Elliott Clark on Simplifying Cloud Infrastructure

In this episode of the Elixir Mentor Podcast, I talk with Elliott Clark, former engineer at both Facebook and Microsoft, who now runs Batteries Included. Elliott shares his rich background from working on the .NET team at Microsoft and infrastructure and developer efficiency at Facebook to creating a platform that simplifies cloud deployment for developers of all sizes.

Elliott explains how his experience at tech giants shaped his vision for Batteries Included, particularly the pain points he observed while at Facebook's developer efficiency team where he saw firsthand how complex configurations led to outages. He discusses why he chose Elixir and LiveView for his platform, highlighting how the unified language environment allows backend developers to build cohesive UIs without the traditional frontend/backend divide.

We explore how Batteries Included automates complex infrastructure tasks like setting up Kubernetes, Postgres databases, Redis, and monitoring tools with just a few clicks. Elliott also shares insights on their "Robin Hood" business model—keeping the platform free for smaller developers while charging larger enterprises, a philosophy informed by his time with open-source projects at multiple companies.

Our conversation dives into technical territory with discussions on managing large Elixir codebases (approaching 300,000 lines of code), challenges of umbrella projects, and the testing philosophies that help maintain quality. Elliott brings valuable perspectives from his work on large-scale systems at Facebook and Microsoft, offering insights on preventing regressions and building resilient infrastructure.

Whether you're interested in Elixir, deployment infrastructure, or the challenges of building developer tools, this episode offers valuable insights from someone who has worked at both tech giants and startups. Elliott's practical approach to solving deployment pain points demonstrates how developers can build tools that truly make a difference in the development workflow.

Resources Mentioned:
- Batteries Included: https://batteriesincl.com
- GitHub: https://github.com/batteries-included

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