Jake Cooper, Founder of Railway.com, shares insights from building a cloud infrastructure company. He discusses the fascinating challenges of constructing data centers and why they developed their own orchestrator to enhance efficiency. The conversation dives into balancing tech hype with practical applications, the emotional ties entrepreneurs have to their ventures, and the complexities of managing storage in container environments. Additionally, Jake reveals the importance of hiring exceptional talent and strategically navigating cloud and on-prem decisions.
Railway's journey from public cloud reliance to building their own datacenters was driven by the need for cost efficiency and improved performance.
Jake Cooper emphasizes the importance of owning data infrastructure to optimize pricing, reduce operational costs, and enhance user experiences.
The ongoing innovation at Railway focuses on developing custom solutions and scaling strategies to handle traffic surges and operational unpredictability.
Deep dives
Podcast Editing Transition
The podcast hosts announce significant changes in their editing process, shifting from professionally edited weekly episodes to a self-edited format that aims to maintain quality despite limited editing time and resources. Financial constraints have necessitated this transition, as the hosts can no longer afford to hire editors, prompting a move towards a monthly episode release schedule instead of weekly. They express gratitude to regular listeners and sponsors while acknowledging the bittersweet nature of this decision, especially with many exciting guests lined up. The hosts assure that they will strive to provide engaging content while adjusting to this new cadence.
Interview with Jake Cooper
The episode features an engaging discussion with Jake Cooper, the founder of Railway.com, exploring the evolution of cloud infrastructure and the lessons learned from their experiences. Jake shares insights about Railway's journey and motivations behind creating a better cloud infrastructure, emphasizing the challenges faced with existing options like GCP and the desire for seamless integrations. The conversation delves into the complexities of building scalable technology that meets developers' needs effectively while demonstrating an understanding of potential pitfalls experienced along the way. Listeners gain valuable perspectives on the continuous refinement required in the tech landscape.
Navigating Infrastructure Challenges
Jake explains the technical challenges Railway has faced while utilizing public cloud services, specifically mentioning the pitfalls of managing multiple instances and the limitations of virtual machines. He discusses the pricing complexities tied to egress fees and how these factors contributed to the decision to shift towards their own bare metal infrastructure. By moving beyond cloud reliance, Railway aims to create a more reliable and cost-effective environment for their users, ultimately allowing for better performance and scalability. This strategic pivot helps Railway address the specific needs of developers by offering a product that simplifies deployment and optimizes costs.
The Importance of Data Control
The conversation highlights the significance of owning and controlling data within cloud infrastructure to optimize performance and pricing. Jake discusses how Railway's move to its own hardware can enable substantial cost savings, especially concerning storage and egress costs, which are traditionally burdensome in cloud environments. This newfound control allows for enhanced flexibility, as Railway can make pricing adjustments and provide better experiences to users through tailored improvements in infrastructure. By focusing on lowering operational costs, Railway aims to pass these savings on to customers, thereby fostering loyalty and growth.
Future Innovations and Scaling
Looking ahead, Jake discusses Railway's plans for continued growth and innovation in their infrastructure, including a focus on enhancing storage capabilities and potentially developing their own custom solutions. The conversation addresses the structural dynamics of scaling, particularly regarding traffic surges and the need for efficient capacity planning. By building a reliable infrastructure grounded in their hardware, Railway intends to eliminate unpredictability associated with cloud costs and enhance their service offerings. Jakes's insights reinforce the importance of strategic foresight in navigating the complexities of technological advancements and scaling operations.
Railway wanted to build a better cloud so they started on Google Cloud and ended up building datacenters. Through the burden of success, they figured out there was a lot of things they had to learn and build themselves if they wanted to offer the best cloud experience they could. Jake tells us how they accomplished the move in 9 months, why the built their own orchestrator, and what they’re working on next.
