ByteNomads

In the early days of mobile development, push notifications were a "nice to have" feature—a simple ping to tell a user they had a new message. Fast forward to 2026, and the landscape has shifted dramatically. In the Flutter ecosystem, notifications are now sophisticated instruments of engagement, capable of updating real-time data, triggering background tasks, and even displaying interactive widgets on a locked screen. As a Flutter developer, you are no longer just asking "How do I send a message?" but rather "How do I manage notification state, handle high-frequency updates, and ensure delivery across fragmented OS versions?" Today, we’re diving deep into the tech stack that makes this possible. 1. Understanding the Plumbing: The Gateway Architecture Before we pick a service, we must understand the "physics" of push notifications. No matter which Flutter plugin you use, your notification will eventually travel through one of t...

Slow SQL queries are one of the most common causes of performance problems in backend applications. The challenge is not just knowing that a query is slow — it’s understanding why . This step-by-step guide shows how to debug slow SQL queries in a systematic and practical way, using PostgreSQL as an example. Step 1: Identify the Slow Query The first step is knowing which queries are slow. Common ways to identify slow queries: Application logs Database monitoring tools User reports In PostgreSQL, you can enable slow query logging to capture problematic queries. Step 2: Reproduce the Query Once you have the slow query, run it manually in the database. SELECT * FROM orders WHERE user_id = 42; Always test queries using realistic data volumes. Queries that are fast on small datasets may fail at scale. Step 3: Use EXPLAIN The EXPLAIN command shows how PostgreSQL plans to execute a query. EXPLAIN SELECT * FROM orders WHERE user_id = 42; This output sh...

PostgreSQL is known for being reliable and powerful. Yet, many developers experience the same issue: queries that were once fast become slower over time. This usually doesn’t happen by accident. In most cases, performance degradation has clear and fixable causes. In this article, we’ll explore why PostgreSQL queries become slow over time and what you can do to fix them. Why PostgreSQL Performance Degrades PostgreSQL databases evolve constantly: Tables grow Indexes become outdated Data distribution changes If the database is not maintained, query performance naturally suffers. Problem 1: Missing or Inefficient Indexes Indexes are critical for performance. Without them, PostgreSQL must scan entire tables. Example of a Slow Query SELECT * FROM orders WHERE user_id = 42; If user_id is not indexed, PostgreSQL performs a sequential scan. Solution CREATE INDEX idx_orders_user_id ON orders(user_id); Indexes dramatically reduce query time for large ta...