Practical field notes on C#, .NET performance, EF Core, software architecture, security, testing, and deliberate practice.https://katabench.com/en-ushttps://katabench.com/blog/database-deadlockshttps://katabench.com/blog/database-deadlocksDiagnose database deadlocks with a two-session example. Fix inconsistent lock ordering, keep transactions short, and retry the complete operation safely.Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTDatabases & EF CoreThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/timeprovider-testing-csharphttps://katabench.com/blog/timeprovider-testing-csharpMake TimeProvider testing in C# deterministic. Check expiry and delays with FakeTimeProvider, distinguish elapsed time, and avoid asynchronous clock races.Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTTesting & RefactoringThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/dead-letter-queuehttps://katabench.com/blog/dead-letter-queueUse a dead-letter queue to isolate poison messages, diagnose failed deliveries, and replay repaired work without duplicating effects or hiding lost jobs.Sun, 04 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMTSystem DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/httpclient-lifetime-socket-exhaustionhttps://katabench.com/blog/httpclient-lifetime-socket-exhaustionFix HttpClient lifetime mistakes by separating clients, handlers, and connections. Learn connection reuse, DNS refresh, and response ownership in .NET.Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT.NET PerformanceThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/code-review-checklisthttps://katabench.com/blog/code-review-checklistUse a code review checklist that starts with production risk. Follow a stock reservation change through correctness, rollout safety, tests, and feedback.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering PracticeThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/api-backward-compatibilityhttps://katabench.com/blog/api-backward-compatibilityPreserve API backward compatibility while old clients and servers coexist. Design additive contracts, safe defaults, and tests for staged HTTP rollouts.Tue, 29 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitecture & DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/sql-exists-vs-inhttps://katabench.com/blog/sql-exists-vs-inCompare SQL EXISTS vs IN with worked examples, the NOT IN NULL trap, semi joins, and a query-plan method that tests performance without folklore.Sun, 27 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTDatabases & EF CoreThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/property-based-testing-csharphttps://katabench.com/blog/property-based-testing-csharpUse property-based testing in C# to check invariants with FsCheck, generate valid inputs, shrink failing cases, and turn discoveries into regression tests.Sat, 26 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTTesting & RefactoringThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/resource-based-authorization-aspnet-corehttps://katabench.com/blog/resource-based-authorization-aspnet-coreUse resource-based authorization in ASP.NET Core to stop IDOR: check ownership, enforce tenant boundaries, and test access before returning private data.Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSecurity & ReliabilityThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/iasyncenumerable-streaming-dotnethttps://katabench.com/blog/iasyncenumerable-streaming-dotnetUse IAsyncEnumerable in .NET to process results as they arrive. Compare buffering, propagate cancellation, and keep resources alive until enumeration ends.Wed, 23 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT.NET PerformanceThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/design-a-file-storage-servicehttps://katabench.com/blog/design-a-file-storage-serviceDesign a file storage service where bytes never pass through the API: scoped signed uploads, a metadata state machine, an async scan queue, and edge downloads.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSystem DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/design-a-realtime-chat-systemhttps://katabench.com/blog/design-a-realtime-chat-systemDesign a real-time chat system around long-lived connections: a gateway tier, a session registry, pub/sub fan-out, per-conversation sequences, and presence.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSystem DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/design-a-web-crawlerhttps://katabench.com/blog/design-a-web-crawlerDesign a web crawler as a scheduling problem: a URL frontier, per-host politeness, a fetch/parse checkpoint, dedup at scale, and recrawl by change rate.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSystem DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/distributed-tracing-opentelemetry-dotnethttps://katabench.com/blog/distributed-tracing-opentelemetry-dotnetTimeout in service C, silence in A and B: context never propagated. How traceparent, ActivitySource, and OpenTelemetry turn three logs into one trace.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitecture & DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/mass-assignment-aspnet-corehttps://katabench.com/blog/mass-assignment-aspnet-coreMass assignment in ASP.NET Core: the binder sets any property a request names, so extra JSON flips IsAdmin. Why validation misses it and the allowlist fix.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSecurity & ReliabilityThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/mocks-stubs-fakes-csharphttps://katabench.com/blog/mocks-stubs-fakes-csharpMocks vs stubs vs fakes in C#: what each test double can detect, why interaction-heavy mocks go red on every refactor, and when a hand-written fake wins.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTTesting & RefactoringThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/partial-covering-expression-indexes-postgresqlhttps://katabench.com/blog/partial-covering-expression-indexes-postgresqlThree PostgreSQL index shapes that end three recurring full scans: partial for the hot subset, INCLUDE for index-only scans, expression for lower(email).Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTDatabases & EF CoreThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/saga-pattern-compensating-transactions-dotnethttps://katabench.com/blog/saga-pattern-compensating-transactions-dotnetSplit checkout across services and rollback stops existing. Build a .NET saga: persisted orchestrator steps, compensations, a pivot, and idempotent retries.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitecture & DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/sql-window-functionshttps://katabench.com/blog/sql-window-functionsWindow functions compute across related rows without collapsing them: OVER anatomy, ranking ties, the running-total frame trap, top-N per group, and LAG.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTDatabases & EF CoreThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/system-threading-channels-dotnethttps://katabench.com/blog/system-threading-channels-dotnetSystem.Threading.Channels in .NET: why a bounded channel beats an unbounded queue, which BoundedChannelFullMode fits, and a consumer that drains safely.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT.NET PerformanceThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/back-of-the-envelope-capacity-estimationhttps://katabench.com/blog/back-of-the-envelope-capacity-estimationBack of the envelope estimation for system design: turn daily active users into QPS, bandwidth, storage, and pool sizes, then find what saturates first.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSystem DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/benchmarkdotnet-measure-csharp-performancehttps://katabench.com/blog/benchmarkdotnet-measure-csharp-performanceBenchmarkDotNet measures C# performance without the lies a Stopwatch tells: tiered JIT, dead-code elimination, and GC noise, plus how to read the results table.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT.NET PerformanceThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/cdn-edge-cachinghttps://katabench.com/blog/cdn-edge-cachingCDN edge caching is HTTP caching at scale. Which Cache-Control directives matter, what never belongs at the edge, and how a 95% hit rate changes the origin.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSystem DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/change-data-capture-search-indexhttps://katabench.com/blog/change-data-capture-search-indexUpdating the database and the search index in one request is a dual write that drifts. Use change data capture or an outbox to derive the index instead.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSystem DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/database-replication-and-failoverhttps://katabench.com/blog/database-replication-and-failoverA replica is not a backup and a failover is not free. Database replication and failover explained: sync vs async commit, replication lag, safe promotion.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSystem DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/database-sharding-vs-partitioninghttps://katabench.com/blog/database-sharding-vs-partitioningDatabase sharding vs partitioning: one splits a table inside a database, the other splits data across them. What each gives up and how to pick a shard key.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSystem DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/database-transaction-isolation-levelshttps://katabench.com/blog/database-transaction-isolation-levelsDatabase transaction isolation levels are a menu of anomalies you tolerate, not a safety dial. Watch write skew commit, then add the retry Serializable needs.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTDatabases & EF CoreThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/design-a-notification-systemhttps://katabench.com/blog/design-a-notification-systemDesign a notification system that fans one event out to email, push, and SMS without double-sending, blocking on a dead provider, or messaging opted-out users.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSystem DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/design-a-url-shortenerhttps://katabench.com/blog/design-a-url-shortenerDesign a URL shortener with real numbers: 40 writes and 4,000 redirects a second, base62 keys, a cache-aside redirect path, and the 301 vs 302 analytics trade.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSystem DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/ef-core-bulk-updates-executeupdatehttps://katabench.com/blog/ef-core-bulk-updates-executeupdateAn EF Core bulk update that loads 50,000 entities to change one column pays per byte and per statement. ExecuteUpdate sends one statement and skips the tracker.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTDatabases & EF CoreThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/fan-out-on-write-vs-fan-out-on-readhttps://katabench.com/blog/fan-out-on-write-vs-fan-out-on-readFan-out on write vs fan-out on read, with the arithmetic: why push wins for ordinary accounts, where a 10M-follower post explodes, and how a hybrid merges both.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSystem DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/how-to-practice-system-designhttps://katabench.com/blog/how-to-practice-system-designHow to practice system design deliberately: a weekly protocol that picks one pressure, draws the smallest design, breaks it, and compares against a reference.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering PracticeThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/insecure-deserialization-dotnethttps://katabench.com/blog/insecure-deserialization-dotnetInsecure deserialization in .NET turns untrusted input into code execution. Why BinaryFormatter was removed, and the Newtonsoft.Json and XmlSerializer traps.