Best of Infrastructure — 2025

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   Article

   David Heinemeier Hansson·24w

   No backup, no cry

   A modern approach to data management that eliminates traditional full-system backups by treating computers as disposable, stateless units. The strategy relies on distributed copies through services like Dropbox and GitHub, combined with full-disk encryption, ensuring all important data exists in multiple locations. This setup allows for quick recovery and system restoration, with configuration automated through ISO setups that can install a fully functional system in minutes.

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   Fireship·29w

   US-EAST-1 is humanity’s weakest link…

   A major AWS outage in the US-EAST-1 region caused widespread service disruptions across thousands of companies including Netflix, Reddit, and PlayStation. The root cause was a DNS resolution failure affecting API endpoints, particularly DynamoDB, which cascaded into serverless job queues. The incident highlights the risks of centralized cloud infrastructure dependency and the challenges of single-provider reliance even with availability zones designed for redundancy.

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   ByteByteGo·25w

   How Disney Hotstar (now JioHotstar) Scaled Its Infra for 60 Million Concurrent Users

   Disney+ Hotstar scaled from 25 million to 61 million concurrent users during the 2023 Cricket World Cup through a comprehensive infrastructure overhaul. Key improvements included separating cacheable from non-cacheable APIs at the CDN layer, migrating from self-managed KOPS to Amazon EKS, implementing distributed NAT gateways per subnet, and introducing a Datacenter Abstraction model. This abstraction unified multiple Kubernetes clusters into logical data centers with a centralized Envoy-based API gateway, replacing 200+ individual load balancers. The team also eliminated NodePort limitations by switching to ClusterIP services, standardized service endpoints, and adopted single-manifest deployments. The final architecture distributed 200+ microservices across six optimized EKS clusters, each designed for specific workload types.

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   Hacker News·39w

   Over engineering my homelab so I don't pay cloud providers

   A detailed guide on setting up a home virtualization environment using Proxmox Virtual Environment on encrypted Debian, with full automation through Ansible playbooks. The author migrates from cloud VPS to a local mini PC setup, implementing disk encryption, bridged networking, and infrastructure-as-code practices to create a flexible homelab for experimenting with Kubernetes while maintaining production service stability.

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   Hacker News·45w

   stan-smith/OpenFLOW: Make beautiful isometric infrastructure diagrams

   OpenFLOW is an open-source Progressive Web App for creating isometric infrastructure diagrams that runs entirely in the browser. Built with React and TypeScript, it features auto-save functionality, offline support, privacy-first local storage, and import/export capabilities. The tool allows users to drag and drop components, create connections, and customize diagrams with colors and labels. It supports keyboard shortcuts, works across modern browsers, and can be deployed to any static hosting service.

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   Hacker News·27w

   Send this article to your friend who still thinks the cloud is a good idea

   A developer shares their experience moving projects from AWS to bare-metal servers with Hetzner, achieving 10x cost savings and 2x performance improvement. The piece argues that cloud services like AWS charge excessive markups (10x-100x) compared to renting or buying servers directly, and that most small-to-medium businesses don't need expensive managed cloud services. It challenges common fears about server management, suggesting that with modern tools like AI assistants, managing Linux servers is accessible and cost-effective for most developers.

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   Article

   FREEK.DEV·51w

   It's never just that simple

   The post discusses the complexities often overlooked in programming and introduces Oh Dear, a comprehensive monitoring tool for websites that offers uptime tracking, SSL certificate verification, and more. The author shares PHP development insights, tips, and tutorials through newsletters, with a focus on Laravel.

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   Community Picks·1y

   xpipe-io/xpipe: Access your entire server infrastructure from your local desktop

   XPipe is a shell connection hub and remote file manager that allows users to access their entire server infrastructure from their local desktop. It integrates with command-line tools like ssh, docker, kubectl, etc., and is designed to be extensible, allowing the addition of more tools and custom functionalities. XPipe supports various connection types including SSH, Docker, Kubernetes, and virtual machines like Proxmox and Hyper-V. It's a desktop application that secures data locally and offers multiple installation methods, including package managers and portable versions.

