Get a new engineer ready to hold the pager without dread.

A backup you have never restored is not a backup. Do this end to end.

Keep credentials out of git, logs, and error trackers.

The minimum a CI pipeline should do before you trust a green check.

Catch bad data before it reaches a dashboard or a model.

The non-negotiable controls for any app facing the internet.

Ship changes without breaking existing clients.

Service level objectives that reflect user pain, not vanity metrics.

First things to check when Postgres feels slow.