How to evaluate a cloud platform for production workloads

Choosing a cloud platform for production workloads involves evaluating its ability to manage state, handle failures, and scale efficiently without relying heavily on third-party add-ons. Reliability is assessed through uptime verification beyond superficial figures, with attention to redundant infrastructure and transparent incident histories. The platform's deployment strategies should support zero-downtime updates and include features like integrated DDoS protection. Scalability is enhanced by infrastructure-as-code (IAC) practices, distinguishing between different models like GitOps-style continuous reconciliation or push-based IAC, and ensuring efficient auto-scaling configurations. Security and observability are critical, with platforms offering managed TLS certificates and integrated log and metric streams to minimize operational overhead. Developer ergonomics are crucial, impacting recovery time by providing environment isolation and fast deployment rollbacks. Common mistakes in evaluating platforms include underestimating the maintenance cost of add-ons and overlooking architectural resilience and integrated features, which can lead to increased total cost of ownership and potential downtime during incidents.

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