The Journey No One Talks About 🎢

Hey dev.to family! 👋

I'm Araan, founder of is-cod.in Universe, and today I'm sharing the REAL story behind building our platform - including all the embarrassing mistakes and expensive lessons learned!

The Expensive Learning Curve 💸

The $52 Netlify Surprise 😱

Picture this: You're a student developer, excited about your new project, and then...

# Email from Netlify
Subject: Your Monthly Bill
Amount: $52
Usage: 4 days
Reason: Edge Function Execution

My reaction: "WHAT THE... 😨"

Yes, I actually got a $52 bill for just 4 days of usage! Why? Those sneaky edge functions were running wild!

What I did next (don't judge 😅):

  1. Panicked
  2. Deleted my account
  3. Created a new one
  4. Learned about pricing BEFORE deploying

The Hosting Adventure 🎪

Attempt 1: Netlify

  • Pros: Easy to deploy
  • Cons: Expensive edge functions
  • Result: $52 bill and a deleted account 💀

Attempt 2: Vercel 

// The dream
deploy.toVercel();

// The reality
Error: Sandbox execution timed out
Error: Function exceeded maximum execution time
Error: Why won't you work? 😭

Turns out Vercel's sandbox environment doesn't play nice with certain DNS operations!

Attempt 3: Railway

Looked promising until...

WARNING: Network egress approaching limit
WARNING: Network egress exceeded
WARNING: Your wallet is crying

Pro tip: Watch those egress limits like a hawk! 🦅

Final Solution: Microsoft Azure (Free Tier FTW!) 

# The sweet spot
Azure Free Tier + Careful Resource Management = Happy Wallet 😊

Lessons Learned (The Hard Way) 📚

  1. Read the Pricing Pages

    • Don't just click "Deploy"
    • Check the free tier limits
    • Understand what "egress" means BEFORE you need to

  2. Test Locally First

# Good approach
   Test locally
   Monitor resource usage
   Calculate potential costs
   Deploy safely

   # My approach initially
   Deploy first
   Cry later
  1. Ask Your Community
    • Seniors have wisdom
    • Juniors have fresh perspectives
    • Twitter tech community saves lives

The Technical Challenges 🛠️

1. DNS Propagation 

// What I thought I needed
const updateDNS = () => {
  // Simple update
};

// What I actually needed
const updateDNS = async () => {
  await handleCaching();
  await checkPropagation();
  await prayItWorks();
  await handleFailures();
  await consolePeople();
};

2. Resource Management 

// Important lesson
interface Hosting {
  cost: number;
  limits: {
    egress: number;
    compute: number;
    patience: number;
  };
  reality: "Different from docs" | "Way different from docs";
}

Cloud Provider Comparison (From Experience) 🌩️

Netlify

  • Great UI/UX
  • Dangerous edge function pricing
  • Best for static sites

Vercel

  • Amazing for Next.js
  • Sandbox limitations
  • Watch those function timeouts

Railway

  • Solid performance
  • Clear pricing
  • Watch the egress!

Azure (Our Choice)

  • Reliable free tier
  • Good documentation
  • Complex but worth it

Money-Saving Tips for Developers 💰

  1. Always Calculate Costs 
Monthly Users * Average Requests * Edge Function Calls = 💸

  1. Use Free Tiers Wisely

    • Azure: Great limits
    • Vercel: Good for small projects
    • Railway: Watch the egress
    • Netlify: Avoid edge functions unless necessary

  2. Monitor Everything

// Set up alerts
   const monitorResources = () => {
     if (costs > budget) {
       sendPanicEmail();
       startPraying();
     }
   };

What We Use Now 🎯

Our current stack:

  • Azure Free Tier for hosting
  • Cloudflare for DNS
  • MongoDB Atlas (free tier)
  • Next.js for frontend
  • TypeScript for sanity

Advice for New Developers 🌟

  1. Start Small

    • Test locally
    • Use free tiers
    • Scale gradually

  2. Read Documentation

    • Especially pricing pages
    • Including the fine print
    • Even the boring parts

  3. Join Communities

    • Discord groups
    • Twitter tech community
    • Local dev meetups

The Happy Ending

Despite the $52 lesson and multiple hosting migrations, is-cod.in Universe is now running smoothly on Azure's free tier, serving thousands of users without breaking the bank!

Get Started (Without the Expensive Mistakes) 🚀

  1. Visit register.is-cod.in
  2. Create your free account
  3. Get your subdomain
  4. No surprise bills! 😉

Remember: Everyone makes mistakes - the key is learning from them (preferably from mine instead of your own 😅)

Happy coding (and careful deploying)! 🚀

Araan
Founder, is-cod.in Universe