The Illusion of 100% Test Coverage
I've watched teams chase 100% and still ship bugs. Coverage proves code ran, not that it worked. Real safety comes from assertions that bite, weird inputs, mutation tests, and tough reviews. Treat coverage as a flashlight, not a finish line.
The Tyranny of Tiny Modules
Modularity is not a numbers game. A 300-line component with a clean flow beats ten shallow ones across folders. Barrels bloat bundles and hide cycles. Write for brains, not style cops: minimize hops, keep related logic close, abstract when it’s earned.
Cutting Redundant Data Fetches with React’s `cache` in React 19
React 19’s cache memoizes server calls per request. Wrap a fetch or DB query, call it from multiple server components, and React runs it once. Fewer duplicate hits, faster pages, consistent data. The cache clears after render. Use it in Next.js 15 with RSC.
TypeScript Soup: Taming an Unruly API
One tiny helper, big payoff. Use template literal types to infer base fields from `nameFr` style keys, then `getLocalized(locale, obj, fields)` returns exactly what you asked for. No copy-paste, no string concat, typos blocked, locales centralized, fallbacks handled.
Fresh vs. Next.js 15
I tried Fresh after another hydration bug. It shipped HTML, woke just the interactive islands, and my laptop sighed in relief. Next 15 felt heavier but battle-tested. My take: use Fresh for speed and clarity, Next when you need every plugin and playbook.
Exponential Backoff in Modern JavaScript
Stop hammering a sick API. Exponential backoff—with jitter and caps—turns retries into resilience. I show how to wire it in React/Next.js (client + Route Handlers) and Fastify, when to retry vs bail, and how to keep users happy in 2025.
React 19’s New Hooks: Practical Relief or Added Complexity?
React 19: use() for async data, form actions with useFormStatus/useActionState, useOptimistic for snappy updates, and async transitions. Fewer effects and form libs—cleaner patterns for forms, fetching, and UX.
Are React Server Components Improving Your Apps?
React Server Components (RSCs) can deliver real performance wins. One team rebuilt their Next.js site with RSCs and achieved a 62 % drop in JavaScript bundle size and a 63 % boost in Google’s Speed Index. Less client‑side React logic means faster first paints.
The Cost of Switching Frameworks Every Year That No One Wants to Admit
Frontend development moves fast. Every few months a new framework entices us. We rebuild our app in React, then Vue, then Svelte or Solid. Yet beneath the fun of chasing the newest, there are hidden costs—technical overhead, morale hits, loss of institutional knowledge, hiring headaches.
ESM vs CommonJS: History, Differences, and the Big Shift
You’ve likely seen multiple JavaScript module systems. Node.js built on CommonJS with require and module.exports. Browsers adopted ES modules using import and export. Today the ecosystem is shifting toward ESM, but CommonJS still holds strong in many projects.
Managing complexity: Shared business logic in Next.js (Part 1: Server-Side Architecture)
In Next.js 14+, structuring shared business logic through repositories, action functions, and standardized error handling cuts duplication and keeps API routes and Server Actions consistent. This layered approach boosts maintainability, type safety, and sleep quality.
Advanced Union Type Techniques in TypeScript — 05 Object Values with const Assertion
Const assertions in TypeScript lock values to their exact literal types and make them readonly, preventing accidental changes. Used strategically in configs, mappings, and critical state, they catch errors early, keep code predictable, and boost maintainability without unnecessary rigidity.
