Guide Shows How to Prepare for a Junior Backend Interview Using a Single Project

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A developer guide argues that candidates preparing for junior backend roles can use one personal project, rather than chasing every technology in job listings, to cover multiple interview topics. It suggests a simple project such as a task management API built with Node.js, Express, and PostgreSQL, which already touches on REST endpoints, data handling, and authentication. Candidates are encouraged to walk through request flows, justify database design choices, and explain how login and protected routes work. The article also recommends deliberately testing edge cases like missing fields, invalid input, and unavailable databases, then rehearsing answers to a prepared question list without consulting the source code.

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Building a Local SQLite Archive of DuckDB Tweets and Their API Costs

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ProgrammingDEV Community ·

Independent study re-tests Direct Nash Optimization for aligning language models

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ProgrammingDEV Community ·

Vercel Introduces vercel.ts as Typed Replacement for vercel.json

Vercel now recommends vercel.ts, a TypeScript file that replaces the static vercel.json for configuring projects. The file exports a typed config object covering build settings, routing, headers, and cron jobs, so mistakes like misspelled keys or invalid cron strings fail the build instead of being silently ignored. Because it is executable code evaluated at build or deploy time, it can read environment variables and vary settings per environment, which a pure JSON file cannot do. It does not run per request, so request-time logic still belongs in Next.js Middleware or Routing Middleware. The format is built on the @vercel/config package and is intended to replace the schema-less JSON configuration used since the platform's early days.

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ProgrammingDEV Community ·

iPhone users can use Screen Time or minulo to curb nighttime Reels and Shorts scrolling

A developer's guide explains how iPhone owners can stop late-night scrolling through Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Apple's built-in Downtime feature can block entire apps on a schedule, but it also cuts off messages and regular videos. In-app limits such as YouTube's Shorts feed setting and Instagram's Sleep mode are free but easy to dismiss or do not hide content. The author's app, minulo, hides Reels and Shorts while keeping messages and standard videos available, and it can lock the official apps at bedtime. The article notes that most of the app's usage data, drawn mainly from Japan, shows social media sessions clustering between 8 pm and 1 am.

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