
The GeekNarrator
The GeekNarrator podcast is a show hosted by Kaivalya Apte who is a Software Engineer and loves to talk about Technology, Technical Interviews, Self Improvement, Best Practices and Hustle.
Connect with Kaivalya Apte https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaivalya-apte-2217221a
Tech blogs: https://kaivalya-apte.medium.com/
Wanna talk? Book a slot here: https://calendly.com/speakwithkv/hey
Enjoy the show and please follow to get more updates. Also please don’t forget to rate and review the show.
Cheers
Latest episodes

Jan 4, 2025 • 1h 4min
Database Trends and More with Peter Zaitsev
Deep Dive into Databases with Peter Zaitsev | The GeekNarrator Podcast
Join host Kaivalya Apte and special guest Peter Zaitsev from Percona on this episode of the Geeknerder Podcast. They discuss Peter's fascinating journey into the world of databases, founding Percona, and the evolution of open source database solutions. Topics include the rise of PostgreSQL, the comparison between MySQL and PostgreSQL, database observability, the impact of cloud and Kubernetes on database management, licensing changes in popular databases like Redis, and career advice for database administrators and developers. Stay tuned for insights on the future of databases, observability strategies, and the role of AI in database management.
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:14 Peter's Journey into Databases
04:15 The Rise of PostgreSQL vs MySQL
18:17 Challenges in Managing Database Clusters
24:36 Common Developer Mistakes with Databases
30:59 MongoDB's Success and Future
34:53 Redis and Licensing Changes
37:07 Elastic's License Change and Its Impact
38:25 Redis Fork and Industry Collaboration
40:27 Kubernetes and Cloud-Native Databases
47:47 Challenges in Database Upgrades and Migrations
54:58 Load Testing and Observability
01:09:02 Future of Database Administration and Development
01:15:13 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Become a member of The GeekNarrator to get access to member only videos, notes and monthly 1:1 with me.
Like building stuff? Try out CodeCrafters and build amazing real world systems like Redis, Kafka, Sqlite. Use the link below to signup and get 40% off on paid subscription.
https://app.codecrafters.io/join?via=geeknarrator
If you like this episode, please hit the like button and share it with your network.
Also please subscribe if you haven't yet.
Database internals series: https://youtu.be/yV_Zp0Mi3xs
Popular playlists:
Realtime streaming systems: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4se-mAKKoVOs3VcaP71X_LA-
Software Engineering: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sf6By03bot5BhKoMgxDUU17
Distributed systems and databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sfLDUnjBJXJGFhhz94jDd_d
Modern databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4scSeZAsCUXijtnfW5ARlrsN
Stay Curios! Keep Learning!

12 snips
Dec 2, 2024 • 1h 8min
How would you design a database on Object Storage?
In this talk, Simon Hørup Eskildsen, an experienced software engineer and founder of Turbopuffer, shares insights from his vast experience in database scalability and object storage solutions. He dives into the challenges of building databases on object storage, discussing write-ahead logs, multi-tenancy issues, and the intricacies of handling multiple writers. Simon elaborates on trade-offs in write operations and the complexities of optimizing database read paths, offering practical strategies for performance enhancement. A must-listen for database enthusiasts!

Dec 2, 2024 • 1h 1min
Practical Systems Learning & Verification with Jack Vanlightly
Welcome to The GeekNarrator podcast! In this episode, host Kaivalya Apte goes deeper into the practical applications of formal methods with Jack Vanlightly, a principal technologist at Confluent. With years of experience in distributed systems, Jack discusses his journey and how formal methods have been instrumental in system design verification and bug detection. The conversation covers Jack's background, his process of using formal methods, the significance of modelling, verification, documentation, and systems learning, as well as the future evolution of tooling and its applications. Tune in to understand the intricacies of how formal methods can transform your approach to distributed systems!
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to the episode
00:37 Meet Jack VanLightly: Principal Technologist at Confluent
02:17 Jack's Journey into Distributed Systems
04:29 Discovering the Power of Formal Methods
08:11 Modeling and Simulation in Formal Methods
13:43 Verification and Safety Properties
19:02 Documentation and Communication Challenges
20:43 Formal Methods as a Systems Learning Tool
24:26 Practical Applications and Case Studies
56:38 Future of Formal Verification and Closing Thoughts
Jack's Blog: https://jack-vanlightly.com/
Become a member of The GeekNarrator to get access to member only videos, notes and monthly 1:1 with me.
Like building stuff? Try out CodeCrafters and build amazing real world systems like Redis, Kafka, Sqlite. Use the link below to signup and get 40% off on paid subscription.
https://app.codecrafters.io/join?via=geeknarrator
If you like this episode, please hit the like button and share it with your network.
Also please subscribe if you haven't yet.
Database internals series: https://youtu.be/yV_Zp0Mi3xs
Popular playlists:
Realtime streaming systems: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4se-mAKKoVOs3VcaP71X_LA-
Software Engineering: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sf6By03bot5BhKoMgxDUU17
Distributed systems and databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sfLDUnjBJXJGFhhz94jDd_d
Modern databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4scSeZAsCUXijtnfW5ARlrsN
Stay Curios! Keep Learning!

