Why Most Developers Shouldn't Write Their Own Encryption Libraries

Picture this: you’re building the next big thing, and suddenly you need to encrypt some sensitive data. Your inner developer screams “How hard can it be? It’s just math!” Well, my friend, that’s exactly the kind of thinking that keeps cybersecurity professionals employed and coffee shops in business. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: encryption is deceptively simple on the surface but catastrophically complex underneath. It’s like an iceberg wearing a tuxedo – looks elegant from above, but there’s a massive, sharp, Titanic-sinking disaster waiting below the waterline....

August 15, 2025 · 11 min · 2309 words · Maxim Zhirnov

Implementing Service Mesh with Istio in Kubernetes: From Zero to Hero

Welcome to the wild world of service meshes, where microservices finally get the networking superpowers they deserve! If you’ve ever felt like your Kubernetes cluster resembles a busy intersection without traffic lights, then Istio is about to become your new best friend. Think of it as the sophisticated air traffic control system for your containerized applications – because nobody wants their services crashing into each other at 30,000 feet. Today, we’re diving deep into implementing Istio service mesh in your Kubernetes cluster....

August 14, 2025 · 11 min · 2285 words · Maxim Zhirnov

The Agile Manifesto is Dead: Why We Need a New Software Development Paradigm

It’s time we admit it: the Agile Manifesto isn’t just showing its age—it’s practically fossilized. Like that one colleague who still insists on using Internet Explorer “because it works fine,” we’ve been clinging to a 24-year-old document as if it’s the holy grail of software development. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: Agile has become the very thing it sought to destroy. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not here to throw the baby out with the bathwater....

August 14, 2025 · 8 min · 1688 words · Maxim Zhirnov

Mastering Asynchronous Python: Building High-Performance Applications with asyncio

Picture this: you’re at a coffee shop, and there’s only one barista. In the synchronous world, this barista would take your order, grind the beans, brew your coffee, serve it, clean the machine, and only then move on to the next customer. Meanwhile, twenty people are standing in line, tapping their feet and checking their watches. Sound inefficient? Welcome to the world before asyncio. Now imagine that same barista can take multiple orders, start several brewing processes, and serve ready coffees while others are still brewing....

August 13, 2025 · 13 min · 2659 words · Maxim Zhirnov

The Case Against Always Using Agile Epics

Let me start with a confession: I used to be an epic evangelist. Every feature request, every project milestone, every sneeze in the office got wrapped up in a shiny epic container. “Just throw it in an epic!” I’d declare, like some sort of Agile fairy godmother waving her backlog wand. But after years of watching projects stumble, teams burn out, and stakeholders scratch their heads in confusion, I’ve come to a sobering realization: epics aren’t always the answer....

August 13, 2025 · 9 min · 1801 words · Maxim Zhirnov