(Almost) Every infrastructure decision I endorse or regret after 4 years running infrastructure at a startup
Hacker News
February 17, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
Running infrastructure at a startup for four years has yielded valuable insights into critical decisions that significantly impact scalability and efficiency. This article reflects on major infrastructure choices, highlighting both successful strategies and lessons learned to guide other startups.
The decision to adopt AWS over Google Cloud was pivotal due to superior customer support and service integration. While GCP initially seemed appealing, AWS provided reliable account management and stability, crucial for scaling. EKS was endorsed for its deep integration with AWS services like Route53, though the author regrets using EKS managed addons due to customization challenges, opting instead for Helm charts for smoother operations.
RDS and Redis ElastiCache were lauded for their reliability and performance. RDS's data-centric approach ensures business continuity, while Redis excels as a versatile tool beyond caching. Transitioning from quay.io to ECR resolved stability issues and enhanced permission management, underscoring the benefits of AWS-native solutions.
AWS VPN proved effective for simplicity and security with Okta integration, contrasting with more complex alternatives like Zero Trust VPNs. However, AWS premium support was deemed too costly unless essential for弥补内部知识的不足。Control Tower Account Factory (AFT) streamlined account management and standardized tagging, vital for efficient multi-account architectures.
These insights are crucial for tech readers as they highlight the balance between cost, customization, and scalability in cloud infrastructure decisions. Startups can leverage these lessons to optimize their infrastructure strategies, ensuring robust growth and adaptability in a competitive landscape.
Verticals
techstartups
Originally published on Hacker News on 2/17/2026