Who else is losing their mind with Bitnami?
Bitnami’s sunsetting images has been brutal.
I keep hitting endless ImagePullBackOff loops while re-deploying Postgres and Redis across prod, staging, and dev.
After hours of firefighting I’ve switched to CloudNativePG for Postgres and kept Bitnami legacy for Redis just to stay afloat.
Anyone found smoother migration paths or solid long-term replacements?
https://redd.it/1nknrco
@r_devops
Bitnami’s sunsetting images has been brutal.
I keep hitting endless ImagePullBackOff loops while re-deploying Postgres and Redis across prod, staging, and dev.
After hours of firefighting I’ve switched to CloudNativePG for Postgres and kept Bitnami legacy for Redis just to stay afloat.
Anyone found smoother migration paths or solid long-term replacements?
https://redd.it/1nknrco
@r_devops
Reddit
From the devops community on Reddit
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I have no idea how you guys do it
Long time lurker, not even working in DevOps (but rather IT, doing a mix of sysadmin/support). But man, some of the shit you guys can do and need to know is mind blowing. DevOps is definitely my target in the next 5-8 years, just need to get exposed to it and keep working my way up.
So many names for so many applications/tools, hundreds of cloud services etc. What an absolute shitshow of a field! Yet still interesting to me. Reading through the posts all the time has my head spinning. Most of it might as well be a different language. Keep up the grind!
https://redd.it/1nkrbng
@r_devops
Long time lurker, not even working in DevOps (but rather IT, doing a mix of sysadmin/support). But man, some of the shit you guys can do and need to know is mind blowing. DevOps is definitely my target in the next 5-8 years, just need to get exposed to it and keep working my way up.
So many names for so many applications/tools, hundreds of cloud services etc. What an absolute shitshow of a field! Yet still interesting to me. Reading through the posts all the time has my head spinning. Most of it might as well be a different language. Keep up the grind!
https://redd.it/1nkrbng
@r_devops
Reddit
From the devops community on Reddit
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Testing a new rate-limiting service – feedback welcome
Hey all,
I’m building a project called Rately. It’s a rate-limiting service that runs on Cloudflare Workers (so at the edge, close to your clients).
The idea is simple: instead of only limiting by IP, you can set rules based on your own data — things like:
* URL params (/users/:id/posts → limit per user ID)
* Query params (?api\_key=123 → limit per API key)
* Headers (X-Org-ID, Authorization, etc.)
**Example:**
Say your API has an endpoint **/user/42/posts**. With Rately you can tell it: “apply a limit of 100 requests/min per **userId**”.
So user 42 and user 99 each get their own bucket automatically. No custom nginx or middleware needed.
It has two working modes:
1. **Proxy mode** – you point your API domain (CNAME) to Rately. Requests come in, Rately enforces your limits, then forwards to your origin. Easiest drop-in.
​
Client ---> Rately (enforce limits) ---> Origin API
1. **Control plane mode** – you keep running your own API as usual, but your code or middleware can call Rately’s API to ask “is this request allowed?” before handling it. Gives you more flexibility without routing all traffic through Rately.
​
Client ---> Your API ---> Rately /check (allow/deny) ---> Your API logic
I’m looking for a few developers with APIs who want to test it out. I’ll help with setup 🙏.
https://redd.it/1nkwyyw
@r_devops
Hey all,
I’m building a project called Rately. It’s a rate-limiting service that runs on Cloudflare Workers (so at the edge, close to your clients).
The idea is simple: instead of only limiting by IP, you can set rules based on your own data — things like:
* URL params (/users/:id/posts → limit per user ID)
* Query params (?api\_key=123 → limit per API key)
* Headers (X-Org-ID, Authorization, etc.)
**Example:**
Say your API has an endpoint **/user/42/posts**. With Rately you can tell it: “apply a limit of 100 requests/min per **userId**”.
So user 42 and user 99 each get their own bucket automatically. No custom nginx or middleware needed.
It has two working modes:
1. **Proxy mode** – you point your API domain (CNAME) to Rately. Requests come in, Rately enforces your limits, then forwards to your origin. Easiest drop-in.
​
Client ---> Rately (enforce limits) ---> Origin API
1. **Control plane mode** – you keep running your own API as usual, but your code or middleware can call Rately’s API to ask “is this request allowed?” before handling it. Gives you more flexibility without routing all traffic through Rately.
​
Client ---> Your API ---> Rately /check (allow/deny) ---> Your API logic
I’m looking for a few developers with APIs who want to test it out. I’ll help with setup 🙏.
https://redd.it/1nkwyyw
@r_devops
Reddit
From the devops community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the devops community
Is going from plain APIs to agents always worth the extra complexity?
I have been building systems by wiring APIs together with HTTP endpoints and webhooks. It’s predictable, debuggable, and I know exactly where the logic lives. Now I keep seeing agent frameworks that promise to sit on top of APIs, handle decision logic, and “figure things out” on the fly.
For people who have gone beyond the demos THE ACTUAL PRODUCTION!!, what real problems did agents solve that you could not handle with direct API orchestration?? Was it worth the extra complexity in terms of debugging, reliability, and cost?
https://redd.it/1nkzb60
@r_devops
I have been building systems by wiring APIs together with HTTP endpoints and webhooks. It’s predictable, debuggable, and I know exactly where the logic lives. Now I keep seeing agent frameworks that promise to sit on top of APIs, handle decision logic, and “figure things out” on the fly.
For people who have gone beyond the demos THE ACTUAL PRODUCTION!!, what real problems did agents solve that you could not handle with direct API orchestration?? Was it worth the extra complexity in terms of debugging, reliability, and cost?
https://redd.it/1nkzb60
@r_devops
Reddit
From the devops community on Reddit
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Kafka (Strimzi) and Topic Operator seems like a bad idea to me?
I’ve never done anything with kafka and need to set it up in kubernetes, so I naturally looked for an operator. It seems that strimzi is the way to go tho I don’t agree with their topics operator approach. To me it seems topics should be a concern of the application and not defined dependent on the infra. Developing in docker locally, now I have to define topics there. Or if a team needs a new topic suddenly they have to change infra components.
I googled and didn’t find a discussion about that. It seems teams are generally fine with that topic operator approach. Can you enlighten me why it should not be part of the application configurations Itself and rather part of the infrastructure yamls we use for kubernetes?
https://redd.it/1nl0ct1
@r_devops
I’ve never done anything with kafka and need to set it up in kubernetes, so I naturally looked for an operator. It seems that strimzi is the way to go tho I don’t agree with their topics operator approach. To me it seems topics should be a concern of the application and not defined dependent on the infra. Developing in docker locally, now I have to define topics there. Or if a team needs a new topic suddenly they have to change infra components.