Nov 7, 2024 • 1h 7min
Database Internals - NileDB Postgres re-engineered for multitenant apps
Database Internals - NileDB: Postgres Re-engineered for Multitenant Apps with Gwen Shapira
Join us in this episode as we dive deep into the intricacies of NileDB, a groundbreaking database re-engineered for multi-tenant applications. Our special guest, Gwen Shapira, co-founder of NileDB and a notable figure in the database field, shares her insights and technical know-how on solving the common challenges faced by multitenant SaaS applications. From the benefits of using Postgres as the underlying database to the unique tenant isolation features of NileDB, we cover it all. Don't miss out on learning about AI native capabilities, handling schema migrations, and ensuring zero downtime data migrations.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
07:19 Challenges in Multi-Tenant Databases
11:09 Tenant Isolation and NILDB's Approach
34:16 Necessary Modifications for Tenant Data
37:47 Zero Downtime Data Migrations
44:32 Handling Schema Migrations
59:11 AI Use Cases and Vector Embedding Storage
59:51 Technical and Non-Technical Learnings from Building Nile
01:05:03 Future Plans and Upcoming Features
NileDB: https://www.thenile.dev/
Blog: https://www.thenile.dev/blog
Gwen's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gwenshapira
Gwen's Twitter: https://twitter.com/gwenshap
#postgres #sql #ai
Become a member of The GeekNarrator to get access to member only videos, notes and monthly 1:1 with me.
Like building stuff? Try out CodeCrafters and build amazing real world systems like Redis, Kafka, Sqlite. Use the link below to signup and get 40% off on paid subscription.
https://app.codecrafters.io/join?via=geeknarrator
If you like this episode, please hit the like button and share it with your network.
Also please subscribe if you haven't yet.
Database internals series: https://youtu.be/yV_Zp0Mi3xs
Popular playlists:
Realtime streaming systems: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4se-mAKKoVOs3VcaP71X_LA-
Software Engineering: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sf6By03bot5BhKoMgxDUU17
Distributed systems and databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sfLDUnjBJXJGFhhz94jDd_d
Modern databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4scSeZAsCUXijtnfW5ARlrsN
Stay Curios! Keep Learning!

Oct 19, 2024 • 57min
Building a continuous profiler with Frederic from Polar Signals
Building a Continuous Profiler with Frederic from Polar Signals | Geek Narrator Podcast
In this episode we chat with Frederic from Polar Signals. We dive deep into the intricacies of building a continuous profiler, the challenges faced, and the unique solutions developed by Polar Signals. Frederic shares insights from his background in observability and discusses the innovations in FrostDB, a custom columnar database designed for high-performance query and storage of profiling data.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:29 Frederic's Background
03:40 What is Continuous Profiling?
06:56 Challenges in Data Collection
18:22 Profiling Data Ingestion and Storage Architecture
27:23 Querying Data
28:52 High Cardinality Data and Cost Optimization
23:39 Tenant Isolation and Load Management
41:24 Performance Optimizations
46:02 Testing & Deterministic Simulation
50:33 Technical and Organizational Learnings
54:32 Future of Polar Signals
56:21 Conclusion
You can check more about Polar Signals here: https://www.polarsignals.com/
Become a member of The GeekNarrator to get access to member only videos, notes and monthly 1:1 with me.
Like building stuff? Try out CodeCrafters and build amazing real world systems like Redis, Kafka, Sqlite. Use the link below to signup and get 40% off on paid subscription.
https://app.codecrafters.io/join?via=geeknarrator
If you like this episode, please hit the like button and share it with your network.
Also please subscribe if you haven't yet.
Database internals series: https://youtu.be/yV_Zp0Mi3xs
Popular playlists:
Realtime streaming systems: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4se-mAKKoVOs3VcaP71X_LA-
Software Engineering: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sf6By03bot5BhKoMgxDUU17
Distributed systems and databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sfLDUnjBJXJGFhhz94jDd_d
Modern databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4scSeZAsCUXijtnfW5ARlrsN
Stay Curios! Keep Learning!
#distributedsystems #systemdesign

