SMRTR ProgrammingOct 21, 2025Hacker News

Build Your Own Database

SMRTR summary

Building a key-value database starts with storing data in files, but simple file updates are inefficient because they require moving all subsequent data. Using append-only files with duplicate key handling and tombstone deletions solves this, while adding in-memory indices and sorted segments creates the LSM tree structure powering major databases like DynamoDB.

SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Hacker News.

Read the original article
SMRTR Programming

Get the next batch of curated stories in your inbox.

This archive is built from SMRTR newsletter stories. Subscribe for hand-picked stories without the extra noise.

Related Stories

Browse Programming
ProgrammingAug 23, 2026

Rust Glancer

Rust-analyzer's memory bloat stems from treating all 6,666 dependencies equally — a tiered, IntelliJ-style backend could fix that.