I googled and didn’t find a discussion about that. It seems teams are generally fine with that topic operator approach. Can you enlighten me why it should not be part of the application configurations Itself and rather part of the infrastructure yamls we use for kubernetes?
https://redd.it/1nl0ct1
@r_devops
Reddit
From the devops community on Reddit
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Feedback on tools used to scan vuln NPM packages
Anyone else used the google tool to scan for vuln NPM packages any recommendations or is there a better way ? https://cyberdesserts.com/npm-scanner
https://redd.it/1nl14jy
@r_devops
Anyone else used the google tool to scan for vuln NPM packages any recommendations or is there a better way ? https://cyberdesserts.com/npm-scanner
https://redd.it/1nl14jy
@r_devops
Cyber Desserts
Building an NPM Vulnerability Scanner
How I created a custom npm vulnerability scanner using deps.dev API to track dependencies and vulnerabilities beyond traditional tools
How do you hire a DevOps contractor who’s way more technical than you?
I manage a mature SaaS product and I’ve ended up as the accidental DevOps person after replacing an offshore team that didn’t really have the role covered. I’m technical, but not at the level I need for where we’re headed, so it’s time to bring in someone who genuinely knows the space. Ideally on a contract to tackle the big projects , then hopefully keep them on part-time afterward for ongoing support.
This isn’t a job post (I’ll share that to r/devopsjobs soon), but I’m looking for advice from people here who’ve been on either side of this. If you want to DM with thoughts or recommendations, my inbox is open.
The main projects are things like finishing our Jenkins to ArgoCD migration, stabilizing the dev environment, upgrading Kubernetes and keycloak, fixing Terraform drift, and tightening up security by swapping bastion for SSM. Down the line we’ll need a coordinated Postgres upgrade and help implementing something like Flyway. I have a rough roadmap with phases, but I also want the person I hire to shape it once they’ve seen the guts.
Where I could use your help is figuring out the right approach.
First, what’s a sane way to interview and evaluate someone who’s supposed to outclass you? I'm thinking of one focused technical conversation to hear their high-level plan for the Jenkins migration, and then maybe a short, paid working session in a non-prod environment to see how they think. Is that a good signal, or is there a better way to assess real-world skills?
Second, where do you actually find great freelance talent these days beyond the job subreddits? Are places like Upwork, boutique agencies or certain communities worth cutting through the noise for?
Third, what's a safe but effective way to handle day one access? My instinct is to start with more limited permissions and expand as we build trust, but I don’t want to slow them down. How do you prefer to start when you join a new project?
Finally, I have a roadmap, but I want the person I hire to have ownership and help shape it. I want someone who’ll call out gaps in my plan, not just follow checklists. For the contractors here, what are the green flags that tell you a client will actually listen to your expertise, and what are the red flags that tell you to run?
Budget isn’t FAANG, but it’s sane. I care more about working with someone who’s proactive, communicates clearly, and leaves things tidier than they found them. If you’re interested, keep an eye out for the official post, but I’d really appreciate any advice on process, places to look, or things I might not know enough to ask yet. Thanks.
https://redd.it/1nl0bvw
@r_devops
I manage a mature SaaS product and I’ve ended up as the accidental DevOps person after replacing an offshore team that didn’t really have the role covered. I’m technical, but not at the level I need for where we’re headed, so it’s time to bring in someone who genuinely knows the space. Ideally on a contract to tackle the big projects , then hopefully keep them on part-time afterward for ongoing support.
This isn’t a job post (I’ll share that to r/devopsjobs soon), but I’m looking for advice from people here who’ve been on either side of this. If you want to DM with thoughts or recommendations, my inbox is open.
The main projects are things like finishing our Jenkins to ArgoCD migration, stabilizing the dev environment, upgrading Kubernetes and keycloak, fixing Terraform drift, and tightening up security by swapping bastion for SSM. Down the line we’ll need a coordinated Postgres upgrade and help implementing something like Flyway. I have a rough roadmap with phases, but I also want the person I hire to shape it once they’ve seen the guts.
Where I could use your help is figuring out the right approach.
First, what’s a sane way to interview and evaluate someone who’s supposed to outclass you? I'm thinking of one focused technical conversation to hear their high-level plan for the Jenkins migration, and then maybe a short, paid working session in a non-prod environment to see how they think. Is that a good signal, or is there a better way to assess real-world skills?
Second, where do you actually find great freelance talent these days beyond the job subreddits? Are places like Upwork, boutique agencies or certain communities worth cutting through the noise for?
Third, what's a safe but effective way to handle day one access? My instinct is to start with more limited permissions and expand as we build trust, but I don’t want to slow them down. How do you prefer to start when you join a new project?
Finally, I have a roadmap, but I want the person I hire to have ownership and help shape it. I want someone who’ll call out gaps in my plan, not just follow checklists. For the contractors here, what are the green flags that tell you a client will actually listen to your expertise, and what are the red flags that tell you to run?
Budget isn’t FAANG, but it’s sane. I care more about working with someone who’s proactive, communicates clearly, and leaves things tidier than they found them. If you’re interested, keep an eye out for the official post, but I’d really appreciate any advice on process, places to look, or things I might not know enough to ask yet. Thanks.
https://redd.it/1nl0bvw
@r_devops
Reddit
From the devops community on Reddit
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Can splunk alerts be sent to another app via post request?
I noticed that people are able to send stack trace data in a splunk alerts which makes me wonder if these alerts can send a post request to a custom app for tracking purposes
https://redd.it/1nl7254
@r_devops
I noticed that people are able to send stack trace data in a splunk alerts which makes me wonder if these alerts can send a post request to a custom app for tracking purposes
https://redd.it/1nl7254
@r_devops
Reddit
From the devops community on Reddit
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Tell me about your experience looking for job offers
Has anyone here found effective ways to increase their chances… like reaching out to strangers or companies on LinkedIn, or posting content there?
Did any of these work for you? Or can you share some tips from your own experience with job hunting?
https://redd.it/1nl9aw4
@r_devops
Has anyone here found effective ways to increase their chances… like reaching out to strangers or companies on LinkedIn, or posting content there?
Did any of these work for you? Or can you share some tips from your own experience with job hunting?
https://redd.it/1nl9aw4
@r_devops
Reddit
Tell me about your experience looking for job offers : r/devops
434K subscribers in the devops community.
