https://kevdees.com/ Full-stack developer notes from the road — coding, building products, remote work, and lessons learned from the trenches. en-us Wed, 20 May 2026 20:56:25 GMT https://kevdees.com/using-nextdns-to-test-an-aws-alb-before-dns-cut-over https://kevdees.com/using-nextdns-to-test-an-aws-alb-before-dns-cut-over Thu, 12 Mar 2026 20:33:41 GMT If you need to test a site sitting behind an AWS Application Load Balancer before a DNS cut-over, NextDNS makes it incredibly easy. Instead of messing with local hosts files or network configs, you can share a simple configuration ID with teammates or clients and have them testing the new environment in minutes. Browsers Coder Notes Mac Servers Tips https://kevdees.com/switching-from-dual-lg-ultrafine-5k-displays-to-the-lg-32u990a-s-6k https://kevdees.com/switching-from-dual-lg-ultrafine-5k-displays-to-the-lg-32u990a-s-6k Wed, 11 Mar 2026 20:25:22 GMT After years of using two of LG’s Mac-specific UltraFine 5K monitors, I recently upgraded to the new LG 32U990A-S 6K display. It’s a great coding monitor overall, but there are a few macOS integration quirks worth knowing about, especially around LG Switch and system controls. Coder Journal Tech https://kevdees.com/installing-laravel-forge-cli-on-macos https://kevdees.com/installing-laravel-forge-cli-on-macos Mon, 24 Nov 2025 21:39:46 GMT Once installed, the Forge CLI gives you quick terminal access to your Laravel Forge servers and sites. Just make sure your $PATH is configured right — most issues I’ve run into came from that one step being skipped. Coder Notes Fix Laravel Mac PHP Servers Tech https://kevdees.com/the-php-8-5-pipe-operator-useful-but-watch-for-these-gotchas https://kevdees.com/the-php-8-5-pipe-operator-useful-but-watch-for-these-gotchas Fri, 21 Nov 2025 15:18:19 GMT I have been eagerly waiting for the pipe operator ever since I first encountered it in the RFC proposals years back. Finally, with the release of PHP 8.5 yesterday, I had the chance to put the implementation into practice. Here are a few things worth noting. Coder Notes PHP https://kevdees.com/install-nginx-multiple-php-versions-on-macos-26-tahoe https://kevdees.com/install-nginx-multiple-php-versions-on-macos-26-tahoe Fri, 21 Nov 2025 13:57:26 GMT Create a very robust, clean, and fast local multi-version PHP (8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5) development environment on macOS 26 Tahoe. Web Coder Notes Mac PHP Servers https://kevdees.com/using-dbngin-alongside-homebrew https://kevdees.com/using-dbngin-alongside-homebrew Thu, 20 Nov 2025 14:46:09 GMT I’ve been using Homebrew for a long time to install MySQL and other databases on my Mac. But now DBngin is changing my mind. Apps Coder Notes Links Mac Servers https://kevdees.com/fixing-safari-mixed-content-issues-with-vite-and-mkcert https://kevdees.com/fixing-safari-mixed-content-issues-with-vite-and-mkcert Fri, 03 Oct 2025 14:44:51 GMT Safari blocks Vite’s hot module reload (HMR) when your Laravel app runs over HTTPS but Vite serves plain HTTP. Here’s how I fixed it with mkcert, a separate dev-only Vite config, and one extra package.json script. Browsers Coder Notes Fix JavaScript Laravel Servers Tips https://kevdees.com/but-dust https://kevdees.com/but-dust Mon, 11 Aug 2025 17:22:30 GMT Are we but dust? But, what if? Just, if? Can we bear to ask, “if”? What danger is there in the question “if?” for someone who is but dust? What danger is there to indifference, fear, meaninglessness, grasping, devouring, and the dark end? Coder Journal Thought https://kevdees.com/quick-fix-nginx-pid-errors-on-macos-apple-silicon-homebrew https://kevdees.com/quick-fix-nginx-pid-errors-on-macos-apple-silicon-homebrew Fri, 01 Aug 2025 15:08:24 GMT If you run Nginx on an Apple Silicon Mac using Homebrew, you may see errors after a reboot caused by a stale /opt/homebrew/var/run/nginx.pid. I wrote a small ZSH script to remove the stale PID, restart Nginx, and confirm it’s actually serving traffic. Coder Notes Fix Mac Servers Tips Web