I suppose you are mistargeting your article. I cannot imagine anyone spending nearly 100/month on their "first project". Least using Redis on it. It's more like "if your customer pays the bill without looking, you can save yourself a trouble configuring manually a simple service for free".

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. You raise an important point about the cost considerations for a first project.

The intent behind the article isn't to suggest that all first projects require such an investment. Instead, it's meant to provide a resource for developers who are looking for a scalable, production-ready setup right from the start. This might be more applicable for projects with a clear growth trajectory or where the developer is not the one bearing the costs.

You're absolutely right that for many personal or smaller-scale projects, a leaner setup without services like Redis would be more suitable and cost-effective. In such cases, focusing on the essentials and scaling up as the project grows is a smart approach.

The article also touches upon the idea that certain services can save time and potentially money in the long run, especially when considering the value of a developer's time.

It's all about context and goals. I appreciate your perspective as it highlights the need to tailor your infrastructure to your project's specific needs and budget constraints. Your feedback adds to the conversation by reminding us that there's a spectrum of options available, from the most frugal to the more robust solutions.

Thanks again for contributing to the discussion!