How We Reduced API Latency by 90% with Edge Caching
A deep dive into our CDN architecture
"
}'
```
## Post Types
### 1. Tutorial / How-To
Step-by-step instruction. The reader should be able to follow along and build something.
```
Structure:
1. What we're building (with screenshot/demo)
2. Prerequisites
3. Step 1: Setup
4. Step 2: Core implementation
5. Step 3: ...
6. Complete code (GitHub link)
7. Next steps / extensions
```
Rule
Why
Show the end result first
Reader knows if it's worth continuing
List prerequisites explicitly
Don't waste time of wrong audience
Every code block should be runnable
Copy-paste-run is the test
Explain the "why" not just the "how"
Tutorials that explain reasoning get shared
Include error handling
Real code has errors
Link to complete code repo
Reference after tutorial
### 2. Deep Dive / Explainer
Explains a concept, technology, or architecture decision in depth.
```
Structure:
1. What is [concept] and why should you care?
2. How it works (simplified mental model)
3. How it works (detailed mechanics)
4. Real-world example
5. Trade-offs and when NOT to use it
6. Further reading
```
### 3. Postmortem / Incident Report
Describes what went wrong, why, and what was fixed.
```
Structure:
1. Summary (what happened, impact, duration)
2. Timeline of events
3. Root cause analysis
4. Fix implemented
5. What we're doing to prevent recurrence
6. Lessons learned
```
### 4. Benchmark / Comparison
Data-driven comparison of tools, approaches, or architectures.
```
Structure:
1. What we compared and why
2. Methodology (so results are reproducible)
3. Results with charts/tables
4. Analysis (what the numbers mean)
5. Recommendation (with caveats)
6. Raw data / reproducibility instructions
```
### 5. Architecture / System Design
Explains how a system is built and why decisions were made.
```
Structure:
1. Problem we needed to solve
2. Constraints and requirements
3. Options considered
4. Architecture chosen (with diagram)
5. Trade-offs we accepted
6. Results and lessons
```
## Writing Rules for Developers
### Voice and Tone
Do
Don't
Be direct: "Use connection pooling"
"You might want to consider using..."
Admit trade-offs: "This adds complexity"
Pretend your solution is perfect
Use "we" for team decisions
"I single-handedly architected..."
Specific numbers: "reduced p99 from 800ms to 90ms"
"significantly improved performance"
Cite sources and benchmarks
Make unsourced claims
Acknowledge alternatives
Pretend yours is the only way
### What Developers Hate
```
❌ "In today's fast-paced world of technology..." (filler)
❌ "As we all know..." (if we all know, why are you writing it?)
❌ "Simply do X" (nothing is simple if you're reading a tutorial)
❌ "It's easy to..." (dismissive of reader's experience)
❌ "Obviously..." (if it's obvious, don't write it)
❌ Marketing language in technical content
❌ Burying the lede under 3 paragraphs of context
```
### Code Examples
Rule
Why
Every code block must be runnable
Broken examples destroy trust
Show complete, working examples
Snippets without context are useless
Include language identifier in fenced blocks
Syntax highlighting
Show output/result after code
Reader verifies understanding
Use realistic variable names
`calculateTotalRevenue` not `foo`
Include error handling in examples
Real code handles errors
Pin dependency versions
"Works with React 18.2" not "React"
```
Good code block format:
```python
# What this code does (one line)
def calculate_retry_delay(attempt: int, base_delay: float = 1.0) -> float:
"""Exponential backoff with jitter."""
delay = base_delay * (2 ** attempt)
jitter = random.uniform(0, delay * 0.1)
return delay + jitter
# Usage
delay = calculate_retry_delay(attempt=3) # ~8.0-8.8 seconds
```
```
### Explanation Depth
| Audience Signal | Depth |
|----------------|-------|
| "Getting started with X" | Explain everything, assume no prior knowledge |
| "Advanced X patterns" | Skip basics, go deep on nuances |
| "X vs Y" | Assume familiarity with both, focus on differences |
| "How we built X" | Technical audience, can skip fundamentals |
**State your assumed audience level explicitly** at the start:
```
"This post assumes familiarity with Docker and basic Kubernetes concepts.
If you're new to containers, start with [our intro post]."