Skill Vs Money
So I have been a person who believe if we ace in our skill or niche( myn is devops) Money is automatically generated. But situations around me make me feel like this the shittiest thing I have ever done. Frnds who have graduated with me have been earning 20k -30 K inr per month. I have stucked to learning devops and doing an internship of 5k inr per month. Iam i foolish here or I need some patience to reach my devops dream role. What I mean by devops dream goal is that basic payofor frehser Or even some higher with acc to my skill
https://redd.it/1nlacf0
@r_devops
So I have been a person who believe if we ace in our skill or niche( myn is devops) Money is automatically generated. But situations around me make me feel like this the shittiest thing I have ever done. Frnds who have graduated with me have been earning 20k -30 K inr per month. I have stucked to learning devops and doing an internship of 5k inr per month. Iam i foolish here or I need some patience to reach my devops dream role. What I mean by devops dream goal is that basic payofor frehser Or even some higher with acc to my skill
https://redd.it/1nlacf0
@r_devops
Reddit
From the devops community on Reddit
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How common it is to be a DevOps engineer without (good) monitoring experience?
Hello community!
I am wondering how common it is for not having or having very little experience with monitoring for DevOps Engineers?
At the beginning of my career, when I worked as a system administrator, monitoring was a must-have skill because there was no segregation of duties (it was before Prometheus/Grafana and other fancy things were invented).
But since I switched to DevOps, I have worked very little to no with monitoring, because most often it was SRE's area of responsibility.
And now the consequences are that is it a blocker for most of the companies from hiring me, even with my 10+ YOE and 7+ years in DevOps.
https://redd.it/1nl91wh
@r_devops
Hello community!
I am wondering how common it is for not having or having very little experience with monitoring for DevOps Engineers?
At the beginning of my career, when I worked as a system administrator, monitoring was a must-have skill because there was no segregation of duties (it was before Prometheus/Grafana and other fancy things were invented).
But since I switched to DevOps, I have worked very little to no with monitoring, because most often it was SRE's area of responsibility.
And now the consequences are that is it a blocker for most of the companies from hiring me, even with my 10+ YOE and 7+ years in DevOps.
https://redd.it/1nl91wh
@r_devops
Reddit
From the devops community on Reddit
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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accommodations and On-call Rotations
I wanted some other perspectives and thoughts on my situation.
My official noscript is Senior DevOps Engineer but honestly is has become more of a SRE role over the years. We have an on-call schedule that runs 24/7 for a week at a time. We have a primary on-call rotation and a secondary on-call rotation with the same 6 people in each.
Recently, I was diagnosed with a sleep disorder for which the only treatment involves taking a medication that impairs me for about 8 and half hours while I am sleeping.
I requested an ADA accommodation for an adjusted on-call schedule so that I am not on-call during my nightly medication window. My manager has agreed to adjust the schedules so that I only have daytime rotations but stated that he didn't think my request would fall under an ADA (since on-call is considered an essential function of the job).
Is my scheduling requirements for on-call really going to be considered an unreasonable accommodations by most employers in the future? Should I be looking to exit the DevOps/SRE field altogether?
https://redd.it/1nldkwj
@r_devops
I wanted some other perspectives and thoughts on my situation.
My official noscript is Senior DevOps Engineer but honestly is has become more of a SRE role over the years. We have an on-call schedule that runs 24/7 for a week at a time. We have a primary on-call rotation and a secondary on-call rotation with the same 6 people in each.
Recently, I was diagnosed with a sleep disorder for which the only treatment involves taking a medication that impairs me for about 8 and half hours while I am sleeping.
I requested an ADA accommodation for an adjusted on-call schedule so that I am not on-call during my nightly medication window. My manager has agreed to adjust the schedules so that I only have daytime rotations but stated that he didn't think my request would fall under an ADA (since on-call is considered an essential function of the job).
Is my scheduling requirements for on-call really going to be considered an unreasonable accommodations by most employers in the future? Should I be looking to exit the DevOps/SRE field altogether?
https://redd.it/1nldkwj
@r_devops
Reddit
From the devops community on Reddit
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Kubernetes-ready Adobe Creative Cloud automation platform with Terraform IaC
Open-sourced enterprise Adobe automation platform with complete DevOps pipeline.
Infrastructure:
\- Terraform modules for Azure deployment
\- Kubernetes manifests for production scaling
\- Docker containers for all services
\- GitHub Actions CI/CD with automated testing
\- Prometheus + Grafana monitoring
\- HashiCorp Vault secrets management
Stack:
\- API: Node.js/Express + GraphQL
\- Workers: PowerShell + Python async
\- Data: SQL Server + Redis
\- Security: JWT auth + RBAC + audit logging
Deployment: `kubectl apply -f infrastructure/kubernetes/`
Features:
\- Zero-downtime deployments
\- Auto-scaling based on queue depth
\- Security scanning in CI pipeline
\- Infrastructure as Code with Terraform
\- Complete observability stack
Real impact: Automated Adobe user/license management for 2000+ users, 99.9% uptime.
GitHub: https://github.com/wesellis/adobe-enterprise-automation
Looking for feedback on the K8s architecture and deployment strategy!
https://redd.it/1nld1ln
@r_devops
Open-sourced enterprise Adobe automation platform with complete DevOps pipeline.
Infrastructure:
\- Terraform modules for Azure deployment
\- Kubernetes manifests for production scaling
\- Docker containers for all services
\- GitHub Actions CI/CD with automated testing
\- Prometheus + Grafana monitoring
\- HashiCorp Vault secrets management
Stack:
\- API: Node.js/Express + GraphQL
\- Workers: PowerShell + Python async
\- Data: SQL Server + Redis
\- Security: JWT auth + RBAC + audit logging
Deployment: `kubectl apply -f infrastructure/kubernetes/`
Features:
\- Zero-downtime deployments
\- Auto-scaling based on queue depth
\- Security scanning in CI pipeline
\- Infrastructure as Code with Terraform
\- Complete observability stack
Real impact: Automated Adobe user/license management for 2000+ users, 99.9% uptime.
GitHub: https://github.com/wesellis/adobe-enterprise-automation
Looking for feedback on the K8s architecture and deployment strategy!
https://redd.it/1nld1ln
@r_devops
GitHub
GitHub - wesellis/adobe-enterprise-automation: Enterprise Adobe Creative Cloud automation with PowerShell, Python, and Node.js.…
Enterprise Adobe Creative Cloud automation with PowerShell, Python, and Node.js. Complete user provisioning, license optimization, and workflow automation. - wesellis/adobe-enterprise-automation
Which AWS "group buying" experience should I go with?
