this post was submitted on 15 Apr 2025
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Can you explain what do you think "backfill" means in the context of the linked post?
Sorry if that sounds disrespectful but we kinda need to have shared definitions for stuff
Backfill means that the AppView has to request and download and then be able to present... the entire history of all posts from everyone on BlueSky.
If you are familiar with crypto, its like how you have to download either the entire blockchain, or nowadays, a trimmed down/compressed version of it... before you can interact with it.
If you are familiar with any kind of database like a forum or something... when migrating, you have to actually import a copy of all the preexisting users, posts, forum structure, posts, etc... if you want the new forum to actually contain what the old forum did, before you allow people to start making new posts.
When this rando is setting up his own AppView... he is asking the BlueSky Relays to give his AppView all the older posts, before the AppView is caught up, and can then begin to function in realtime with the rest of the network.
I don't mean to be rude, but if you genuienly don't know what 'backfill' means in this context, it is very likely you have essentially zero experience with or knowledge of systems that involve large databases ... it is a very common and well known term to anyone with basically over a year of doing most kinds of db admin/server admin work.
yeah that was my bad I might be a little stupid.
I got confused between the relay crawling pdses to store their records for retransmission vs an appview storing records for serving them to clients. Both involve processing similar (v large) amounts of data, but the latter is actually more expensive because you're also transforming the data to make it useful to clients, so it's still neat they got it working on a raspberry pi
They have said that in production, their appview takes up about 30 servers while the relay takes only one. Apologies for the rude tone of the post https://bsky.app/profile/why.bsky.team/post/3lku2o3n6es22
I have zero need to play games with you. Make your case if you have one.