The Boring Cache Stack: Redis + Varnish Tuning for Magento That Pays Rent
A small shop's server was spending 24 GB of RAM caching the same pages twice. Here's the diagnosis, the fix, and the config philosophy that keeps it fixed.
Madalin
AI integrator
European United States
🚀 Senior Architect | SRE & Database Expert | AI Orchestrator 👋 Building the future at the speed of thought. ⚡️ I don't just write code; I architect high-performance, bulletproof ecosystems. With a foundation in Systems Engineering and a mastery of Go and TypeScript, I bridge the gap between heavy-duty backend reliability and seamless, high-conversion frontends.
Posts by Madalin
A selection of published writing and insights from Madalin.
Warpgate vs JumpServer: Zero Trust Access Without an Enterprise Budget
Two open-source ways to broker SSH and RDP to sensitive hosts — and how to pick the one your operation can actually run.
Backups You Can Actually Restore, Part 2: MariaDB Without a Barman
The same three-layer strategy — reliable backups, a restore habit, an immutable copy — for the database that doesn't have a Barman.
Backups You Can Actually Restore — and Nobody Can Delete
PostgreSQL backups for small businesses with Barman, a restore habit, and a WORM copy.
Your Scanner Isn't the Control. Your Evidence Is.
Relying on specific security scanner tools over actual evidence of security practices is counterproductive—what matters is demonstrable proof that systems are secure, not which vendor's report you use.
Logging Field Guide
How to instrument a service so the people who have to read it later — on call, in an audit, during an incident — can actually find what they need.
Software I build
Explore mtop, a lightweight macOS menu bar app that delivers instant RAM and CPU insights with zero system bloat or privacy risks.
The Dashboard Was Telling the Truth
A retail software team's perfectly-coded webhook module kept failing mysteriously every Monday—until they realized their metrics were measuring the wrong things and missing real-world problems.
I Was the Gatekeeper
A former tech gatekeeper confronts how AI is democratizing access to once-exclusive skills, revealing uncomfortable truths about gatekeeping, prestige, and what happens when expertise stops being scarce.
Scribes, Looms, and Compilers: We've Been Here Before
History shows us that automation doesn't eliminate jobs—it collapses costs, explodes demand, and forces skilled workers to evolve. Scribes didn't disappear after the printing press; they became editors and publishers.
Assume Compromise: Security Architecture for People Who Expect to Be Breached
Design infrastructure assuming compromise is inevitable. Learn how to build systems with internal boundaries that protect critical assets even when attackers breach your network.
OpenCommunity Software License (OCSL) Version 1.0
OCSL Version 1.0 is a free software license enabling individuals and small organizations to freely use, modify, and distribute software, while restricting commercial use by larger entities to promote equitable open-source access.
Free macOS Menu Bar App for RAM, CPU, and System Health
A tiny, private macOS menu bar app reveals memory pressure, RAM and CPU hogs, and key system health stats—without graphs, bloat, or network access.
Your Agent Didn't Get Smarter. Your Workshop Did
Notes from a working developer on why some people's AI agents outperform everyone else's — and how to become one of them.
AI Didn't Replace Anything. It Repriced Everything
Where AI assists, where it co-works — and why the build-versus-buy line in a 10–50 person software company has moved much further than anyone's spreadsheet has.
When AlmaLinux Makes Sense: Long-Lived Services and the Ten-Year Lifecycle
AlmaLinux’s ten-year lifecycle is ideal for stateful services—databases and storage clusters—where stability matters more than frequent OS upgrades.
The Debian Lifecycle: Why a Two-Year Upgrade Rhythm Is a Business Advantage
Debian’s two-year release cycle creates a calm, predictable upgrade window—helping businesses avoid rushed migrations, security risks, and costly emergency support.
Why Your Small Business Should Consider Debian or OpenSuse
Discover how Debian and OpenSuse can slash costs and boost security for your small business while reducing ransomware risks through open-source Linux advantages.
It's Not Linux. It's the Firmware.
Three symptoms on a Dell XPS 13 9310 that look like Linux bugs — a battery setting that won't save, a heat warning in a cold room, and Wi-Fi that crashes itself. All three are the firmware, with real logs and fixes.
The Bold and the Cautious: Who Thrives in Capitalist Worlds?
Bold entrepreneurs seize fleeting opportunities with speed and innovation, while cautious strategists build sustainable success through meticulous planning. Which approach generates greater profits in capitalism's long game?
How a Hypervisor Actually Shares CPU and I/O: A Practical Guide for KVM, LXC and Proxmox
vCPUs are just threads, cgroups don't replace the scheduler, and on NVMe the right I/O scheduler is usually 'none'. A ground-up tour of how Linux shares physical resources between virtual machines and containers — and which knobs are actually worth turning for small-to-medium workloads.
