Stage 3 · Build
Databases for SRE
PostgreSQL, Redis, and database reliability — schema design, query optimization, replication, backup strategies, and keeping databases healthy under load.
6 modules36 lessons4.4h of reading36/36 live today
Prerequisite
Backend applications.
What this course leaves you with
- Operate PostgreSQL and Redis in production
- Optimize slow queries and handle schema migrations
- Write reliability practices for stateful systems
PostgreSQLRedisDatabasesReliabilitySQL
Why this stage matters — Data is solid — now package everything into containers.
Progress
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01
6 lessons
Relational Databases (PostgreSQL)
PostgreSQL from first table to production — ACID, indexes, query plans, and schema design.
- 01The Relational ModelTables, rows, columns, primary keys, foreign keys, and normalization basics.7 min
- 02SQL FundamentalsSELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, JOINs, GROUP BY, HAVING, and CTEs.8 min
- 03Indexes & Query PlansB-tree, hash, GiST indexes — EXPLAIN ANALYZE and eliminating sequential scans.8 min
- 04Transactions & ACIDBEGIN/COMMIT/ROLLBACK, isolation levels, phantom reads, and deadlocks.8 min
- 05Schema Design PatternsNormalization, denormalization, soft deletes, audit tables, and migrations.7 min
- 06PostgreSQL Configurationshared_buffers, work_mem, max_connections, checkpointing, and autovacuum.7 min
02
6 lessons
PostgreSQL Operations
Backups, replication, connection pooling, and keeping Postgres healthy in production.
- 01Backup Strategiespg_dump, pg_basebackup, WAL archiving, PITR, and backup verification.8 min
- 02Streaming ReplicationPrimary/replica setup, replication slots, monitoring lag, and promoting replicas.8 min
- 03Connection Pooling with PgBouncerSession, transaction, statement modes — sizing pools and preventing connection exhaustion.7 min
- 04VACUUM & Table BloatDead tuple accumulation, autovacuum tuning, and emergency bloat remediation.7 min
- 05Monitoring PostgreSQLpg_stat_activity, pg_stat_statements, lock contention, and Grafana dashboards.7 min
- 06Zero-Downtime Schema MigrationsExpand/contract, non-blocking index builds, and migration frameworks.8 min
03
6 lessons
Redis
In-memory data structures, caching patterns, persistence, and Redis in distributed systems.
- 01Redis Data TypesStrings, lists, sets, hashes, sorted sets, streams — choosing the right type.7 min
- 02Caching PatternsCache-aside, write-through, write-behind, and TTL strategy.7 min
- 03Redis PersistenceRDB snapshots, AOF logging, hybrid persistence — tradeoffs and configuration.7 min
- 04Redis Replication & SentinelPrimary/replica replication, Redis Sentinel for HA, and automatic failover.7 min
- 05Redis ClusterHash slots, sharding, cluster topology, and resharding safely.8 min
- 06Redis Reliability PatternsRate limiting, distributed locks (Redlock), pub/sub, and queue patterns.7 min
04
6 lessons
Database Reliability Engineering
SLOs for databases, slow query remediation, capacity planning, and incident patterns.
- 01Database SLOsLatency p99, connection saturation, replication lag — setting meaningful SLOs.7 min
- 02Slow Query RemediationIdentifying, analyzing, and fixing slow queries without application downtime.8 min
- 03Database Capacity PlanningStorage growth projections, connection limits, and vertical vs horizontal scaling.7 min
- 04Database Incident PatternsLock storms, connection exhaustion, disk full, replication lag runbooks.8 min
- 05Database SecurityRole-based access, row-level security, encryption at rest and in transit.7 min
- 06Testing & Migration SafetyShadow tables, blue-green database migrations, and load testing queries.7 min
05
6 lessons
NoSQL & Distributed Databases
CAP theorem, MongoDB, Cassandra patterns, and when to choose NoSQL over relational.
- 01CAP Theorem & Consistency ModelsConsistency, availability, partition tolerance — real tradeoffs, not just theory.7 min
- 02Document Stores (MongoDB)Document model, aggregation pipeline, indexes, and Atlas operational patterns.7 min
- 03Wide-Column Stores (Cassandra)Partition keys, clustering keys, tombstones, and compaction strategies.8 min
- 04Time-Series DatabasesInfluxDB, TimescaleDB — data model, retention policies, and downsampling.7 min
- 05Choosing the Right DatabaseDecision framework: read/write ratio, schema flexibility, consistency requirements.7 min
- 06Database Migration PatternsStrangler fig, dual-write, and safely migrating from one database to another.7 min
06
6 lessons
Databases in Kubernetes
Running stateful workloads in Kubernetes — operators, persistent volumes, backup, and the case against it.
- 01StatefulSets & Persistent VolumesStatefulSet semantics, PVC provisioning, storage classes, and pod disruption.7 min
- 02Database OperatorsCloudNativePG, Redis Operator, CrunchyData — operators vs managed services.8 min
- 03Database Backup in KubernetesVelero volume snapshots, pg_basebackup CronJobs, and offsite backup patterns.7 min
- 04Managed vs Self-HostedWhen to use Azure Database for PostgreSQL, ElastiCache, Atlas vs self-host.7 min
- 05Sidecar PatternsMetrics exporters, connection proxies, and certificate rotation sidecars.7 min
- 06Capstone: Database Reliability ReviewAudit a production PostgreSQL deployment and write a reliability improvement plan.9 min