The stuff docs
don't tell you.
Opinionated guides on hosting costs, written by developers who've seen the bills. No fluff — just the numbers.
SSR is a luxury, not a default
Next.js docs push Server Components everywhere. They rarely talk about the cost implications of rendering every request on the server.
Your <Link> is firing 200 requests
Next.js prefetches every link in the viewport by default. On a list page, that's hundreds of requests before the user clicks anything.
Cache is your cheapest employee
The right Cache-Control headers can reduce your hosting costs by 90%. Here's the cheat sheet that hosting providers don't include in their docs.
Build on tech that can be moved anywhere
Vendor lock-in isn't just a technical problem — it's a cost problem. When you can't leave, you can't negotiate. Here's what locks you in and how to stay portable.
You're not alone
jmail isn't the only project that got a surprise hosting bill. Here are real stories of developers who learned expensive lessons — so you don't have to. Numbers in these stories are approximate and based on public posts, talks, and blog write-ups — exact invoices are not public.
Your side-project just went viral. Now what?
A practical, layered defense against surprise hosting bills. Virtual cards, spend limits, Cloudflare rules, kill switches — the full playbook for Vercel-hosted side-projects.