My professional home online where I showcase my work as a freelance developer and write about the intersection of technology, product development, and the philosophies that guide my work.https://joshkaramuth.com/en-ushttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/aws-cognito-authentication-startup-nightmare/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/aws-cognito-authentication-startup-nightmare/I let AWS Cognito gaslight me for three weeks so you don't have to. Here's the unfiltered autopsy.Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMTcognitoawsengineeringcloudhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/web-app-deployment/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/web-app-deployment/Discover how Uncloud simplifies Django deployments by letting you manage containers, logs, and services on any server with a single command, no container registry or manual SSH required.Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTapp deploymentconfiguration managementansibleunclouddockerdevopshttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/hey-fast-api-react/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/hey-fast-api-react/Learn how I fixed the problem of keeping a backend API in sync with a front-end applicationThu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThey apifastapipythontypescriptfullstackweb developmenthttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/boto3-athena/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/boto3-athena/If you're fighting a TYPE_MISMATCH error in Athena even when your types are correct, you're not crazy. Read this.Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMTboto3awspythonprogrammingbackendhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/wireguard-scripts/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/wireguard-scripts/So you spun up a shiny new server, slapped Wireguard on it for ALL the privacy, and then... silence. Yeah. Let's talk about that.Tue, 11 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMTlinuxsysadminvpnwireguardhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/fullstack-python-typescript/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/fullstack-python-typescript/After years of language-hopping, I found my flow state with Python and TypeScript—here’s why I'm never leaving.Mon, 20 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMTpythontypescriptweb developmentfullstackhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/secure-jwt/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/secure-jwt/If you're building a web app and dropping JWTs into localStorage, you might be creating a massive security hole without even realizing it.Wed, 15 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMTsecurityweb developmenthttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/htmx-sucks/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/htmx-sucks/While HTMX sucks, it's still the best option when it comes to building reactive web UIs in 2025Fri, 12 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMThtmxweb developmentalpinejsreactreactjsfrontendhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-view-model/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-view-model/Here's how to supercharge your Django templates and make your views squeaky clean with a pattern you'll wish you'd known about sooner.Thu, 04 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMTdjangopythonweb developmenthttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-historical-models/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-historical-models/Ever had your Django data migration mysteriously fail on a model property that you know exists? Here’s why.Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMTdjangoweb developmentpythonbackendhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-deployment/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-deployment/Stop wrestling with complex deployments and learn how I use Ansible, Docker, and Litestream to run Django apps on a secure, self-updating, and ridiculously resilient setup.Sun, 24 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMTdjangoweb developmentsys adminansiblelitestreamdeploymenthttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/tanstack-zod-dto/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/tanstack-zod-dto/If you're only using TypeScript interfaces to model API responses, you're one backend change away from a runtime crash—here's how to build a truly resilient app with Zod.Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMTzodzodjstanstackreactreact queryfront-endweb developmentfrontend developmentjavascripttypescripthttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/react-vs-htmx/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/react-vs-htmx/After building with React for years, my recent dive into HTMX and AlpineJS has been a masterclass in the trade-offs between radical simplicity and creative freedom.Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMTreactreactjshtmxfrontendweb developmentprogramminghttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/dynamodb-vs-sql/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/dynamodb-vs-sql/After two years using DynamoDB, I’ve concluded that the best database for a million users is often the wrong choice for your first ten.Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMTdynamodbdatabasessqlhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/linux-nvidia-still-sucks/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/linux-nvidia-still-sucks/My latest attempt to make Linux work on a modern Nvidia laptop ended, predictably, with a return to Windows 11.Wed, 14 May 2025 00:00:00 GMTnvidialinuxrantshttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/web-components-vs-react/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/web-components-vs-react/Coming from years of React development, I find Web Components incredibly powerful and standards-based, but writing them can feel surprisingly tedious.Mon, 12 May 2025 00:00:00 GMTweb componentsweb standardsreactfrontend developmenthttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-admin-atomic-commands/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-admin-atomic-commands/Learn how to organize Django management commands into intuitive subcommand namespaces, making your CLI cleaner and more developer-friendly!Sat, 08 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMTpythondjangohttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/linux-backup/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/linux-backup/Set up military-grade, cost-effective backups with Borgmatic—combining local USB and Hetzner cloud storage—in just 15 minutes, ensuring your data is safe even if your laptop takes a coffee bath.Sat, 08 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMTborgborgbackupborgmatichetznerencryptionbackuplinuxsysadminhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/reactjs-project-structure/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/reactjs-project-structure/Learn how to structure your React projects with a focus on scalability, maintainability, and team collaboration.Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMTreactjsfrontend developmentjavascripttypescripthttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-htmx-not-found/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-htmx-not-found/Enhance user experience by gracefully handling 404 errors with htmx in DjangoWed, 12 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMTdjangohtmxhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/html-dialog-sucks/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/html-dialog-sucks/Learn why you should implement custom modals instead of relying on dialogTue, 04 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMTdialogHTML dialogDOMhtmlweb developmenthttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-cotton-alpine-component/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-cotton-alpine-component/Learn how to build a reusable component with simple toolsTue, 14 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMTdjangopythondjango cottonalpinealpinejsjavascriptserver side renderinghttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-htmx-modal-forms/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-htmx-modal-forms/Learn how to create and edit models using Django forms inside a modal using HTMXWed, 25 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMTdjangohtmxdjango form modaldjango modalhtmx modaldjango htmxhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-htmx-modal/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-htmx-modal/Learn how to show a modal with minimal Javascript in Django + HTMXMon, 16 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMTdjangohtmxbootstrapjavascriptpythonhtmx modaldjango htmxdjango htmx modalhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/docker-non-root/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/docker-non-root/Understand the importance of running your