Original: https://codingcat.dev/podcast/infrastructure-driven-development

Welcome back to the CodingCat.dev podcast! Today, we are thrilled to have Sathiesh Veera, an expert in infrastructure and development, share his amazing journey from his roots in India to becoming an innovator in the tech industry. Sathiesh's story is inspiring and packed with valuable insights on how infrastructure and development intertwine to create robust tech solutions.

From Traditional Jobs to Java Enthusiast

During his college years, Sathiesh had the opportunity to get placed through campus interviews, which led him to work for various companies. Unlike many, his journey wasn't just about getting a job; he developed a profound love for Java, a language he has worked with for over 15 years.

"I started my first job, and that's where I got into Java. I always loved Java and developed too much interest in it."

While many of us start our coding journey with languages like C and Java, Sathiesh's curiosity pushed him further into exploring more complex topics like data engineering and DevOps.

Transitioning to the United States

Around 2015, the wave of AWS and microservices began to take over the tech world. Sathiesh moved to the United States and transitioned his focus to microservices and infrastructure-related work.

Evolution to DevOps

Working closely with platform teams, Sathiesh found his interest pivoting towards DevOps. He enjoyed the blend of infrastructure and development, taking on roles that focused on deployment pipelines and improving efficiency.

"I was more focused on deployment pipelines, looking to automate testing and parallelizing activities to reduce unnecessary steps."

The Birth of CloudPac

Four years ago, Sathiesh and his friends came up with an idea born out of solving infrastructure problems for companies. They started CloudPac, focusing on creating a unified solution for fragmented cloud services.

"CloudPac aims to solve fragmented services by uniting compute, storage, networking, and security in one package."

Despite early setbacks, including challenges with pitching to YC and personal hurdles, the team persevered. They've learned from their mistakes and are optimistic about the future.

Infrastructure Driven Development (IDD)

Now, let's dive into the core topic of today's discussion: Infrastructure Driven Development (IDD). Unlike traditional coding practices where infrastructure is an afterthought, IDD emphasizes creating applications with a deep understanding of where the code will run.

Key Takeaways

1. Awareness of Environment: Developers need to be aware of where their code will execute. This awareness impacts decisions on scalability, efficiency, and cost.
2. Performance vs. Cost: The trade-off between the two is crucial. For instance, AWS Lambda offers a cost-effective solution but comes with constraints like cold starts.
3. Microservices: Understanding the different compute options, from AWS Lambda to Kubernetes, and their respective pros and cons.

"A lot of companies face the challenge of making cost-efficient decisions initially and then dealing with the repercussions later."

Challenges and Solutions in Infrastructure

Throughout his career, Sathiesh has encountered numerous challenges, from inefficient deployment pipelines to cost overruns in cloud services. His approach has always been to balance functionality with infrastructure awareness.

Case Study: AWS Lambda and DynamoDB

When working with AWS Lambda and DynamoDB, Sathiesh's team observed significant cold start issues and connection limitations with their database.

"Each lambda instance created its own connection to the database, leading to contention issues."

To tackle this, they explored alternatives and optimized their approach to ensure better performance and cost-efficiency.

The Future of CloudPac

CloudPac continues to evolve, aiming to provide not just pre-built solutions but customizable stacks that consider various business needs. By leveraging LLM, they aim to offer tailored recommendations based on specific project requirements.

"The developer's role is evolving. Infrastructure awareness is no longer an option but a must-have."