So last week I posted about looking at either signing a term to get locked in for a year or two to save 40% on AWS costs. We're running about $13k/month and client is breathing down my neck to figure out the best way to save on this cost.
At first I was like, awesome, volume discounts + guaranteed savings + hands off management = profit right.
They want to transfer ownership of our AWS account to them
We'd get invoices from TWO places (their company + AWS)
One Reddit literally said "it's like having an MSP ex-gf who won't ever let you go"
Stories of people losing their entire AWS account when the third-party stopped paying Amazon
Some poor soul had to spend 6 months recreating their account from scratch (my condolences)
So i pulled out all the conversations in the comments + my DMs, loaded it into Claude and got it to break it all down for me.
\if I've made any factual mistakes in this post, please feel free to leave a comment and I'll make the adjustment.
First, Redditor recommended implementation strategy
1. Start with AWS native tools (Cost Explorer, Savings Plans)
2. Implement proper tagging and cost attribution
3. Avoid third-party account management
Ok #4 is heard loud and clear, but unfortunately that's against my client's directive, so I dug deeper.
The three leading solutions that address AWS commitment optimization without account transfer are:
Commitment Models Comparison (more detailed comparison below, compiled by Claude from website, call trannoscripts and DMs)
|Feature|MilkStraw AI|Archera|Opsima|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|Core Innovation|"Fluid savings" without commitments|Insurance-backed 30-day commitments|AI-powered with loss guarantee|
|Term Flexibility|No commitments required|30-day to 3-year terms|Flexible with guarantee protection|
|Risk Mitigation|Zero commitment risk|Insurance backing|Contractual loss guarantee|
|Multi-Cloud|AWS focused|AWS + Azure + GCP|Primarily AWS|
|Pricing Model|Not specified|Free platform + commitment fees|Simulation available|
|Enterprise Focus|Startups to enterprise|Enterprise-focused|Mid to large enterprise|
|Certifications|Not specified|ISO 27001, AWS Advanced Partner|AWS compliance mentioned|
|Platform Access|Read-only cross-account|Commitment management only|Cost reports + commitment rights|
Milkstraw and Opsima offers are very similar, both are almost no brainer offers. I think the tie breaker will come down to how easy the onboarding experience will be and so far from what I see, Milkstraw has a slightly easier onboarding set up. But please, correct me if I'm wrong here.
Archere's model is insurance/rebate, so it's financially different from the other two.
At our spend level, I'm starting to think this is more of a political/organizational problem than a technical one anyway. If I really just use first principle the whole reason I'm doing this is because devops director doesn't want the responsibility of handling the cost savings and want to offload it to a third party, and that third party would just deal with finance directly.
Either way, I will present all the options to my client as well as I could, and leave the choice to them.
ps. detailed comparison of all services, feel free to skip this part.
|Solution|Account Ownership|Billing Relationship|Exit Complexity|Savings Focus|Community Sentiment|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|MilkStraw AI|✅ Keep full control|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Leave anytime|Commitment optimization|🟢 Positive|
|Opsima|✅ Limited IAM role|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Contractual guarantee|Commitment management|🟢 Innovative approach|
|Archera|✅ Keep full control|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ 30-day terms|Insured commitments|🟢 Enterprise-focused|
|**Vantage.sh**|✅ Keep full control|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Easy exit|Cost attribution|🟢 Highly recommended|
|Duckbill Group|✅ Consulting only|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Consulting model|Architecture + negotiation|🟢 Trusted expert|
|**Spot.io**|⚠️ Instance management|✅
So last week I posted about looking at either signing a term to get locked in for a year or two to save 40% on AWS costs. We're running about $13k/month and client is breathing down my neck to figure out the best way to save on this cost.
At first I was like, awesome, volume discounts + guaranteed savings + hands off management = profit right.
They want to transfer ownership of our AWS account to them
We'd get invoices from TWO places (their company + AWS)
One Reddit literally said "it's like having an MSP ex-gf who won't ever let you go"
Stories of people losing their entire AWS account when the third-party stopped paying Amazon
Some poor soul had to spend 6 months recreating their account from scratch (my condolences)
So i pulled out all the conversations in the comments + my DMs, loaded it into Claude and got it to break it all down for me.
\if I've made any factual mistakes in this post, please feel free to leave a comment and I'll make the adjustment.
First, Redditor recommended implementation strategy
1. Start with AWS native tools (Cost Explorer, Savings Plans)
2. Implement proper tagging and cost attribution
3. Avoid third-party account management
Ok #4 is heard loud and clear, but unfortunately that's against my client's directive, so I dug deeper.
The three leading solutions that address AWS commitment optimization without account transfer are:
Commitment Models Comparison (more detailed comparison below, compiled by Claude from website, call trannoscripts and DMs)
|Feature|MilkStraw AI|Archera|Opsima|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|Core Innovation|"Fluid savings" without commitments|Insurance-backed 30-day commitments|AI-powered with loss guarantee|
|Term Flexibility|No commitments required|30-day to 3-year terms|Flexible with guarantee protection|
|Risk Mitigation|Zero commitment risk|Insurance backing|Contractual loss guarantee|
|Multi-Cloud|AWS focused|AWS + Azure + GCP|Primarily AWS|
|Pricing Model|Not specified|Free platform + commitment fees|Simulation available|
|Enterprise Focus|Startups to enterprise|Enterprise-focused|Mid to large enterprise|
|Certifications|Not specified|ISO 27001, AWS Advanced Partner|AWS compliance mentioned|
|Platform Access|Read-only cross-account|Commitment management only|Cost reports + commitment rights|
Milkstraw and Opsima offers are very similar, both are almost no brainer offers. I think the tie breaker will come down to how easy the onboarding experience will be and so far from what I see, Milkstraw has a slightly easier onboarding set up. But please, correct me if I'm wrong here.
Archere's model is insurance/rebate, so it's financially different from the other two.
At our spend level, I'm starting to think this is more of a political/organizational problem than a technical one anyway. If I really just use first principle the whole reason I'm doing this is because devops director doesn't want the responsibility of handling the cost savings and want to offload it to a third party, and that third party would just deal with finance directly.