How to Negotiate Graylog Costs in Year One
Graylog's volume-based pricing model hits small businesses hardest when they're least equipped to handle it—during critical early months when over-logging is essential for learning. Know what to negotiate before your sales call.
Upgrading a 3-Node Proxmox VE Cluster with Ceph to Proxmox VE 9.x
Upgrade your 3-node Proxmox VE cluster with Ceph to 9.x! This guide details the essential steps for a smooth, rolling transition.
GDPR and Journalism: What EU Publishers Need To Know About Reader Data
Most independent publishers think GDPR means a cookie banner and a privacy policy. For publications collecting reader data, the obligations go much further — and the risks are more concrete than most realise.
What a News Publication Actually Needs From Its CMS
Most publishers inherit their CMS rather than choose it. Here's what a content management system built for serious editorial work actually looks like — and why the popular defaults consistently fall short.
The Hidden Cost of WordPress.com and Substack for Serious Publishers
WordPress.com and Substack look affordable when you start. As your publication grows, the real costs — in money, control, and dependency — become harder to ignore.
Why Independent News Publishers Are Losing Control of Their Own Content
Independent publishers built their audiences on platforms they don't own, with tools they don't control, and data that doesn't belong to them. Here's what that actually means — and what the alternative looks like.
Vendor Lock-In: What It Is and How To Avoid It From Day One
Vendor lock-in rarely happens all at once. It accumulates quietly until leaving costs more than staying. Here's what it actually is, how it happens, and how to avoid it before it takes hold.
What Private Cloud Actually Means
Private cloud gets mentioned a lot but explained rarely. Here's what it actually means, what it isn't, and why it matters for organisations that care about where their data lives.
Why Manufacturing Businesses Outgrow Generic E-Commerce Platforms
A generic e-commerce platform works until your manufacturing business grows past it. Here's why manufacturers consistently hit the same walls — and what a system built around their actual operation looks like.
Off-The-Shelf vs. Custom Software: How To Know Which One You Need
Most businesses default to off-the-shelf software because it feels safer and cheaper. Sometimes that's right. Here's how to know when it isn't — and what the decision actually costs you either way.
GDPR for School Administrators: What Data Sovereignty Actually Means
GDPR compliance in schools is often treated as a legal checkbox. Data sovereignty is something different — and more important. Here's what it actually means in practice.
Where Is Your Patient Data Actually Stored?
Every clinic in the EU has legal obligations around patient data. But most can't answer one basic question: where is that data actually stored right now?
SaaS Sprawl: How Clinics End Up Paying Five Vendors for One Job
It starts with one tool that almost fits. Then another to fill the gap. Then another. Here's how clinics end up with five vendors doing what one system should — and what to do about it.
The Real Cost of AWS: What Nobody Tells You When You Sign Up
AWS looks affordable on day one. Then the bill arrives. Here's what cloud platform pricing actually looks like over time — and why the true cost is rarely what organisations expect.
Why School Software Costs Keep Climbing (And What To Do About It)
Every year the invoices arrive and every year they're higher. Here's why school software costs keep climbing — and what the alternative actually looks like.
Madalin Ignisca — Custom Software & Private Infrastructure for the EU
Custom web and mobile applications for schools, clinics, and manufacturers — on infrastructure you fully own.
AI-Powered Software Consulting: ForgeDesk
ForgeDesk: AI supercharges software consulting. Clients get a simple interface, AI writes & tests code, you stay in control. Fast delivery, simplified.
AI: Your Escape from Corporate Tech
Escape corporate tech! AI empowers you to break free & build your dream of helping small businesses thrive.
From Manual Code to AI Team Lead
Unlock AI's full potential! Discover how one developer went from manual coding to managing an AI team, revolutionizing app development.
AI-Assisted Security Report Generation
Facing a surprise security report request after 4 years? Learn how AI helped a developer navigate the process, from scans to client-ready documentation.
Complete Security Scanning Types: GitHub & GitLab
A merged, deduplicated list of all security scanning capabilities available across both platforms, with recommended open source tools for each scan type.
AI-Assisted Programming with Claude Code: Getting Started
Discover how to use Claude Code for serious development work—and why quality AI-assisted programming requires investment, realistic expectations, and strategic planning.
Hello World
"Hello, World!" transcends its iconic role as every programmer's first output—this humble phrase has become a universal rite of passage spanning technology, competitive baking, and beyond.
About me
I build custom software for schools, clinics, and manufacturers — on infrastructure they fully own. No AWS, no vendor lock-in, no data leaving your control.