A Few Points on Writing High-Performance Software

Here are a few simple suggestions that will go a long way toward helping you write highly-performance systems.

Be smart: Performant systems are what you get when you avoid things that slow a system down. Computers are inherently fast. Just don’t get in their way. Know what things slow a system down and just avoid doing those things. Beyond that speed comes from applying common sense.

Stay Fresh: Keep your brain sharp by often taking breaks. Stop and take time to recharge your mental batteries when things start to seem complicated.

Use the right tools: Don’t use a sledgehammer to drive a nail. Don’t use “enterprise” technologies to build prototypes. Every tool has strengths and weaknesses. Effectively leveraging strength will make high performance possible.

Be careful with frameworks: Frameworks are good for abstracting repetitive tasks. They seldom offer speed and simplicity. Use them as needed. But don’t base your architecture or design on them.

Beyond these simple points it comes down to experience and knowing the ins and outs of the specific tools and technologies you’re using.