Either way, I will present all the options to my client as well as I could, and leave the choice to them.
ps. detailed comparison of all services, feel free to skip this part.
|Solution|Account Ownership|Billing Relationship|Exit Complexity|Savings Focus|Community Sentiment|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|MilkStraw AI|✅ Keep full control|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Leave anytime|Commitment optimization|🟢 Positive|
|Opsima|✅ Limited IAM role|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Contractual guarantee|Commitment management|🟢 Innovative approach|
|Archera|✅ Keep full control|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ 30-day terms|Insured commitments|🟢 Enterprise-focused|
|**Vantage.sh**|✅ Keep full control|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Easy exit|Cost attribution|🟢 Highly recommended|
|Duckbill Group|✅ Consulting only|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Consulting model|Architecture + negotiation|🟢 Trusted expert|
|**Spot.io**|⚠️ Instance management|✅
Vantage
Vantage: Multi Cloud Cost Management & Optimization Tool
Vantage is a self-service cloud cost platform that gives developers the tools they need to analyze, report on and optimize AWS, Azure, and GCP costs.
Which AWS "group buying" experience should I go with?
So last week I posted about looking at either signing a term to get locked in for a year or two to save 40% on AWS costs. We're running about $13k/month and client is breathing down my neck to figure out the best way to save on this cost.
At first I was like, awesome, volume discounts + guaranteed savings + hands off management = profit right.
* They want to **transfer ownership** of our AWS account to them
* We'd get invoices from TWO places (their company + AWS)
* One Reddit literally said "it's like having an MSP ex-gf who won't ever let you go"
* Stories of people **losing their entire AWS account** when the third-party stopped paying Amazon
* Some poor soul had to spend 6 months recreating their account from scratch (my condolences)
So i pulled out all the conversations in the comments + my DMs, loaded it into Claude and got it to break it all down for me.
\*if I've made any factual mistakes in this post, please feel free to leave a comment and I'll make the adjustment.
First, Redditor recommended implementation strategy
1. Start with AWS native tools (Cost Explorer, Savings Plans)
2. Implement proper tagging and cost attribution
3. Avoid third-party account management
Ok #4 is heard loud and clear, but unfortunately that's against my client's directive, so I dug deeper.
The three leading solutions that address AWS commitment optimization without account transfer are:
Commitment Models Comparison (more detailed comparison below, compiled by Claude from website, call trannoscripts and DMs)
|Feature|MilkStraw AI|Archera|Opsima|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|**Core Innovation**|"Fluid savings" without commitments|Insurance-backed 30-day commitments|AI-powered with loss guarantee|
|**Term Flexibility**|No commitments required|30-day to 3-year terms|Flexible with guarantee protection|
|**Risk Mitigation**|Zero commitment risk|Insurance backing|Contractual loss guarantee|
|**Multi-Cloud**|AWS focused|AWS + Azure + GCP|Primarily AWS|
|**Pricing Model**|Not specified|Free platform + commitment fees|Simulation available|
|**Enterprise Focus**|Startups to enterprise|Enterprise-focused|Mid to large enterprise|
|**Certifications**|Not specified|ISO 27001, AWS Advanced Partner|AWS compliance mentioned|
|**Platform Access**|Read-only cross-account|Commitment management only|Cost reports + commitment rights|
Milkstraw and Opsima offers are very similar, both are almost no brainer offers. I think the tie breaker will come down to how easy the onboarding experience will be and so far from what I see, Milkstraw has a slightly easier onboarding set up. But please, correct me if I'm wrong here.
Archere's model is insurance/rebate, so it's financially different from the other two.
At our spend level, I'm starting to think this is more of a political/organizational problem than a technical one anyway. If I really just use first principle the whole reason I'm doing this is because devops director doesn't want the responsibility of handling the cost savings and want to offload it to a third party, and that third party would just deal with finance directly.
Either way, I will present all the options to my client as well as I could, and leave the choice to them.
ps. detailed comparison of all services, feel free to skip this part.
|Solution|Account Ownership|Billing Relationship|Exit Complexity|Savings Focus|Community Sentiment|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|**MilkStraw AI**|✅ Keep full control|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Leave anytime|Commitment optimization|🟢 Positive|
|**Opsima**|✅ Limited IAM role|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Contractual guarantee|Commitment management|🟢 Innovative approach|
|**Archera**|✅ Keep full control|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ 30-day terms|Insured commitments|🟢 Enterprise-focused|
|[**Vantage.sh**](http://Vantage.sh)|✅ Keep full control|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Easy exit|Cost attribution|🟢 Highly recommended|
|**Duckbill Group**|✅ Consulting only|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Consulting model|Architecture + negotiation|🟢 Trusted expert|
|[**Spot.io**](http://Spot.io)|⚠️ Instance management|✅
So last week I posted about looking at either signing a term to get locked in for a year or two to save 40% on AWS costs. We're running about $13k/month and client is breathing down my neck to figure out the best way to save on this cost.
At first I was like, awesome, volume discounts + guaranteed savings + hands off management = profit right.
* They want to **transfer ownership** of our AWS account to them
* We'd get invoices from TWO places (their company + AWS)
* One Reddit literally said "it's like having an MSP ex-gf who won't ever let you go"
* Stories of people **losing their entire AWS account** when the third-party stopped paying Amazon
* Some poor soul had to spend 6 months recreating their account from scratch (my condolences)
So i pulled out all the conversations in the comments + my DMs, loaded it into Claude and got it to break it all down for me.
\*if I've made any factual mistakes in this post, please feel free to leave a comment and I'll make the adjustment.
First, Redditor recommended implementation strategy
1. Start with AWS native tools (Cost Explorer, Savings Plans)
2. Implement proper tagging and cost attribution
3. Avoid third-party account management
Ok #4 is heard loud and clear, but unfortunately that's against my client's directive, so I dug deeper.
The three leading solutions that address AWS commitment optimization without account transfer are:
Commitment Models Comparison (more detailed comparison below, compiled by Claude from website, call trannoscripts and DMs)
|Feature|MilkStraw AI|Archera|Opsima|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|**Core Innovation**|"Fluid savings" without commitments|Insurance-backed 30-day commitments|AI-powered with loss guarantee|
|**Term Flexibility**|No commitments required|30-day to 3-year terms|Flexible with guarantee protection|
|**Risk Mitigation**|Zero commitment risk|Insurance backing|Contractual loss guarantee|
|**Multi-Cloud**|AWS focused|AWS + Azure + GCP|Primarily AWS|
|**Pricing Model**|Not specified|Free platform + commitment fees|Simulation available|
|**Enterprise Focus**|Startups to enterprise|Enterprise-focused|Mid to large enterprise|
|**Certifications**|Not specified|ISO 27001, AWS Advanced Partner|AWS compliance mentioned|
|**Platform Access**|Read-only cross-account|Commitment management only|Cost reports + commitment rights|
Milkstraw and Opsima offers are very similar, both are almost no brainer offers. I think the tie breaker will come down to how easy the onboarding experience will be and so far from what I see, Milkstraw has a slightly easier onboarding set up. But please, correct me if I'm wrong here.