apps without root privileges inside your Docker containerFri, 25 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMTdockercontainersdjangohttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/deploy-container-no-registry/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/deploy-container-no-registry/Learn how to automate deployment of a containerized Django app without a registryWed, 23 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMTdjangodockerdeploymentdevopsansiblehttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/docker-vs-podman/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/docker-vs-podman/I experimented with Podman and realized that Docker is still betterTue, 22 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMTdockerpodmancontainerslinuxhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/python-decorators/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/python-decorators/Master Python decorators by dissecting ones provided by DjangoMon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMTpythondecoratorsprogrammingdjangopython djangohttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/modernize-linux-script/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/modernize-linux-script/Use this script to install modern CLI tools for LinuxSun, 13 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMTlinuxfish shellshellcliscriptinghttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/ghost-to-astro/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/ghost-to-astro/Learn about the benefits of publishing with Astro instead of GhostSat, 12 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMTghostastrojavascriptcloudflarecloudflare pageshttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-messages-toast-htmx/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-messages-toast-htmx/Learn how to display Django messages as user friendly toasts with HtmxFri, 11 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMTdjangohtmxbootstrapbootstrap 5uihttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/python-argparse-intuitive-cli/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/python-argparse-intuitive-cli/Learn how to use Python's built-in argparse library to build an intuitive CLI appThu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMTpythonargparseclicommand lineterminalhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/forward-wsl-ssh-agent-windows/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/forward-wsl-ssh-agent-windows/Learn how to use the built-in Windows ssh-agent from inside your WSL instanceThu, 03 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMTwindowswslsshssh-agentwsl ssh agent forwardinghttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/restful-routing-django/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/restful-routing-django/Learn to leverage the REST archicture in a Django app.Thu, 19 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMTdjangoresthttphttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/generate-dkim-key-pairs-python/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/generate-dkim-key-pairs-python/DKIM key pairs are simply RSA key pairs and you can easily generate them in Python.Sun, 15 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMTcryptographypythondkimrsapythonhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-allauth-react/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-allauth-react/Learn how to integrate django-allauth with React for a powerful and easy authentication system.Wed, 04 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMTreactjsdjangoallauthtypescriptpythontanstack queryreact queryreact-routerauthenticationreact routerhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-allauth-without-username-field/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/django-allauth-without-username-field/Learn how to use Django Allauth without a username field in your User model.Sun, 01 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMTdjangoallauthauthenticationhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/remove-username-django-user-model/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/remove-username-django-user-model/Learn how to allow users to authenticate with your app without a username.Fri, 23 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMTdjangodjango ormauthenticationdjango authenticationdjango remove username fieldhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/csrf-token-cookies-dont-need-httponly/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/csrf-token-cookies-dont-need-httponly/CSRF token cookies are typically sent without httpOnly set to true. But is that a secure practice?Sat, 20 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMTsecuritycsrfcsrf token httponlyhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/send-templated-emails-nodejs/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/send-templated-emails-nodejs/Learn how to use NodeMailer, Handlebars, and juice to send emails effortlessly in NodeJS.Fri, 22 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMTnodejsjavascripthandlebarshttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/custom-user-attributes-django-allauth/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/custom-user-attributes-django-allauth/Learn how to set custom attributes to your User model when signing up users with Django Allauth.Thu, 21 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMTdjangopythonallauthauthenticationdjango allauth custom user modelhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/track-hubspot-events-react/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/track-hubspot-events-react/Learn how to use Hubspot to track user activity when using client side routing in React.Wed, 20 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMTmarketingreactjavascripthubspot reacthttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/upload-files-s3-presigned-upload-url/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/upload-files-s3-presigned-upload-url/Learn how to upload files directly to S3 from a front-end client to avoid API Gateway time-out issues.Sun, 03 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMTawss3javascriptapi gateway file uploadhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/identify-requests-expressjs/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/identify-requests-expressjs/Learn how to debug user errors more easily by tagging each request.Wed, 24 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMTexpressjsjavascriptnodejsweb developmenthttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/store-passwords-securely-nodejs/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/store-passwords-securely-nodejs/Learn how to use built-in tools in NodeJS to store user passwords securely.Tue, 23 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMTjavascriptsecuritynodepassword hashinghttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/verify-paddle-billing-webhooks-python/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/verify-paddle-billing-webhooks-python/Learn how to verify that webhooks hitting your back-end are from Paddle and not anyone else.Thu, 11 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMTpythonpaddlehttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/generate-good-looking-pdfs-weasyprint-jinja2/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/generate-good-looking-pdfs-weasyprint-jinja2/Learn how to easily generate beautiful PDFs in PythonWed, 10 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMTpythonpdf generationweasyprintjinja2weasyprint flexboxjinja2 to pdfpython generate pdf from templatepython html to pdf with csshttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/encode-base64-javascript-decode-python-part-2/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/encode-base64-javascript-decode-python-part-2/Learn how to decode a Base64 string you encoded from JavaScript in PythonSun, 15 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMTpythonjavascriptprogrammingweb developmenthttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/encode-base64-javascript-decode-python-part-1/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/encode-base64-javascript-decode-python-part-1/Learn how to send URL safe base64 encoded data to your Python API.Sat, 14 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMTjavascriptpythonweb developmentprogramminghttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/log-console-sentry/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/log-console-sentry/Learn how to see your Sentry logs in the dev tools console for a faster debugging experience.Sat, 14 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMTjavascriptweb developmentprogrammingsentryhttps://joshkaramuth.com/blog/python-partial-objects/https://joshkaramuth.com/blog/python-partial-objects/Learn how to improve readability of your code when using callback functions thanks to partial objects.Sat, 14 Oct 2023 00:00:00 GMTpythonprogrammingfunctional programming