Developer skills
18 posts in this category
Cutting Cortex LLM Costs by 90%: The Prompt Engineering Playbook
Real-world cost optimization through strategic prompt engineering, smart model selection, and caching—with actual numbers from production
Ryan Dahlberg 
Zero-Downtime Prompt Migrations: Evolving AI Templates Without Breaking Production
Learn production-tested strategies for migrating AI prompts safely - canary deployments, A/B testing, rollback procedures, and real migration cases.
Ryan Dahlberg 
Meta-Programming: Using Cortex to Build Cortex
The ultimate test of a self-improving system - using Cortex to develop, improve, and transform itself. Real examples from the rename operation.
Ryan Dahlberg 
Using Observability Tools for Effective Debugging: See What Your Code is Really Doing
Learn how to leverage modern observability tools for debugging. From distributed tracing to metrics dashboards, discover how to gain visibility into complex systems and debug issues faster.
Ryan Dahlberg 
Building a Strong Engineering Portfolio
Learn how to build a portfolio that actually gets you hired. Real strategies for showcasing your skills, choosing impactful projects, and standing out in a competitive job market.
Ryan Dahlberg 
AI-Accelerated Development: 30+ Commits/Day
The workflows, tools, and practices that enabled 794 commits in 4 weeks. Learn how AI pair programming can 10x your development velocity.
Ryan Dahlberg 
Eight Weeks of Development in Three Hours: Building a Production Observability Pipeline with AI
Using Cortex with Claude Code, we built a complete production-ready observability pipeline in ~3 hours that would traditionally take 6-8 weeks. The result - 9,253 lines of code, 94 passing tests, and an 80-100x productivity multiplier.
Ryan Dahlberg 
Technical Debt: When to Pay It Down
Master the art of managing technical debt. Learn when to refactor, when to ship, and how to make strategic decisions that balance code quality with business velocity.
Ryan Dahlberg Mastering AI: Advanced Prompting Techniques That Actually Work
Learn the Tree of Thought method, Playoff technique, and the meta-skill that makes all prompting work: clarity of thought. Stop fighting with AI and start getting exceptional results.
Ryan Dahlberg 
Writing Self-Documenting Code
Learn how to write code that explains itself through clear naming, intentional structure, and expressive design. Reduce documentation debt while improving code quality and maintainability.
Ryan Dahlberg 
Advanced Debugging Techniques for Production Issues: Finding Needles in Haystacks
Master the art of debugging production systems. Learn how to diagnose complex issues, read stack traces effectively, use debugging tools, and solve problems that only happen in production.
Ryan Dahlberg 
From Junior to Senior: Technical Leadership Skills
The real skills that separate junior from senior engineers. Learn what technical leadership actually means, how to grow your influence, and the mindset shifts that define career advancement in software engineering.
Ryan Dahlberg 
Database Query Optimization Techniques
Deep dive into practical database optimization techniques. Learn indexing strategies, query analysis, and real-world solutions for improving database performance in production systems.
Ryan Dahlberg 
Integration Testing Strategies for Microservices: Beyond Unit Tests
Master integration testing in microservices architectures. Learn contract testing, service virtualization, test data management, and strategies for testing distributed systems effectively.
Ryan Dahlberg 
Code Review Best Practices for Engineering Teams
Master the art of code reviews that improve code quality, share knowledge, and build team culture. Learn what to look for, how to give feedback, and how to structure reviews for maximum impact.
Ryan Dahlberg 
SOLID Principles in Modern Software Development
A practical guide to applying SOLID principles in modern codebases. Learn how these foundational design principles create maintainable, scalable software that stands the test of time.
Ryan Dahlberg 
Test-Driven Development in Practice: Writing Tests That Matter
Learn how to apply Test-Driven Development effectively in real-world scenarios. From writing your first failing test to refactoring with confidence, discover the practical strategies that make TDD work.
Ryan Dahlberg 
Performance Profiling and Optimization Workflows
Master the art of performance profiling with systematic workflows, practical tools, and real-world optimization strategies. Learn how to identify bottlenecks, measure impact, and deliver measurable performance improvements.
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