collaborate with other talented developers, and tackle real-world problems.
I’m veryinterested in the mentorship aspect of the HNG Internship. Having access to seasoned developers who can provide guidance and feedback is invaluable. I’m also eager to contribute to meaningful projects and to continue honing my skills in a dynamic and challenging environment.
Why HNG Internship?
I chose HNG Internship because it aligns with my career goals. It focuses on practical experiences and to be honest that’s just what I’m looking for. I would like to push myself, learn new things, and build some projects along the way.
In conclusion, solving challenging backend problems is what drives me as a developer. The satisfaction of overcoming obstacles and finding practical solutions to them is unmatched. As I embark on this journey with the HNG Internship, I’m ready to embrace new challenges, learn from the best, and continue growing as a backend developer.
Thank you for reading about my journey. I’ll be giving more updates in due course as I dive into this chapter.
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