Technical writing for engineers who want to understand, not just use.
One carefully selected topic, written to depth, every week.
How It Works
Select
Each Primitives publication draws from a curated catalogue of topics within its discipline. Distributed Systems Weekly covers over 200 subjects spanning 16 categories — consensus, replication, storage, networking, observability, and more.
Topics range across multiple levels, from foundational concepts to advanced internals, so the publication stays accessible to engineers at different stages.
Selection rotates across categories to ensure breadth: no single domain dominates consecutive issues.
Write
A full article is produced for the selected topic - technically rigorous, aimed at senior engineers.
Every piece includes a summary, key takeaways, and foundational references.
Review
Before anything gets published, the draft goes through an accuracy and quality review.
Articles that don't clear the bar are revised or the topic is shelved.
Only pieces that meet the standard make it through.
Publish
The approved article is published automatically.
The site updates within minutes.
About This Publication
Distributed Systems Weekly is an independent technical publication under the Primitives imprint.
Editorial decisions are driven by signal quality — not by vendors, sponsors, or outside agendas.
Primitives publishes focused technical writing across disciplines. Distributed Systems Weekly is the first vertical; other publications are in development.
If you found it useful — share it with an engineer who'd appreciate it.
Distributed Systems Weekly and all Primitives publications may contain errors, including material ones.
We work to get things right, but independent verification matters.
For corrections, suggestions, or business enquiries — contact us.