Blog

• *** **, ****Storing and managing secrets cheaply and safely

  Every application has its secrets (database passwords, API keys, tokens, etc.) and they need to live somewhere that isn't a plaintext file committed to Git (please, don't). For those familiar with AWS, the first thought that comes to mind is to go with Secrets Manager to manage them, and it works great, except for the price per secret per month. Later down the road, it quietly turns into a line item nobody remembers approving once you multiply it across services, environments and regions. The good news is: for most secrets, there's a cheaper place to put them that's just as safe.

• *** **, ****Optimizing AWS S3 costs

  It's easy to create an S3 bucket, let objects pile up and watch everything sit comfortably in the Standard class whether it's accessed a thousand times a day or has been its fourth abandonment anniversary. However, AWS gives you the tools to figure out where your money is actually going (they'll surely charge for it lol) and when used properly, they'll show you where to start cutting costs.

• *** **, ****Caching your API at the edge with fine-grained purging controls

  Caching API responses at the edge sounds great until you hit the invalidation problem. A TTL that's too short and your origin keeps getting hammered, too long and your users see stale data for who knows how long. If what you're looking for is to cache aggressively and purge surgically, the moment something changes and only what changed, there's a solution for that. Spoiler alert: the usual AWS suspects don't really compete here.

• *** **, ****Easily secure your non-prod environments from external users for free

  If you have a private domain sitting on the public internet, chances are anyone can reach it. Search engines index it, curious people poke at it, and bots scan it all day long. The usual fixes are a VPN (complex and annoying to maintain), IP allowlists (break the moment someone works from a coffee shop), or basic auth (everyone shares the same password forever). However, the good thing is that there's another way.

• *** **, ****Reduce SQS costs with these three strategies

  SQS is a very popular and cheap service from AWS which seems pretty inoffensive to your monthly bill. However, it charges per request, not per message, and that detail is where most of the waste hides. Things like racking up old and unused queues with live consumers, using FIFO indiscriminately and being careless about polling will surely make AWS very happy and your pockets lighter. The good news is: there are a few ways which will help you save some money.