Make it as easy as possible
Freedom of choice is often the biggest curse. Sometimes the basics are enough, and the rest is just an addition. Don’t overcomplicate, don’t add maintenance, and keep it simple to be less sensitive.
TIL: Cancel the scheduled send_after message
Sending a message to yourself as a process is an easy way to schedule an action to retry. However, it is not always necessary to send this message. Find out how easy it is to cancel a scheduled message.
Easy SSH connection management with configuration file
When connecting to the server with SSH, you may need to use a certificate other than the default one. Additionally, often the username is also more complicated. How do you remember it all? Special configuration file that will help us solve the problem.
Your personal security checklist
Protecting confidential data is a daily task. Thanks to a good web browser, a strong password, and other security measures, you can mitigate the risk of your identity being stolen. Use this personal security checklist to be even more secure!
Guards - simple restriction checking
Guards are a great way to check data limits. They are safe and can make the everyday work with the project more pleasant and, at the same time, limit the duplicated code. And it’s all in pattern matching!
Find leaked credentials with TruffleHog
One of the possible vectors of an attack on the system is the disclosure of the used keys, certificates, or other access data. I found TruffleHog as a tool to verify your project. The tool can scan projects on GitHub or GitLab, including entire organizations! You can attach them to your CI/CD pipeline to verify that no confidential information has been published.
Using JSON Web Tokens and their security
JSON Web Tokens known as JWT, are a great way to ensure security in communication between system parts. Remember not to trust the user and verify the data before use. JWT contains a lot of information about the user and his permissions. It is also a well-thought-out structure. It indicates in an accessible way for whom and by whom the token was prepared. Also, check out the topic of key rotation and its benefits.
Delegate tasks, and don’t be afraid to say no!
Feeling overwhelmed by work is quite a common feeling. Especially if we work on the project for a long time. Good planning can make your work more pleasant and simplified. You don’t have to complete all tasks (alone). Some tasks can even be removed. With the Eisenhower matrix you can manage your priorities.
Good error message
Error handling is an integral part of any project. However, only a few can do it well. What makes an error message good? Take care of the language of the message, its length and indicate how to mitigate errors. Have automatic bug reporting tools to quickly respond to system problems.
Speed up your daily work with Elixir console tricks
I would like to present some useful tricks to speed up your work. Elixir’s interactive shell is a great tool to make your work comfortable. You don’t need to use a browser to check function errors. You have everything available in the console!
TIL: wrapping an execution in a tuple
One of the advantages of Elixir is its openness. You can get more readable code with the command wrapped in tuple. You don’t need to modify the response from functions itself.
What is Open Graph protocol and how to use it for your website?
The presentation of extra details about your website is straightforward. All you need to do is use Open Graph protocol. Any web page can become a rich object in a social graph. You can use it to show a thumbnail, author details, or even a short description.
Ecto Changeset for verifying parameters used in your API
You can use Ecto to check any information from the user. Extra, we have another layer of security. Only the supported parameters are passed to the domain layer. Using Ecto to verify parameters from the user is not difficult and can be part of your API verification pipeline.
How to feel less overwhelmed as a developer
A lot is happening in the IT world. Instead of jumping from one topic to another nervously, it’s worth concentrating on one thing. Stop for a moment and identify the problems. Also, remember that there is no right way in life. One is faster, and the other is slower. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Elixir tap and then macros - life-saving helpers
Elixir 1.12 introduced two very useful macros. They can be life savings helpers in your codebase. Instead of write extra functions, you can have nice logging and executing actions based on given data.