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   Article

   Last9·1y

   FastAPI Python for Infra and Ops, Made Simple

   FastAPI is a high-performance, async-ready Python framework ideal for infrastructure and operations automation. It offers significant performance benefits, built-in validation, automatic documentation, and seamless integration with tools like Docker and Kubernetes. FastAPI simplifies building reliable APIs, handling concurrent requests efficiently, and providing endpoints for monitoring and automation tasks.

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    Article

    80 LEVEL·29w

    Amazon Allegedly Replaced 40% of AWS DevOps With AI Days Before Crash

    AWS experienced a major outage affecting platforms like Snapchat, Roblox, and Fortnite. An unverified report claims Amazon laid off 40% of its DevOps team days before the crash, replacing them with AI systems that handle IAM permissions, VPC configs, and Lambda deployments. While the connection between layoffs and the outage remains speculative, the incident highlights concerns about cloud service provider concentration and automation risks.

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    Article

    Javascript developers·1y

    GreyOS - The next generation OS / The first practical interactive Meta-OS

    GreyOS is defined as the first true Meta-OS, a fully interactive and user-facing operating system that transcends traditional hardware and is cloud-native and web-based. Unlike other Meta-OS concepts, which focus on managing computing environments, GreyOS offers a complete OS experience and includes its own Meta Programming language, the Meta-Script.

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    Article

    Cyber Security·26w

    A New Era of VM-Powered Cyber Attacks

    The Curly COMrades threat group exploited Hyper-V virtualization on compromised Windows systems to evade endpoint detection. Attackers enabled Hyper-V, deployed a minimal Linux VM (120 MB disk, 256 MB RAM), and ran custom tools including CurlyShell reverse shell and CurlCat proxy inside the VM. This technique bypassed host-based EDR and AV solutions that don't inspect nested virtual environments. Active since late 2023 and documented in August 2025, the campaign targeted Georgia and Moldova. Defenders should monitor for unusual VM creation and Hyper-V role enablement on endpoints.

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    Article

    selfhosted·27w

    Nixopus: one-click app hosting on your own server (install apps just like on your phone) now can be extended with extensions.

    Nixopus is an open-source platform that simplifies self-hosting applications on your own server with a user-friendly interface. The new Extensions feature enables one-click deployment of 100+ applications like Appwrite, Excalidraw, and Ollama, with custom domain support, live build logs, and transparent configuration. Users can browse available apps, deploy them instantly, manage all running services from a single dashboard, and even package their own applications as extensions by adding a single file.

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    Article

    StaffEng·44w

    Adam Bender - Principal Software Engineer at Google

    Adam Bender, a Principal Engineer at Google, shares insights about the staff engineer role, emphasizing the shift from individual technical execution to strategic business thinking and cross-team coordination. He describes how staff engineers solve open-ended problems, reduce system complexity, and mentor junior developers. Bender highlights the importance of communication skills, systems thinking, and the ability to connect disparate teams and solutions across large organizations. He discusses his promotion journey, the concept of 'staff projects,' and provides advice for aspiring and new staff engineers about embracing discomfort during skill development.

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    Article

    The Register·1y

    Techie pulled all-nighter that turned into an all-weekender

    A techie named Alejandro, working for a multinational company in the early 1990s, pulls an all-nighter for a mainframe migration project. While cleaning up after the task, he accidentally wipes the entire system using the rm -rf command due to fatigue. Fortunately, he manages to recover the system using backup tapes and completes the job before Monday morning, avoiding termination.

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    Community Picks·1y

    What is a Homelab and Why Should You Have One?

    A homelab is a local server setup for hosting various applications and virtualized systems for learning, development, or home usage. It provides a playground for technical skills, privacy-conscious backups, and engaging projects for families. Essential uses include media servers, development/test environments, DVR systems, remote access servers, and personal backups. Setting one up involves basic hardware and software like Linux, VirtualBox, or ProxMox.

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    Community Picks·1y

    Docker on MacOS is still slow?

