Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats Buy It or Build It? A Service is Not a Solution
Jan 16, 2023
Explore the age-old debate of buying versus building in web development. The hosts discuss the efficiency of using third-party services like Sentry and Recurly for functionality such as cron jobs and checkout processes. They weigh the pros and cons of self-hosting versus relying on established services, highlighting challenges with vendor lock-in. Learn about effective image management with Cloudinary and the intricacies of video hosting options like Vimeo. The conversation also dives into authentication systems and advanced search technologies.
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Evaluate Build vs. Buy
- Evaluate if building and maintaining a feature is worth your time.
- Consider if a hosted service offers a better alternative.
Unsolicited Advice
- People often offer unsolicited advice on building versus buying services.
- This advice can be frustrating due to the nuances involved in each decision.
Level Up's Subscription System
- Scott Talinsky built Level Up, foregoing services like Recurly to save on percentage fees.
- Years later, he realizes building it himself might have cost more due to maintenance and bug fixes.