Archere's model is insurance/rebate, so it's financially different from the other two.
At our spend level, I'm starting to think this is more of a political/organizational problem than a technical one anyway. If I really just use first principle the whole reason I'm doing this is because devops director doesn't want the responsibility of handling the cost savings and want to offload it to a third party, and that third party would just deal with finance directly.
Either way, I will present all the options to my client as well as I could, and leave the choice to them.
ps. detailed comparison of all services, feel free to skip this part.
|Solution|Account Ownership|Billing Relationship|Exit Complexity|Savings Focus|Community Sentiment|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|**MilkStraw AI**|✅ Keep full control|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Leave anytime|Commitment optimization|🟢 Positive|
|**Opsima**|✅ Limited IAM role|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Contractual guarantee|Commitment management|🟢 Innovative approach|
|**Archera**|✅ Keep full control|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ 30-day terms|Insured commitments|🟢 Enterprise-focused|
|[**Vantage.sh**](http://Vantage.sh)|✅ Keep full control|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Easy exit|Cost attribution|🟢 Highly recommended|
|**Duckbill Group**|✅ Consulting only|✅ Direct AWS billing|✅ Consulting model|Architecture + negotiation|🟢 Trusted expert|
|[**Spot.io**](http://Spot.io)|⚠️ Instance management|✅
Vantage
Vantage: Multi Cloud Cost Management & Optimization Tool
Vantage is a self-service cloud cost platform that gives developers the tools they need to analyze, report on and optimize AWS, Azure, and GCP costs.
Direct AWS billing|🟡 Medium complexity|Spot optimization|🟡 Use case specific|
|**Group Buy Services**|❌ Account transfer|❌ Dual billing|❌ Very difficult|Volume discounts|🔴 Strongly avoid|
|**Resellers/MSPs**|❌ Account transfer|❌ Reseller billing|❌ Very difficult|Various|🔴 Never recommended|
**MilkStraw AI** **Model:** Commitment optimization without actual commitments
* **Key Feature:** "Fluid savings" - get commitment pricing without commitment risk
* **Account Control:** Keep full AWS account ownership
* **Savings:** Up to 55% on EC2, 45% on Fargate, 35% on RDS
* **Access Required:** Read-only cross-account role, no billing migration
* **Risk:** Zero risk, leave anytime
* **Coverage:** EC2, Fargate, Lambda, SageMaker, RDS, OpenSearch, ElastiCache, RedShift
* **Billing:** Keep existing AWS billing relationship
* **Community Notes:** Sourced from incoming DM
**Opsima** **Model:** AI-powered commitment management with guarantees
* **Key Feature:** No money loss contractual guarantee
* **Account Control:** Manage commitments via IAM role, no infrastructure access
* **Savings:** Based on forecasting and optimization algorithms
* **Access Required:** Cost/usage reports + commitment management rights only
* **Risk:** Contractual guarantee against over-commitment
* **Prohibited:** Not a group buying service (complies with AWS June 2025 policy)
* **Community Notes:** Offers simulation without subnoscription
**Archera** **Model:** Insured Commitments with flexible terms
* **Key Feature:** Short-term (30-day) commitments with 1-3 year commitment pricing
* **Account Control:** No infrastructure access, commitment management only
* **Savings:** 1-3 year commitment discounts with 30-day flexibility
* **Access Required:** Commitment purchasing and management permissions
* **Risk:** Insurance-backed commitments reduce over-commitment risk
* **Multi-Cloud:** Supports AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud
* **Coverage:** All AWS reservable services, Savings Plans, Reserved Instances
* **Certifications:** ISO/IEC 27001:2022, AWS Advanced Partner, AWS Qualified Software
* **Platform:** Free multicloud commitment lifecycle management
* **Community Notes:** Sourced from incoming DM
https://redd.it/1nlgkxq
@r_devops
|**Group Buy Services**|❌ Account transfer|❌ Dual billing|❌ Very difficult|Volume discounts|🔴 Strongly avoid|
|**Resellers/MSPs**|❌ Account transfer|❌ Reseller billing|❌ Very difficult|Various|🔴 Never recommended|
**MilkStraw AI** **Model:** Commitment optimization without actual commitments
* **Key Feature:** "Fluid savings" - get commitment pricing without commitment risk
* **Account Control:** Keep full AWS account ownership
* **Savings:** Up to 55% on EC2, 45% on Fargate, 35% on RDS
* **Access Required:** Read-only cross-account role, no billing migration
* **Risk:** Zero risk, leave anytime
* **Coverage:** EC2, Fargate, Lambda, SageMaker, RDS, OpenSearch, ElastiCache, RedShift
* **Billing:** Keep existing AWS billing relationship
* **Community Notes:** Sourced from incoming DM
**Opsima** **Model:** AI-powered commitment management with guarantees
* **Key Feature:** No money loss contractual guarantee
* **Account Control:** Manage commitments via IAM role, no infrastructure access
* **Savings:** Based on forecasting and optimization algorithms
* **Access Required:** Cost/usage reports + commitment management rights only
* **Risk:** Contractual guarantee against over-commitment
* **Prohibited:** Not a group buying service (complies with AWS June 2025 policy)
* **Community Notes:** Offers simulation without subnoscription
**Archera** **Model:** Insured Commitments with flexible terms
* **Key Feature:** Short-term (30-day) commitments with 1-3 year commitment pricing
* **Account Control:** No infrastructure access, commitment management only
* **Savings:** 1-3 year commitment discounts with 30-day flexibility
* **Access Required:** Commitment purchasing and management permissions
* **Risk:** Insurance-backed commitments reduce over-commitment risk
* **Multi-Cloud:** Supports AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud
* **Coverage:** All AWS reservable services, Savings Plans, Reserved Instances
* **Certifications:** ISO/IEC 27001:2022, AWS Advanced Partner, AWS Qualified Software
* **Platform:** Free multicloud commitment lifecycle management
* **Community Notes:** Sourced from incoming DM
https://redd.it/1nlgkxq
@r_devops
Reddit
From the devops community on Reddit: Which AWS "group buying" experience should I go with?
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What's your deployment process like?
