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On a related note, think about something like S3. As an end user you just hit a "simple" API to store files. In a 2022 AWS conference they announced that S3 is
by nickjj 4y ago
On a related note, think about something like S3. As an end user you just hit a "simple" API to store files.
In a 2022 AWS conference they announced that S3 is currently powered by 235 microservices[0]. It started with 8.
I think it's a great case of something that looks easy from the outside but has a mega iceberg of complexity under the hood to operate at the scale and reliability that S3 has. It's also a good example of if you don't need that scale you can go with a much easier solution of literally uploading a single file to 1 server and being done with it.
[0]: https://youtu.be/RfvL_423a-I?t=995 https://youtu.be/RfvL_423a-I?t=995
- twelve40 4y agothis still doesn't shine light on why Twitter had 7000 people and whatsap had 50. I know about the ads and tools, that doesn't explain two orders of magnitude (besides I heard they were pretty basic)
- ianburrell 4y agoTwitter had 7000 in 2022, WhatsApp had 50 in 2015. WhatsApp has more now and Twitter has less. Twitter had less in the past, 30 in 2009, 150 in 2011, 2700 in 2013 after IPO. Twitter and WhatsApp are both way more complicated than used to be both in terms of features and usage. They also make way more money, which both takes more people and supports more people.
- renonce 4y agoAre all these 235 microservices necessary for the bulk of features that 99% of users are using? AWS is not the only S3 provider, nor the best, and it would be interesting to see how much engineering is involved in other S3 providers.