The infrastructure tools we use, and what each one does
Code has to run somewhere, and visitors have to reach it.
Reviewed by: Rahul Jaiswar, founder
Where we use it
- Docker: containerised apps and our self-hosted voice infrastructure.
- Railway: hosts Microsive ATS.
- Vercel: hosts websites, including this one.
- Cloudflare: DNS, proxying and tunnels. We host nothing on Cloudflare’s own infrastructure.
Some projects run on a managed virtual private server instead of a platform, with Docker keeping the setup the same between machines.
From repository to visitor
Code is packaged into a Docker image, or built by the platform straight from the repository. Railway or Vercel then runs it. Cloudflare answers DNS for the domain and, where a record is proxied, passes visitor traffic through its network to the app.
Serverless or a managed server?
Serverless means your code runs on a platform that starts it per request and bills what it uses. It suits sites and apps with uneven traffic, where nothing has to stay running between requests. A managed server, such as a virtual private server, gives you a machine that stays on. It suits long-running workers, real-time connections and steady loads where a fixed monthly cost is easier to plan.
You choose at the start of the project, or we recommend what fits the stack. We then deploy and host the app, and the accounts stay in your name, so nothing is locked to us.
Where the server sits
Location is the other half of that decision, and we settle it with you at the start. Response time pulls a server towards your users: each request crosses the distance, and a database query that crosses it again multiplies the delay. Cost pulls the other way, since a region further away is often cheaper, which suits an internal tool or a batch job where a little extra delay costs nothing. Rules can decide it outright. Where your data has to stay in India, we can host in an Indian region. Nothing is fixed by default, so tell us what the app does and who uses it, and the location follows from that.
A rough rule of thumb
A company website with light server code suits a platform like Vercel. An app with workers, queues and a database suits a platform like Railway, or a server running containers. Cloudflare can sit in front of either, with some care. Real projects mix these, and the answer depends on your users and your data.
Also see
The data these apps hold is on the data page. For the software itself, see custom software, or all tools.
Start from what the app should do
Tell us who will use it and what it connects to, and we’ll recommend serverless or a managed server before the build starts.