Hi everyone,.I've been tasked with proposing a redesign of our current deployment process/code promotion flow and am looking for some ideas.
Just for context:
Today we use argocd with Argo rollouts and GitHub actions. Our process today is as follows:
1.Developer opens PR
2. Github actions workflow triggers with build and allows them to deploy their changes to an Argocd emphemeral/PR app that spins up so they can test there
3. PR is merged
4. New GitHub workflow triggers from main branch with a new build from main, and then stages of deployment to QA (manual approvals) and then to prod (manual approval)
I've been asked to simplify this flow and also remove many of these manual deploy steps, but also focusing on fast feedback loops so a user knows the status of where there PR has been deployed to at all times...this is in an effort to encourage higher velocity and also ease of rollback.
Our qa and prod eks clusters are separate (along with the Argocd installations).
I've been looking at Kargo and the Argocd hydrator and promoter plugins as well, but still a little undecided on the approach to take here. Also, it would be nice to now have to build twice.
Curious on what everyone else is doing or if you have any suggestions.
Thanks.
https://redd.it/1nla325
@r_devops
Hi everyone,.I've been tasked with proposing a redesign of our current deployment process/code promotion flow and am looking for some ideas.
Just for context:
Today we use argocd with Argo rollouts and GitHub actions. Our process today is as follows:
1.Developer opens PR
2. Github actions workflow triggers with build and allows them to deploy their changes to an Argocd emphemeral/PR app that spins up so they can test there
3. PR is merged
4. New GitHub workflow triggers from main branch with a new build from main, and then stages of deployment to QA (manual approvals) and then to prod (manual approval)
I've been asked to simplify this flow and also remove many of these manual deploy steps, but also focusing on fast feedback loops so a user knows the status of where there PR has been deployed to at all times...this is in an effort to encourage higher velocity and also ease of rollback.
Our qa and prod eks clusters are separate (along with the Argocd installations).
I've been looking at Kargo and the Argocd hydrator and promoter plugins as well, but still a little undecided on the approach to take here. Also, it would be nice to now have to build twice.
Curious on what everyone else is doing or if you have any suggestions.
Thanks.
https://redd.it/1nla325
@r_devops
Reddit
From the devops community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the devops community
Struggling with skills that don't pay off (Openstack, Istio,Crossplane,ClusterAPI now AI ? )
I've been doing devops and cloud stuff for over a decade. In one of my previous roles I got the chance to work with Istio, Crossplane and ClusterAPI. I really enjoyed those stacks so I kept learning and sharpening my skills in them. But now , although I am currently employed, I'm back on the market, most JD's only list those skills as 'nice to have' and here I am, the clown who spent nights and weekends mastering them like it was the Olympics. It hasn't helped me stand out from the marabunta of job seekers, I'm just another face in the kubernetes-flavored zombie horde.
This isn't the first time it's happened to me. Back when Openstack was heavily advertised and looked like 'the future' only to watch the demand fade away.
Now I feel the same urge with AI , yes I like learning but also want to see ROI, but another part of me worries it could be another OpenStack situation .
How do you all handle this urges to learn emerging technologies, especially when it's unclear they'll actually give you an advantage in the job market ? Do you just follow curiosity or do you strategically hold back ?
https://redd.it/1nl93ax
@r_devops
I've been doing devops and cloud stuff for over a decade. In one of my previous roles I got the chance to work with Istio, Crossplane and ClusterAPI. I really enjoyed those stacks so I kept learning and sharpening my skills in them. But now , although I am currently employed, I'm back on the market, most JD's only list those skills as 'nice to have' and here I am, the clown who spent nights and weekends mastering them like it was the Olympics. It hasn't helped me stand out from the marabunta of job seekers, I'm just another face in the kubernetes-flavored zombie horde.
This isn't the first time it's happened to me. Back when Openstack was heavily advertised and looked like 'the future' only to watch the demand fade away.
Now I feel the same urge with AI , yes I like learning but also want to see ROI, but another part of me worries it could be another OpenStack situation .
How do you all handle this urges to learn emerging technologies, especially when it's unclear they'll actually give you an advantage in the job market ? Do you just follow curiosity or do you strategically hold back ?
https://redd.it/1nl93ax
@r_devops
Reddit
From the devops community on Reddit
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Ran 1,000 line noscript that destroyed all our test environments and was blamed for "not reading through it first"
Joined a new company that only had a single devops engineer who'd been working there for a while. I was asked to make some changes to our test environments using this noscript he'd written for bringing up all the AWS infra related to these environments (no Terraform).
The noscript accepted a few parameters like environment, AWS account, etc.. that you could provide. Nothing in the noscripts name indicated it would destroy anything, it was something like 'configure_test_environments.sh'
Long story short, I ran the noscript and it proceeded to terminate all our test environments which caused several engineers to ask in Slack why everything was down. Apparently there was a bug in the noscript which caused it to delete everything when you didn't provide a filter. Devops engineer blamed me and said I should have read through every line in the noscript before running it.
Was I in the wrong here?
https://redd.it/1nllqf4
@r_devops
Joined a new company that only had a single devops engineer who'd been working there for a while. I was asked to make some changes to our test environments using this noscript he'd written for bringing up all the AWS infra related to these environments (no Terraform).
The noscript accepted a few parameters like environment, AWS account, etc.. that you could provide. Nothing in the noscripts name indicated it would destroy anything, it was something like 'configure_test_environments.sh'
Long story short, I ran the noscript and it proceeded to terminate all our test environments which caused several engineers to ask in Slack why everything was down. Apparently there was a bug in the noscript which caused it to delete everything when you didn't provide a filter. Devops engineer blamed me and said I should have read through every line in the noscript before running it.
Was I in the wrong here?
https://redd.it/1nllqf4
@r_devops
Reddit
From the devops community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the devops community
AWS Cloud Associate (Solutions Architect Associate, Developer Associate, SysOps, Data Engineer Associate, Machine Learning Associate) Vouchers Available
Hi all,
I have AWS Associate vouchers available with me. If any one requires, dm me
https://redd.it/1nlpa8p
@r_devops
Hi all,
I have AWS Associate vouchers available with me. If any one requires, dm me
https://redd.it/1nlpa8p
@r_devops
Reddit
From the devops community on Reddit
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I almost lost my best employee to burnout - manager lessons which I learned from the Huberman Lab & APA
A few months ago, I noticed one of my top engineers start to drift. They stopped speaking up in standups. Their commits slowed. Their energy just felt… off. I thought maybe they were distracted or just bored. But then they told me: “I don’t think I can do this anymore.” That was the wake-up call. I realized I’d missed all the early signs of burnout. I felt like I failed as a lead. That moment pushed me into a deep dive—reading research papers, listening to podcasts, devouring books, to figure out how to actually spot and prevent burnout before it’s too late. Here’s what I wish every manager knew, backed by real research, not corporate fluff.