https://kevdees.com/shiki-a-fresh-look-at-syntax-highlighting https://kevdees.com/shiki-a-fresh-look-at-syntax-highlighting Tue, 29 Jul 2025 14:34:34 GMT Mintlify’s switch from Highlight.js to Shiki fixed their Vue.js syntax highlighting issues. If you’ve struggled with code blocks in Highlight.js, Shiki is worth checking out. Coder Notes Links Tech https://kevdees.com/php-operators-app https://kevdees.com/php-operators-app Fri, 06 Jun 2025 16:03:49 GMT PHP Operators is a reference guide for operators old and new in the PHP programming language. Apps Coder Notes Links PHP https://kevdees.com/lessons-beyond-the-classroom https://kevdees.com/lessons-beyond-the-classroom Thu, 05 Jun 2025 12:55:06 GMT I was taught that hard work and the courage to take risks bring great rewards. While school showed me how to \"play the game,\" it didn’t help me truly retain knowledge. Coder Journal Leadership Thought Tips https://kevdees.com/when-tech-innovation-prioritizes-financials-over-customer-experience https://kevdees.com/when-tech-innovation-prioritizes-financials-over-customer-experience Wed, 04 Jun 2025 12:41:19 GMT I want to see technology move toward people, not people moving toward technology. The goal should be to enhance the human experience. AI Coder Journal Leadership Thought https://kevdees.com/understanding-the-computer-fraud-and-abuse-act-cfaa-what-developers-should-know https://kevdees.com/understanding-the-computer-fraud-and-abuse-act-cfaa-what-developers-should-know Tue, 03 Jun 2025 18:12:17 GMT I'm not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. But if you write code or work on websites, you need at least a basic understanding of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) — U.S. Code Title 18, Section 1030. Coder Notes Law Links Security Tips Web https://kevdees.com/scaling-laravel-repost https://kevdees.com/scaling-laravel-repost Mon, 02 Jun 2025 17:16:22 GMT Mateus Guimarães shares how they scaled a Laravel app to handle 30,000 requests/sec and 100M+ jobs, with clear, practical insights on database tuning, queue optimization, and architecture choices. Coder Notes Links Performance PHP Web https://kevdees.com/javascript-bloat-in-2024-repost https://kevdees.com/javascript-bloat-in-2024-repost Fri, 30 May 2025 17:15:08 GMT Nikita Prokopov’s post “JavaScript Bloat in 2024” is a refreshingly honest look at how modern websites have traded simplicity and performance for layers of unnecessary JavaScript. Coder Notes JavaScript Links Performance Web https://kevdees.com/fixing-border-radius-clipping-with-css-contain-paint https://kevdees.com/fixing-border-radius-clipping-with-css-contain-paint Thu, 29 May 2025 19:21:11 GMT It’s not a magic bullet, but in layout fights, contain: paint; can win the round if the need fits the solution that the CSS property contains. Coder Notes CSS Design HTML Tips Web https://kevdees.com/link-share-issue-5 https://kevdees.com/link-share-issue-5 Tue, 13 May 2025 17:30:37 GMT I have quite a build-up of links to share. It's been a while, so some may be old news, but it's still worth posting. Grab a coffee and enjoy! AI Coder Notes CSS Design HTML JavaScript Laravel Links Mac Marketing PHP Servers SQL Tech Tips Video Web WordPress https://kevdees.com/how-to-configure-php-memory-and-php-fpm-for-scalable-performance-on-8-16-and-32-gb-servers https://kevdees.com/how-to-configure-php-memory-and-php-fpm-for-scalable-performance-on-8-16-and-32-gb-servers Mon, 12 May 2025 18:00:05 GMT Learn how to configure PHP memory limits and PHP-FPM settings for 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB servers to maximize concurrency, avoid swap usage, and scale your app efficiently without wasting memory. Coder Notes Laravel Performance PHP Servers Thought Tips Web https://kevdees.com/back-up-your-dev-folder-on-macos-with-rsync https://kevdees.com/back-up-your-dev-folder-on-macos-with-rsync Wed, 07 May 2025 18:59:40 GMT Use rsync on your Mac to efficiently back up your project folder while skipping unnecessary files like node_modules, vendor, logs, and caches. Coder Notes Tips