Cutting cloud costs by 66% through software optimisation
Do less, delete data and hand work to client devices.
- Answers
- How do you cut cloud costs?
- Topics
- Amsterdam · cloud · data · linux · networking · server · web · work
- Full article on willem.com
- https://willem.com/en/2023-04-05_cutting-cloud-costs/
Summary
In 2023 I cut my cloud footprint by 66% while keeping about 80% of all features. Three strategies did the work: run resource-heavy tasks less often and cache results, delete unnecessary data, and shift work to client devices or specialists.
Full text
Cloud providers charge for computing power, memory and storage, and rising energy prices were passed straight on to customers, which is why I started optimising. Doing less: check whether applications must run continuously or can scale down at night, perform a calculation once and serve everyone from a cache (webshop prices, for example), and make features opt-in instead of on by default. Deleting data: remove old log files or move them to another computer or an email inbox, compress photos and video (lossless compression can save up to 80% of storage), and be selective about what you store at all. Delegating: let client devices compress and resize images before uploading, run search entirely client-side with JavaScript and a JSON structure, and use the graphics chip of the visitor's device for animation.