Technical Blog Writing

Write developer-focused technical blog posts via inference.sh CLI.

Quick Start

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Install note: The install script only detects your OS/architecture, downloads the matching binary from dist.inference.sh, and verifies its SHA-256 checksum. No elevated permissions or background processes. Manual install & verification available.

Post Types

1. Tutorial / How-To

Step-by-step instruction. The reader should be able to follow along and build something.

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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.

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3. Postmortem / Incident Report

Describes what went wrong, why, and what was fixed.

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4. Benchmark / Comparison

Data-driven comparison of tools, approaches, or architectures.

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5. Architecture / System Design

Explains how a system is built and why decisions were made.

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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

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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" |

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What this code does (one line)

def calculateretrydelay(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 = calculateretrydelay(attempt=3) # ~8.0-8.8 seconds CODEBLOCK8

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:

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Blog Post Structure

The Ideal Structure

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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 |

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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 |

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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

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