```
## Blog Post Structure
### The Ideal Structure
```markdown
# Title (contains primary keyword, states outcome)
[Hero image or diagram]
**TL;DR:** [2-3 sentence summary with key takeaway]
## The Problem / Why This Matters
[Set up why the reader should care — specific, not generic]
## The Solution / How We Did It
[Core content — code, architecture, explanation]
### Step 1: [First thing]
[Explanation + code + output]
### Step 2: [Second thing]
[Explanation + code + output]
## Results
[Numbers, benchmarks, outcomes — be specific]
## Trade-offs and Limitations
[Honest about downsides — builds trust]
## Conclusion
[Key takeaway + what to do next]
## Further Reading
[3-5 relevant links]
```
### Word Count by Type
Type
Word Count
Why
Quick tip
500-800
One concept, one example
Tutorial
1,500-3,000
Step-by-step needs detail
Deep dive
2,000-4,000
Thorough exploration
Architecture post
2,000-3,500
Diagrams carry some load
Benchmark
1,500-2,500
Data and charts do heavy lifting
## Diagrams and Visuals
### When to Use Diagrams
Scenario
Diagram Type
Request flow
Sequence diagram
System architecture
Box-and-arrow diagram
Decision logic
Flowchart
Data model
ER diagram
Performance comparison
Bar/line chart
Before/after
Side-by-side
```
# Generate architecture diagram
infsh app run infsh/html-to-image --input '{
"html": "
Client
React App
→
Edge
CDN Cache
→
API
Node.js
→
Database
PostgreSQL
"
}'
# Generate benchmark chart
infsh app run infsh/python-executor --input '{
"code": "import matplotlib.pyplot as plt\nimport matplotlib\nmatplotlib.use(\"Agg\")\n\nfig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(12, 6))\nfig.patch.set_facecolor(\"#0f172a\")\nax.set_facecolor(\"#0f172a\")\n\ntools = [\"Express\", \"Fastify\", \"Hono\", \"Elysia\"]\nrps = [15000, 45000, 62000, 78000]\ncolors = [\"#64748b\", \"#64748b\", \"#3b82f6\", \"#64748b\"]\n\nax.barh(tools, rps, color=colors, height=0.5)\nfor i, v in enumerate(rps):\n ax.text(v + 1000, i, f\"{v:,} req/s\", va=\"center\", color=\"white\", fontsize=14)\n\nax.set_xlabel(\"Requests per second\", color=\"white\", fontsize=14)\nax.set_title(\"HTTP Framework Benchmark (Hello World)\", color=\"white\", fontsize=18, fontweight=\"bold\")\nax.tick_params(colors=\"white\", labelsize=12)\nax.spines[\"top\"].set_visible(False)\nax.spines[\"right\"].set_visible(False)\nax.spines[\"bottom\"].set_color(\"#334155\")\nax.spines[\"left\"].set_color(\"#334155\")\nplt.tight_layout()\nplt.savefig(\"benchmark.png\", dpi=150, facecolor=\"#0f172a\")\nprint(\"Saved\")"
}'
```
## Distribution
### Where Developers Read
Platform
Format
How to Post
Your blog
Full article
Primary — own your content
Dev.to
Cross-post (canonical URL back to yours)
Markdown import
Hashnode
Cross-post (canonical URL)
Markdown import
Hacker News
Link submission
Show HN for projects, tell HN for stories
Reddit (r/programming, r/webdev, etc.)
Link or discussion
Follow subreddit rules
Twitter/X
Thread summary + link
See twitter-thread-creation skill
LinkedIn
Adapted version + link
See linkedin-content skill
```
# Cross-post thread to X
infsh app run x/post-create --input '{
"text": "New blog post: How We Reduced API Latency by 90%\n\nThe short version:\n→ Moved computation to edge\n→ Aggressive cache-control headers\n→ Eliminated N+1 queries\n\np99 went from 800ms to 90ms.\n\nFull deep dive with code: [link]"
}'
```
## Common Mistakes
Mistake
Problem
Fix
No TL;DR
Busy devs leave before getting the point
2-3 sentence summary at the top
Broken code examples
Destroys all credibility
Test every code block before publishing
No version pinning
Code breaks in 6 months
"Works with Node 20, React 18.2"
"Simply do X"
Dismissive, condescending
Remove "simply", "just", "easily"
No diagrams for architecture
Walls of text describing systems
One diagram > 500 words of description
Marketing tone
Developers instantly disengage
Direct, technical, honest
No trade-offs section
Reads as biased marketing
Always discuss downsides
Giant introduction before content
Readers bounce
Get to the point in 2-3 paragraphs
Unpinned dependencies
Tutorial breaks for future readers
Pin versions, note date written
No "Further Reading"
Dead end, no context
3-5 links to deepen understanding
## Related Skills
```
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@seo-content-brief
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@content-repurposing
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@og-image-design
```
Browse all apps: `infsh app list`
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---
*Source: https://skills.yangsir.net/skill/sm-technical-blog-writing*
*Markdown mirror: https://skills.yangsir.net/api/skill/sm-technical-blog-writing/markdown*