application performance Archives

Winsage

August 14, 2025

Microsoft commits to improve gaming on Arm-based Windows 11 PCs — “We’re developing new features that will enable more games to be played on Arm”

Microsoft has released a preview update for the Xbox app on Windows 11, allowing users of Arm-based devices, such as those with the Snapdragon X SoC, to download Xbox PC games directly. Previously, the app only supported game streaming through Xbox Cloud Gaming and did not allow downloads from the Xbox platform, although users could download from third-party platforms. The update includes an enhanced emulation layer to improve x86 application performance on Arm devices, but many games still face compatibility issues, particularly due to anti-cheat services that are not natively supported on Arm. NVIDIA is rumored to be developing an Arm-based chip that could enhance gaming performance on these devices. Microsoft is also working on updates to improve the gaming experience on Windows 11, including a dedicated interface for handheld gaming PCs.

Tech Optimizer

July 31, 2025

Cloudflare Chooses PostgreSQL Extension Over Specialized OLAP for 100K Row/Second Analytics

Cloudflare's team chose TimescaleDB over ClickHouse for its Zero Trust product suite to achieve a balance between managing analytical and configuration data and the performance of an OLAP system. They developed Digital Experience Monitoring (DEX), an observability platform that collects structured logs from WARP clients and presents them through a dashboard. Initially using ClickHouse since 2017, they faced limitations with its MergeTree engine, which struggled with numerous small writes from millions of devices. To expedite DEX's release, they used PostgreSQL, managing 200 inserts per second at launch, which scaled to 1,000 inserts/sec as usage grew, leading to performance degradation. They improved query performance by precomputing aggregates, achieving a 1000x improvement. Transitioning to TimescaleDB allowed for better management of time-stamped data with automated aggregation and data retention. Benchmarking showed performance enhancements of 5x to 35x compared to traditional PostgreSQL tables. Following DEX's success, TimescaleDB has been adopted for other Cloudflare initiatives, including Zero Trust Analytics & Reporting.

Tech Optimizer

July 8, 2025

How TimescaleDB helped us scale analytics and reporting

At Cloudflare, PostgreSQL and ClickHouse are used as primary databases for transactional and analytical workloads. PostgreSQL is preferred for product development due to its speed, versatility, and reliability, with hundreds of instances running in various configurations. ClickHouse, introduced in 2017, allows ingestion of tens of millions of rows per second with millisecond-level query performance but comes with trade-offs. The Digital Experience Monitoring (DEX) product was developed with a focus on simplicity and rapid shipping, utilizing a team of three engineers and collaboration with other teams. DEX's initial launch included fleet status logs uploaded every two minutes and synthetic tests with usage caps, leading to a successful MVP launch ahead of schedule. The architecture included an HTTP API, PostgreSQL for storing configurations, and a React UI in the Cloudflare Dashboard. PostgreSQL was chosen for analytics due to its ability to handle structured logs, with a table created for device state logs lacking a primary key but optimized with unique and standard indexes for common queries. The UPSERT query was used for data insertion, and the order of columns in multicolumn indexes was optimized for performance. After launching DEX, the system scaled to 1,000 inserts per second, leading to performance degradation. Precomputed aggregates were implemented to improve query performance, resulting in up to a 1000x improvement. Table partitioning was considered but ultimately not pursued due to its manual management requirements. TimescaleDB was explored as an alternative to enhance query performance, offering features like automatic partition management, continuous aggregates, and compression. A side-by-side comparison with PostgreSQL showed significant performance improvements, particularly for longer time windows. TimescaleDB's integration allowed for efficient data retention and aggregation, simplifying the infrastructure. Following the success of DEX, other teams at Cloudflare began using TimescaleDB for analytics and reporting, consolidating data from various sources and managing high ingestion rates effectively by optimizing data handling techniques such as switching to COPY for bulk inserts and adjusting replication settings.

