Every year we round up the best of the blog, and this year is no different. We like to look back on our posts that you, our readers, liked best and reflect on the content that resonated with the most folks.
How do we do that? Data! We gathered the analytics and sorted out the posts that got the most unique views over the course of the year. There are some mainstays that show up here year after year—our Drive Stats reports are a perennial hit. But there are always some surprises in there, too. Do you read all of our posts? Did your favorite one make the list? Read on to find out.
A Countdown of Top Blog Posts from 2022
10. How to Wipe a Windows SSD or Hard Drive
Coming in at the #10 spot is a companion piece to our ever-popular “How to Wipe a Mac” lest we neglect our PC-loving brethren. Check out this post if you need to securely erase your PC.
9. Don’t Get Trapped in iCloud
This post covers some of the pitfalls you might run into if you rely solely on iCloud to store your data as well as the method I, personally, use to back up my mobile devices.
8. The SSD Edition: 2022 Drive Stats Mid-Year Review
This year, we introduced a new report as part of our Drive Stats franchise focusing on SSDs, and it earned the #8 spot in our top 10. Read this one to find out how the SSDs in our data centers performed.
7. SSD 101: How to Upgrade Your Computer With an SSD
Lots of you searched for ways to take that old computer you have lying around and upgrade it with an SSD instead of donating or recycling it. This post explains the practicalities you should consider before doing so.
6. What’s the Diff: NAS vs. SAN
Network attached storage (NAS). Storage area network (SAN). If the acronyms weren’t confusing enough, the actual names of these two technologies certainly do the job. We explain the difference in this popular post.
5. How to Wipe a Mac Hard Drive
Still more of you are interested in how to safely and securely wipe your Macs. Especially as we come out of the gift giving season, many of you might be ready to dispose of or donate that old computer. Use this guide to make sure your data doesn’t make its way into the wrong hands.
4. Backblaze Drive Stats for Q1 2022
Our Q1 Drive Stats post, released on May the Fourth (be with you), is always a fun one. This year, Andy took inspiration from the “Star Wars” cinematic universe, organizing the post around notable quotes and delighting us all.
3. What’s the Diff: SSD vs. NVMe vs. M.2 Drives
Many of you were curious about the different kinds of SSD drives out there, putting this comparison post in the #3 spot. We spelled out the differences between SSDs, NVMe, and M.2 drives so you can figure out which is best for your use case.
2. Backblaze Drive Stats for Q2 2022
Our marquee franchise was unseated as the top post this year. Andy Klein, our resident Drive Stats storyteller, took it in stride. While Drive Stats may not be our top post this year, the reports hold three of the top ten slots, which is nothing to scoff at. Consistency is key!
1. The Python GIL: Past, Present, and Future
This little experimental post on a somewhat arcane feature of the Python programming language found a huge audience when we published it back in May. We reached out to Barry Warsaw, a Python core developer and contributor, and Pawel Polewicz, a backend software developer, to write a quick history of the Python global interpreter lock (GIL). Barry and Pawel blew us away with this deep dive on the GIL’s evolution that ended up becoming our top blog post of the year.
Thanks for Reading the Backblaze Blog in 2022
We’re glad you like reading about things like cloud storage, hard drives, and esoteric coding features like the Python GIL as much as we like writing about them. We want to thank you for tuning in here on the blog and sharing your thoughts with us in the comments and on social media. Did your favorite post make it into the list? Is there anything you wish we’d write about more? Let us know in the comments. We always love to hear from you.