Burnout isn’t laziness or a vibe. It’s actually been classified by the World Health Organization as an occupational phenomenon with 3 clear signs: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (a.k.a. cynicism), and reduced efficacy. Psychologist Christina Maslach developed the framework most HR teams use today (the Maslach Burnout Inventory), and it still holds up. You can spot it before it explodes, but only if you know where to look.
First, energy drops usually come first. According to ScienceDirect, sleep problems, midday crashes, and the “Sunday Scaries” creeping in earlier are huge flags. One TED Talk by Arianna Huffington even reframed sleep as a success tool, not a luxury. At Google, we now talk about sleep like we talk about uptime.
Then comes the shift in social tone. Cynicism sneaks in. People go camera-off. They stop joking. Stanford’s research on Zoom fatigueshows why this hits harder than you’d think, especially for women and junior folks. It’s not about introversion, it’s about depletion.
Quality drops next. Not always huge errors. Just more rework. More “oops” moments. Studies from Mayo Clinic and others found that chronic stress literally impairs prefrontal cortex function—so decision-making and focus tank. It’s not a motivation issue.
It’s brain function issue. One concept that really stuck with me is the Job Demands Control model. If someone has high demands and low control, burnout skyrockets. So I started asking in 1:1s, “Where do you wish
you had more say?” That small question flipped the power dynamic. Another one: the Effort Reward Imbalance theory. If people feel their effort isn’t matched by recognition or growth, they spiral. I now end the week asking, “What’s something you did this week that deserved more credit?”
After reading Burnout by the Nagoski sisters, I understood how important it is to close the stress cycle physically. It’s an insanely good read, half psychology, half survival guide. They break down how emotional stress builds up in the body and how most people never release it. I started applying their techniques like shaking off stress post-work (literally dance-breaks lol), and saw results fast. Their Brene Brown interview on this still gives me chills. Also, One colleague put me onto BeFreed, an ai personalized learning app built by a team from Columbia University and Google that turns dense books and research into personalized podcast-style episodes. I was skeptical. But it blends ideas from books like Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski, talks from Andrew Huberman, and Surgeon General frameworks into 10- to 40-minute
deep dives. I chose a smoky, sarcastic host voice (think Samantha from Her) and it literally felt like therapy meets Harvard MBA. One episode broke down burnout using Huberman Lab protocols, the Maslach inventory, and Gallup’s 5 burnout drivers, all personalized to me. Genuinely mind-blowing.
Another game-changer was the Huberman Lab episode on “How to Control Cortisol.” It gave me a practical protocol: morning sunlight, consistent wake time, caffeine after 90 minutes, NSDR every afternoon. Sounds basic, but it rebalanced my stress baseline. Now I share those tactics with my whole team.
I also started listening to Cal Newport’s Slow Productivity approach. He explains how our brains aren’t built for constant
A few months ago, I noticed one of my top engineers start to drift. They stopped speaking up in standups. Their commits slowed. Their energy just felt… off. I thought maybe they were distracted or just bored. But then they told me: “I don’t think I can do this anymore.” That was the wake-up call. I realized I’d missed all the early signs of burnout. I felt like I failed as a lead. That moment pushed me into a deep dive—reading research papers, listening to podcasts, devouring books, to figure out how to actually spot and prevent burnout before it’s too late. Here’s what I wish every manager knew, backed by real research, not corporate fluff.
Burnout isn’t laziness or a vibe. It’s actually been classified by the World Health Organization as an occupational phenomenon with 3 clear signs: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (a.k.a. cynicism), and reduced efficacy. Psychologist Christina Maslach developed the framework most HR teams use today (the Maslach Burnout Inventory), and it still holds up. You can spot it before it explodes, but only if you know where to look.
First, energy drops usually come first. According to ScienceDirect, sleep problems, midday crashes, and the “Sunday Scaries” creeping in earlier are huge flags. One TED Talk by Arianna Huffington even reframed sleep as a success tool, not a luxury. At Google, we now talk about sleep like we talk about uptime.
Then comes the shift in social tone. Cynicism sneaks in. People go camera-off. They stop joking. Stanford’s research on Zoom fatigueshows why this hits harder than you’d think, especially for women and junior folks. It’s not about introversion, it’s about depletion.
Quality drops next. Not always huge errors. Just more rework. More “oops” moments. Studies from Mayo Clinic and others found that chronic stress literally impairs prefrontal cortex function—so decision-making and focus tank. It’s not a motivation issue.
It’s brain function issue. One concept that really stuck with me is the Job Demands Control model. If someone has high demands and low control, burnout skyrockets. So I started asking in 1:1s, “Where do you wish
you had more say?” That small question flipped the power dynamic. Another one: the Effort Reward Imbalance theory. If people feel their effort isn’t matched by recognition or growth, they spiral. I now end the week asking, “What’s something you did this week that deserved more credit?”
After reading Burnout by the Nagoski sisters, I understood how important it is to close the stress cycle physically. It’s an insanely good read, half psychology, half survival guide. They break down how emotional stress builds up in the body and how most people never release it. I started applying their techniques like shaking off stress post-work (literally dance-breaks lol), and saw results fast. Their Brene Brown interview on this still gives me chills. Also, One colleague put me onto BeFreed, an ai personalized learning app built by a team from Columbia University and Google that turns dense books and research into personalized podcast-style episodes. I was skeptical. But it blends ideas from books like Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski, talks from Andrew Huberman, and Surgeon General frameworks into 10- to 40-minute
deep dives. I chose a smoky, sarcastic host voice (think Samantha from Her) and it literally felt like therapy meets Harvard MBA. One episode broke down burnout using Huberman Lab protocols, the Maslach inventory, and Gallup’s 5 burnout drivers, all personalized to me. Genuinely mind-blowing.
Another game-changer was the Huberman Lab episode on “How to Control Cortisol.” It gave me a practical protocol: morning sunlight, consistent wake time, caffeine after 90 minutes, NSDR every afternoon. Sounds basic, but it rebalanced my stress baseline. Now I share those tactics with my whole team.
I also started listening to Cal Newport’s Slow Productivity approach. He explains how our brains aren’t built for constant