Oct 11, 2024 • 1h 2min
Database Internals - SlateDB with Chris Riccomini
Welcome back to another episode! Today, I have a special guest, Chris Riccomini, joining me to delve into the exciting world of databases. In this episode, we focus on SlateDB, a new and innovative database that's making waves in the tech community. We'll cover a wide range of topics, including the architecture of SlateDB, its internals, design decisions, and some fascinating use cases. Chris, a seasoned software engineer with a background at LinkedIn and WePay, shares his journey and the motivations behind creating SlateDB. 🎙️
Chatpers:
00:00 Introduction to the Topic and Guest
01:58 Chris Riccomini's Background and Experience
04:19 The Genesis of SlateDB
04:54 Understanding SlateDB's Architecture
10:22 The Rise of Object Storage in Databases
13:43 Exploring SlateDB's Features and Trade-offs
32:54 Understanding Latency Trade-offs
34:12 Exploring Storage Formats and Manifest Files
37:25 Caching Strategies and Optimizations in SlateDB
50:21 Consistency Guarantees and Transactionality
52:36 Integration and Resource Management in SlateDB
56:04 Future Prospects and Use Cases for SlateDB
SlateDB: https://slatedb.io/
More about Chris: https://cnr.sh/
Like building stuff? Try out CodeCrafters and build amazing real world systems like Redis, Kafka, Sqlite. Use the link below to signup and get 40% off on paid subscription.
https://app.codecrafters.io/join?via=geeknarrator
If you like this episode, please hit the like button and share it with your network.
Also please subscribe if you haven't yet.
Database internals series: https://youtu.be/yV_Zp0Mi3xs
Popular playlists:
Realtime streaming systems: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4se-mAKKoVOs3VcaP71X_LA-
Software Engineering: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sf6By03bot5BhKoMgxDUU17
Distributed systems and databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sfLDUnjBJXJGFhhz94jDd_d
Modern databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4scSeZAsCUXijtnfW5ARlrsN
Stay Curios! Keep Learning!
#distributedsystems #systemdesign #formalmethods

Sep 22, 2024 • 1h 16min
System Design the formal way with FizzBee
In this video I talk to Jayaprabhakar Kadarkarai aka JP who is the founder of FizzBee. FizzBee is a design specification language and model checker to help developers verify their design before writing even a single line of implementation code.
We have discussed where it is applicable, what are the benefits, how does it work and many other interesting challenges with examples.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:13 Challenges in Designing Distributed Systems
03:13 Understanding Design Specification Languages
04:00 The Value of Structured Design Documents
09:00 When to Use Design Specification Languages
21:27 Modeling a Travel Booking System
22:51 Ensuring Atomicity in Distributed Systems
26:09 Handling Failures and Consistency
34:45 Refinement in System Design
35:38 Balancing Abstraction and Implementation
37:53 Common Pitfalls in Modeling and Implementation
40:02 Challenges in System Design and Implementation
40:12 Two-Way Feedback in System Design
41:01 Performance Considerations in Implementation
41:36 Importance of Solid Design Blueprints
41:56 Model-Based Testing and Continuous Integration
43:27 Updating Design Documentation
44:38 Simulation Testing vs. Model Checking
45:32 Design Issues and Formal Verification
49:51 Applying Formal Verification to Existing Systems
55:35 Common Design Problems and Solutions
01:07:57 Future Enhancements in Design Specification Tools
01:12:50 Getting Started with FizzBee
FizzBee : https://fizzbee.io/
Get in touch with JP: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayaprabhakar
Like building stuff? Try out CodeCrafters and build amazing real world systems like Redis, Kafka, Sqlite. Use the link below to signup and get 40% off on paid subscription.
https://app.codecrafters.io/join?via=geeknarrator
If you like this episode, please hit the like button and share it with your network.
Also please subscribe if you haven't yet.
Database internals series: https://youtu.be/yV_Zp0Mi3xs
Popular playlists:
Realtime streaming systems: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4se-mAKKoVOs3VcaP71X_LA-
Software Engineering: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sf6By03bot5BhKoMgxDUU17
Distributed systems and databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sfLDUnjBJXJGFhhz94jDd_d
Modern databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4scSeZAsCUXijtnfW5ARlrsN
Stay Curios! Keep Learning!
#distributedsystems #systemdesign #formalmethods