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSecurity & ReliabilityThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/integration-testing-testcontainers-dotnethttps://katabench.com/blog/integration-testing-testcontainers-dotnetIntegration testing in .NET with Testcontainers and WebApplicationFactory runs your API against real PostgreSQL, so constraints and query counts get tested.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTTesting & RefactoringThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/load-balancing-algorithmshttps://katabench.com/blog/load-balancing-algorithmsLoad balancing algorithms are bets about your fleet. Round robin assumes equal servers, least connections dodges slow ones, consistent hashing keeps keys put.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSystem DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/queue-based-load-levelinghttps://katabench.com/blog/queue-based-load-levelingQueue-based load leveling puts a durable queue between a write spike and the workers that drain it. Do the backlog arithmetic and watch the metric that matters.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSystem DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/ssrf-aspnet-corehttps://katabench.com/blog/ssrf-aspnet-coreServer-side request forgery (SSRF) in ASP.NET Core makes your server the attacker's browser. Why naive URL checks fail and how to pin the connected address.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSecurity & ReliabilityThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/system-design-fundamentalshttps://katabench.com/blog/system-design-fundamentalsSystem design fundamentals as nine building blocks: name the pressure, apply the pattern, count what it costs, and learn the failure mode each block introduces.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSystem DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/aspire-service-discoveryhttps://katabench.com/blog/aspire-service-discoveryLearn how Aspire service discovery turns logical names into endpoints with WithReference, HttpClient resolution, health checks, and replica load balancing.Sun, 09 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitecture & DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/circuit-breaker-pattern-dotnethttps://katabench.com/blog/circuit-breaker-pattern-dotnetBuild a circuit breaker in modern .NET with Polly and HttpClient resilience. Tune the failure window, compose retries safely, and prove recovery.Sun, 09 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitecture & DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/message-queue-vs-event-bushttps://katabench.com/blog/message-queue-vs-event-busCompare message queues, event buses, and pub/sub by delivery topology. Choose competing workers or fan-out, then design retries and ordering honestly.Sun, 09 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitecture & DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/mutation-testing-csharphttps://katabench.com/blog/mutation-testing-csharpMutation testing in C# plants controlled bugs and asks whether your tests notice. Learn Stryker.NET, triage survivors, and set useful CI gates.Sun, 09 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTTesting & RefactoringThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/path-traversal-aspnet-corehttps://katabench.com/blog/path-traversal-aspnet-coreA path traversal vulnerability lets user input escape a trusted directory. See the unsafe C# patterns, the containment check, and tests that prove it.Sun, 09 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTSecurity & ReliabilityThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/string-concatenation-performance-csharphttps://katabench.com/blog/string-concatenation-performance-csharpChoose between +, interpolation, StringBuilder, and direct writes in modern C#. Fix repeated copying, then verify the result with allocation benchmarks.Sun, 09 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT.NET PerformanceThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/structured-logging-dotnethttps://katabench.com/blog/structured-logging-dotnetLearn structured logging in .NET with ILogger message templates, named fields, scopes, correlation IDs, safe data handling, and query-first design.Sun, 09 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitecture & DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/cancellation-token-aspnet-corehttps://katabench.com/blog/cancellation-token-aspnet-coreA disconnected client does not cancel your database query by itself. How RequestAborted flows through ASP.NET Core, EF Core, and HttpClient, and where it stops.Sun, 02 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT.NET PerformanceThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/transactional-outbox-dotnethttps://katabench.com/blog/transactional-outbox-dotnetSaving data and publishing an event are two writes that can disagree. Build a transactional outbox with EF Core, a retrying publisher, and idempotent consumers.Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitecture & DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/optimistic-concurrency-ef-corehttps://katabench.com/blog/optimistic-concurrency-ef-coreTwo users edit the same row and the last save silently wins. Use EF Core concurrency tokens, handle DbUpdateConcurrencyException, and test the race properly.Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTDatabases & EF CoreThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/addsingleton-vs-addscoped-vs-addtransienthttps://katabench.com/blog/addsingleton-vs-addscoped-vs-addtransientAddSingleton vs AddScoped vs AddTransient in plain terms: what each lifetime promises, sensible defaults, and the captive dependency bug that ships.Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitecture & DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/async-await-mistakes-csharphttps://katabench.com/blog/async-await-mistakes-csharpThe C# async await mistakes that pass code review: async void, fire and forget tasks, missing CancellationToken plumbing, and blocking on .Result.Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT.NET PerformanceThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/caching-strategieshttps://katabench.com/blog/caching-strategiesCaching strategies from the cache-aside flow to the hard parts: invalidation owned by a human and stampedes tamed by single-flight and jitter.Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitecture & DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/code-smells-csharphttps://katabench.com/blog/code-smells-csharpCode smells are symptoms, not verdicts. Six worth knowing, with C# examples: the tell for each, why it hurts, and the refactoring move that clears it.Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTTesting & RefactoringThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/connection-poolinghttps://katabench.com/blog/connection-poolingConnection pooling explained from the failure end: what a connection costs, the three ways pools drain, and why the timeout blames the wrong request.Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTDatabases & EF CoreThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/cyclomatic-complexityhttps://katabench.com/blog/cyclomatic-complexityCyclomatic complexity counts the independent paths through a method. How to compute it by eye, what a score of 10 predicts, and how to reduce it for real.Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTTesting & RefactoringThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/dotnet-garbage-collection-explainedhttps://katabench.com/blog/dotnet-garbage-collection-explained.NET garbage collection explained: why most objects die young, what gen 0, 1, and 2 collections cost, and why the large object heap hurts latency.Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT.NET PerformanceThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/how-database-indexes-workhttps://katabench.com/blog/how-database-indexes-workHow do database indexes work? A B-tree is a small sorted structure with huge fanout, so a lookup reads a handful of pages instead of the whole table.Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTDatabases & EF CoreThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/idempotency-api-designhttps://katabench.com/blog/idempotency-api-designEvery serious client retries. How the idempotency key pattern and a database unique constraint keep a retried payment from becoming two charges.Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTSecurity & ReliabilityThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/rate-limiting-algorithmshttps://katabench.com/blog/rate-limiting-algorithmsRate limiting algorithms compared: why fixed windows leak double the limit, how token buckets forgive bursts, and what a good 429 response returns.Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTSecurity & ReliabilityThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/unit-testing-best-practiceshttps://katabench.com/blog/unit-testing-best-practicesUnit testing best practices that survive refactoring: AAA structure, behavior-first assertions, a healthy test pyramid, and determinism over flakiness.Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTTesting & RefactoringThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/primitive-obsession-value-objectshttps://katabench.com/blog/primitive-obsession-value-objectsWhen everything is a string, a decimal, or a Guid, the type system cannot tell arguments apart. Value objects in modern C#, the bugs they delete, their limits.Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTTesting & RefactoringThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/sync-over-asynchttps://katabench.com/blog/sync-over-asyncLearn how sync over async causes .NET Thread Pool starvation, spot it with dotnet-counters, capture blocking stacks, and fix ASP.NET Core latency.Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT.NET PerformanceThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/offset-vs-keyset-paginationhttps://katabench.com/blog/offset-vs-keyset-paginationOFFSET pagination reads every row it skips, so page 2,000 costs 2,000 pages of work. Keyset pagination seeks straight to the next page. SQL and EF Core shown.Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTDatabases & EF CoreThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/multiple-enumeration-linqhttps://katabench.com/blog/multiple-enumeration-linqAn IEnumerable isn't a list; it's a promise to do work later. Enumerate it twice and the work happens twice, including, with EF Core, the database query.Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT.NET PerformanceThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/redos-catastrophic-backtrackinghttps://katabench.com/blog/redos-catastrophic-backtrackingCatastrophic backtracking turns an email regex into a denial of service: 30 characters, almost a minute of CPU. Why nested quantifiers explode and the .NET fix.Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTSecurity & ReliabilityThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/tutorial-hellhttps://katabench.com/blog/tutorial-hellWatching code get written trains recognition, not recall. Why tutorials feel like progress, why the skill doesn't transfer, and how to build a loop that does.Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering PracticeThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/coding-interviews-vs-real-skillhttps://katabench.com/blog/coding-interviews-vs-real-skillWhiteboard interviews measure the wrong slice of engineering. Practice what predicts a good engineer instead: correct, fast, well-structured, secure code.Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering PracticeThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/owasp-top-10-csharphttps://katabench.com/blog/owasp-top-10-csharpA practical tour of the OWASP Top 10 for .NET developers: the ASP.NET Core and EF Core patterns behind broken access control, injection, SSRF, and overposting.Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTSecurity & ReliabilityThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/sql-injection-still-alivehttps://katabench.com/blog/sql-injection-still-aliveSQL injection is supposedly solved, yet it's still in the OWASP Top 10. The C# patterns that keep it alive in EF Core and ADO.NET, and how to kill them.Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTSecurity & ReliabilityThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/architecture-fitness-functionshttps://katabench.com/blog/architecture-fitness-functionsArchitecture decays because nothing fails the build when the domain references the DbContext. ArchUnitNET fitness functions assert layering rules in CI.Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitecture & DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/hexagonal-architecture-dotnethttps://katabench.com/blog/hexagonal-architecture-dotnetPorts and adapters in plain C#: domain in the center, ports as interfaces, adapters as infrastructure. Why it beats layered spaghetti, and when it is overkill.Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitecture & DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/dependency-inversion-csharphttps://katabench.com/blog/dependency-inversion-csharpThe D in SOLID is the most quoted and least applied principle. Dependency inversion means owning your abstractions and pointing dependencies inward.Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTArchitecture & DesignThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/refactoring-legacy-csharphttps://katabench.com/blog/refactoring-legacy-csharpHow to refactor legacy C# without breaking it: write characterization tests first, then take small behavior-preserving steps like extract method and seams.Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTTesting & RefactoringThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/green-checkmarks-liehttps://katabench.com/blog/green-checkmarks-lieA green check proves output without proving the solution scales. How performance, allocation, query, and structure gates turn a pass into actionable feedback.Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering PracticeThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/measuring-code-qualityhttps://katabench.com/blog/measuring-code-qualityFour code quality metrics you can automate in C#: cyclomatic complexity, nesting depth, method length, and duplication, with thresholds and a passing refactor.Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTTesting & RefactoringThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/ef-core-performance-habitshttps://katabench.com/blog/ef-core-performance-habitsNine EF Core habits that pass every test and quietly tank production performance: missing AsNoTracking, whole-entity fetches, N+1, cartesian explosion, more.Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTDatabases & EF CoreThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/ef-core-query-plans-indexeshttps://katabench.com/blog/ef-core-query-plans-indexesA well-written EF Core query can still do a sequential scan: no index, or a function on a column makes it non-sargable. How to read a query plan and fix it.Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTDatabases & EF CoreThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/iqueryable-vs-ienumerablehttps://katabench.com/blog/iqueryable-vs-ienumerableReturning IEnumerable, or calling ToList too early, moves filtering and paging into memory. One type change turns an indexed WHERE into loading a million rows.Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTDatabases & EF CoreThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/ef-core-n-plus-1https://katabench.com/blog/ef-core-n-plus-1An EF Core loop that looks innocent fires one query per row. It passes every unit test and dies in production. How N+1 happens, the SQL it generates, the fix.Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTDatabases & EF CoreThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/deliberate-practice-programmershttps://katabench.com/blog/deliberate-practice-programmersRepetition doesn't make you better; deliberate practice does. It needs immediate, specific feedback at the edge of your ability, which most practice lacks.Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering PracticeThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/how-seniors-practicehttps://katabench.com/blog/how-seniors-practiceIt isn't grinding more LeetCode for correctness. Seniors practice what production grades: performance, data-access shape, design, and security.Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTEngineering PracticeThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/premature-optimization-mythhttps://katabench.com/blog/premature-optimization-mythThe most-abused quote in software lets developers dodge performance entirely. Knuth's real argument, and why finding the critical 3% takes a trained instinct.Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT.NET PerformanceThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/span-memory-zero-allocationhttps://katabench.com/blog/span-memory-zero-allocationSpan<T> and stackalloc let you parse and slice without allocating, but they have real limits. When zero-allocation C# earns its keep and when it's overkill.Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT.NET PerformanceThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/dotnet-allocationshttps://katabench.com/blog/dotnet-allocationsCorrect, algorithmically optimal .NET code can still drag, because every needless allocation feeds the GC. How to spot and cut allocation pressure in C#.Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT.NET PerformanceThe Katabench teamhttps://katabench.com/blog/big-o-in-productionhttps://katabench.com/blog/big-o-in-productionBig-O gets crammed for interviews and forgotten, but quadratic C# passes your tests and melts in prod. Where complexity bites and how to make it an instinct.Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT.NET PerformanceThe Katabench team