AppWizard

July 4, 2025

How to Run Android Apps on Linux with Waydroid

Waydroid is a container-based architecture that allows users to run Android applications on a Linux desktop with near-native performance. It boots a complete Android system directly on the Linux machine using Linux containers (LXC), optimizing resource usage and enhancing application performance. Waydroid is compatible with various Linux distributions and CPU architectures, utilizing Android’s Mesa technology for improved graphics performance. To install Waydroid, users must ensure their system is running a Wayland session and is up to date. The installation involves adding the official Waydroid repository and executing installation commands specific to the Linux distribution being used. After installation, users can launch Waydroid and set it up by downloading an Android image, choosing between a Vanilla image or a GAPPS image for Google Play Services access. To register the device for Google Play Store access, users need to retrieve their Android ID using a command in the Waydroid shell and complete the registration process on the Google Uncertified Device Registration page. Once registered, users can install and manage Android apps directly from the Google Play Store or manually using APK files.

Tech Optimizer

June 17, 2025

EDB Postgres AI Accelerates New Era of Sovereign Data and AI for Enterprises, Industries, and Nations

EnterpriseDB has introduced significant advancements to its EDB Postgres AI (EDB PG AI) platform, enabling secure and compliant deployment of AI solutions across Postgres environments. The platform integrates transactional, analytical, and AI workloads into a unified system, featuring automatic pipelines and built-in development tools for data automation. Key capabilities include low-code/no-code simplicity for rapid AI pipeline creation and comprehensive hybrid management for real-time insights across databases. Recent research indicates that only 13% of enterprises have successfully implemented agentic AI applications at scale, with early adopters achieving up to 227% higher ROI. Collaborations with Red Hat aim to provide organizations with solutions for successful AI outcomes. New features include enhanced data security, a purpose-built PG AI Analytics Engine for high-performance queries, and a universal data store for various data models. Performance advantages include six times better total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to SQL Server and up to 150 times faster NoSQL performance than MongoDB. A comparative analysis showed that EDB PG AI reduced overall complexity by 67% and maintenance costs by 38%.

Tech Optimizer

June 9, 2025

Streamline Amazon Aurora database operations at scale: Introducing the AWS Database Acceleration Toolkit

The AWS Database Acceleration Toolkit (DAT) is an open-source solution that enhances database performance, particularly for Amazon Aurora, by utilizing Terraform for setup, provisioning, and maintenance. DAT helps organizations reduce time to market, improve customer satisfaction, and optimize costs. It is beneficial for DevOps teams, SaaS providers, and enterprises transitioning from commercial databases to Aurora. One example of its effectiveness includes a customer reducing database migration time from 12 months to 4 weeks for over 100 databases, achieving zero outages over six months, increasing database team productivity by 60-70%, and lowering infrastructure costs by 42%. DAT's architecture includes automated resource provisioning and security through Terraform, with source code available in a Git repository. It offers multiple provisioning options for Aurora clusters, including the Terraform CLI and Jenkins pipelines. Key modules include: - Aurora cluster module for creating new clusters with customization options. - Amazon RDS Proxy for enhancing application performance and security. - Aurora GlobalDB for creating clusters across AWS Regions for disaster recovery. - Aurora Monitoring for configuring CloudWatch dashboards to monitor database performance. Use case examples are provided in the Git repository for both Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible and Aurora MySQL-Compatible engines. Deployment options include using Terraform directly, setting up a new Jenkins instance, or integrating with an existing Jenkins setup. To provision an Aurora PostgreSQL cluster, users must clone the DAT repository, navigate to the appropriate folder, configure the Terraform variable definition file, initialize the working directory, execute a plan, and apply the changes. Security features include customer-managed keys, integration with AWS Secrets Manager for password management, and enhanced monitoring through CloudWatch. To clean up, users can destroy the Aurora cluster with a Terraform command.