    Two years after analyzing Docker performance on MacOS, significant improvements have been noted. VirtIOFS now provides better speed, with new solutions like open-source Lima and Docker's file synchronization feature offering enhanced performance. The most stable setup remains a hybrid approach combining bind mounts with volumes. Users should choose between solutions like Lima for a fast, open-source option, Docker Desktop with file synchronization for maximum speed, or any solution with the hybrid approach for stable performance.

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    Serdarcan Buyukdereli·24w

    Life After NGINX: The New Era of Kubernetes Ingress & Gateways

    A comprehensive comparison of Kubernetes ingress and gateway solutions beyond NGINX, evaluating Traefik, Istio, Kong, Cilium, Pomerium, kgateway, HAProxy, and Contour. The guide analyzes each tool across architecture, traffic management, security features, observability, performance, and future-proofing to help DevOps engineers and SREs make informed production decisions. Includes practical YAML examples, a detailed scoring matrix, and insights on Gateway API adoption for long-term infrastructure planning.

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    Article

    Raghav·27w

    Nixopus: one-click app hosting on your own server (install apps just like on your phone) now can be extended with extensions.

    Nixopus is an open-source platform that simplifies self-hosting applications on your own server with a user-friendly interface. The new Extensions feature enables one-click deployment of 100+ applications like Appwrite, Excalidraw, and Ollama, with custom domain support, live build logs, and transparent configuration. Users can browse available apps, deploy them instantly, manage all running services from a single dashboard, and even package their own applications as extensions by adding a single file.

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    Article

    The Register·35w

    Nano11 cuts Windows 11 down to size and then some

    NTDEV has created Nano11, an extremely stripped-down version of Windows 11 that occupies just 2.8 GB of disk space after installation. This unofficial modification removes most Windows components including Copilot, Teams, Windows Update, system services, and Windows Defender. While not suitable for daily use due to its lack of serviceability and missing features, Nano11 demonstrates that Windows bloat is a deliberate choice by Microsoft and could be useful for testing or embedded VM environments.

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    Product Hunt·32w

    Kyno for Cloudflare: Cloudflare management made simple, right from your phone

    Kyno is a mobile client that enables developers and site administrators to manage their Cloudflare-protected websites directly from their phones. The app provides remote access to web infrastructure management, allowing users to control and monitor their Cloudflare configurations on the go.

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    Article

    daniel.haxx.se·35w

    giants, standing on the shoulders of

    Daniel Stenberg delivered a keynote at Open Source Summit Europe 2025 discussing how modern infrastructure relies heavily on open source projects and their maintainers, but these critical components may not be receiving optimal treatment or support.

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    SavvyNik·34w

    Ubuntu's Massive Mistake..

    Ubuntu's package repositories experienced a 35-minute outage that caused days of disruption for users worldwide. The archive.ubuntu.com and security.ubuntu.com repositories went down, preventing package installations and security updates. While the servers came back online quickly, the resulting backlog overwhelmed mirrors and caused ongoing failures for several days. The incident highlighted critical infrastructure weaknesses in Ubuntu's centralized repository system and raised questions about redundancy, failover mechanisms, and community communication during outages.

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    Community Picks·1y

    My New Found Addiction!

    Ardens, a part-time YouTuber, IT intern, and full-time student, discovers an interest in home labbing. He explains how to set up a NAS server using a Raspberry Pi and Open Media Vault to create a personal cloud storage solution. Ardens further explores virtualization using Proxmox to host a music server, enabling an ad-free music streaming experience. Throughout his journey, he aims to build a sophisticated and efficient home lab setup.

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    Community Picks·45w

    stan-smith/FossFLOW: Make beautiful isometric infrastructure diagrams

    FossFLOW is an open-source Progressive Web App for creating isometric infrastructure diagrams. Built with React and TypeScript, it offers offline support, auto-save functionality, and privacy-first local storage. The tool allows users to drag and drop components, create connections, and export diagrams as JSON files. It can be installed as a native app and works entirely in the browser without requiring server connectivity.

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