The Validity Mask Is Optional: A Null Pointer Means No NULLs
A null validity_mask pointer in DuckDB means ‘all rows valid’. That single bit of absence removes the NULL check from every kernel and lets the aggregate hash table swap in plain …
Duckdb
The Auxiliary Buffer: How a DuckDB Vector Owns Memory It Never Allocated
DuckDB’s AuxiliaryDataHolder lets a vector buffer keep other allocations alive without owning them, turning a 16 KiB copy into an O(1) pointer bump.
Orrify: How DuckDB Collapses Six Vector Types Into Three Words
DuckDB’s UnifiedVectorFormat turns six physical vector layouts into three machine words, so a kernel written once runs on every vector type.
A Tour of DuckDB's Internals: The Forty-Three Tricks
Forty-three deep dives into DuckDB internals, grouped by theme, each one a specific readable trick in the source, from vector layouts to Parquet pruning.