Aug 27, 2024 • 1h
Learnings from building Open Source Distributed Systems with Kishore Gopalakrishna
Kishore Gopalakrishna, Co-founder and CEO of StarTree and co-author of Apache Pinot, shares his wealth of knowledge in real-time analytics and distributed systems. He reveals the challenges and innovations involved in building systems like Apache Pinot and discusses the pivotal role of community in open-source success. Kishore also delves into effective cost optimizations and the transition from local to cloud storage, emphasizing how real-time analytics can transform data-driven decision-making in businesses.

Jul 19, 2024 • 1h 12min
WarpStream: A drop-in replacement for Kafka
In this episode of The GeekNarrator podcast, host Kaivalya Apte interviews Ryan and Richie, the founders of WarpStream. They discuss the architecture, benefits, and core functionalities of WarpStream, a drop-in replacement for Apache Kafka. The conversation covers their experience with Kafka, the design decisions behind WarpStream, and the operational challenges it addresses. They also delve into the seamless migration process, the scalability, and cost benefits, the integration with the Kafka ecosystem, and potential future features. This episode is a must-watch for developers and tech enthusiasts interested in modern, distributed data streaming solutions.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:27 Introducing Warpstream: A Kafka Replacement
11:07 Deep Dive into Warpstream's Architecture
35:42 Exploring Kafka's Ordering Guarantees
36:52 Handling Buffering and Compaction
38:44 Efficient Data Reading and File Caching
44:06 WarpStream's Flexibility and Cost Efficiency
01:06:59 Future Features
Links:
WarpStream : https://www.warpstream.com/
Blog: https://www.warpstream.com/blog
X:
Ryan: https://x.com/ryanworl
Richard Artoul: https://x.com/richardartoul
Kaivalya Apte: https://x.com/thegeeknarrator
If you like this episode, please hit the like button and share it with your network.
Also please subscribe if you haven't yet.
Database internals series: https://youtu.be/yV_Zp0Mi3xs
Popular playlists:
Realtime streaming systems: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4se-mAKKoVOs3VcaP71X_LA-
Software Engineering: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sf6By03bot5BhKoMgxDUU17
Distributed systems and databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sfLDUnjBJXJGFhhz94jDd_d
Modern databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4scSeZAsCUXijtnfW5ARlrsN
Stay Curios! Keep Learning!
#distributedsystems #kafka #s3 #streaming

Jul 19, 2024 • 1h 7min
XTDB - An Immutable SQL Database
Exploring XTDB with Jeremy Taylor & Malcolm Sparks: An In-Depth Dive into Immutability and Database Internals
In this episode of the Geek Narrator Podcast, host Kaivalya is joined by Jeremy Taylor and Malcolm Sparks from Juxt to explore XTDB, an immutable database designed to handle complex historical and financial data with precision. They delve into the architecture, internal mechanics, and use cases while discussing the importance of immutability.
This episode covers everything you need to know about XTDB and its capabilities. Whether you're a developer interested in databases or someone curious about data management and history tracking, this discussion offers invaluable insights.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:51 Challenges with General Purpose Databases
11:50 XTDB: A New Approach to Databases
31:56 Understanding Kafka and XTDB Integration
36:06 Querying and Indexing in XTDB
40:31 Temporal Data Management and Use Cases
54:52 Deployment and User Experience
XTDB: https://xtdb.com/
XTDB Github: https://github.com/xtdb/xtdb
Juxt: https://www.juxt.pro/
Juxt Github: https://github.com/juxt
If you like this episode, please hit the like button and share it with your network.
Also please subscribe if you haven't yet.
Database internals series: https://youtu.be/yV_Zp0Mi3xs
Popular playlists:
Realtime streaming systems: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4se-mAKKoVOs3VcaP71X_LA-
Software Engineering: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sf6By03bot5BhKoMgxDUU17
Distributed systems and databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4sfLDUnjBJXJGFhhz94jDd_d
Modern databases: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL7QpTxsA4scSeZAsCUXijtnfW5ARlrsN
Stay Curios! Keep Learning!
#sql #kafka #datastorage #immutable