Winsage

June 5, 2025

Why I recommend this Linux distro to Windows 10 users who can’t upgrade to 11

SDesk is a free Linux distribution that can be installed on an unlimited number of computers. It uses the GNOME desktop environment designed to resemble Windows and macOS layouts, providing a user-friendly experience with a clean interface. Pre-installed applications include LibreOffice, Geary, GNOME Music, GNOME Video, Octopi, GNOME Maps, and Swirl. Users can install additional software easily through Octopi and Flatpak. SDesk features a responsive layout, quick application performance, and a window snapping feature for workspace organization. However, it has some issues, such as a login freeze after updates and the lack of multimedia codecs for MP3 and MP4 playback. These can be resolved by installing VLC media player. The latest version released is 19.1.

Winsage

May 15, 2025

3 reasons Windows 11 is the best advertisement Linux ever had

Windows 11 requires TPM 2.0 support for installation, creating compatibility issues for users with older hardware, even if the hardware is otherwise capable of running the OS. Many users are still on Windows 10 as the support deadline approaches, with some considering Linux as an alternative since it does not impose TPM 2.0 restrictions. Linux distributions can be installed on machines lacking TPM 2.0, allowing users to retain their existing hardware. Older CPUs, typically from Intel's 7th generation or earlier, are often incompatible with Windows 11 but can run Linux efficiently, sometimes improving application performance. Linux offers more customization and less bloat compared to Windows, appealing to users frustrated with Windows 11's limitations. The shift to Windows 11 has prompted some users to explore Linux as a viable alternative.

Tech Optimizer

May 2, 2025

15 PostgreSQL Monitoring Tools

PostgreSQL monitoring tools are essential for database administrators to ensure optimal performance, availability, and reliability of databases. They provide real-time insights into performance metrics such as query execution times, CPU usage, memory consumption, and disk I/O, helping identify potential bottlenecks. Popular monitoring solutions include: - **DynaTrace**: AI-powered full-stack monitoring with real-time anomaly detection and performance insights. - **pgAdmin**: Comprehensive management tool with a graphical interface for database design and performance monitoring. - **Paessler PRTG**: All-in-one network monitoring solution with customizable PostgreSQL sensors and real-time tracking. - **Pganalyze**: Offers deep insights, automated query analysis, and visualizations for optimizing database operations. - **Sematext PostgreSQL Monitoring**: Cloud-based monitoring with detailed metrics, anomaly detection, and alerts. - **SolarWinds**: Database performance analyzer providing profound insights and real-time monitoring. - **Nagios**: Open-source system with PostgreSQL plugins for performance tracking and alerting. - **Pgwatch2**: Lightweight monitoring tool offering dashboards and real-time metrics. - **ManageEngine Application Manager**: Full-stack monitoring with detailed PostgreSQL metrics and alerts. - **DataDog**: Cloud-based platform with comprehensive metrics, anomaly detection, and customizable dashboards. - **Prometheus and Grafana**: Open-source stack with powerful query language, alerting, and customizable dashboards. - **PGObserver**: Tool offering detailed performance statistics, historical data analysis, and alerts. - **ClusterControl**: Management tool with monitoring, backups, and performance tuning. - **AppOptics APM**: Application performance monitoring with real-time metrics and anomaly detection. - **AppDynamics**: Enterprise-grade APM tool with advanced monitoring and root-cause analysis. These tools provide unique features tailored to the needs of PostgreSQL database administrators, facilitating real-time monitoring and advanced analytics for maintaining database performance and reliability.

Winsage

April 18, 2025

Microsoft makes Windows 11 24H2 more secure but not how you’d think

Microsoft is deprecating support for Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) enclaves in Windows 11 23H2 and earlier versions as it transitions users to Windows 11 24H2, which retains support for VBS enclaves. Windows 11 24H2 enhances security and is essential for developers to ensure their applications function correctly and securely. Windows 11 23H2 will reach the end of its support lifecycle on November 11, 2025, after which Microsoft will stop providing security updates. Users are encouraged to upgrade to Windows 11 24H2 to maintain access to security features and receive updates.