diff --git a/content/blog/interview-vito-botta-brella/brella_cloudnativepg.jpg b/content/blog/interview-vito-botta-brella/brella_cloudnativepg.jpg new file mode 100644 index 000000000..7631fd177 Binary files /dev/null and b/content/blog/interview-vito-botta-brella/brella_cloudnativepg.jpg differ diff --git a/content/blog/interview-vito-botta-brella/index.md b/content/blog/interview-vito-botta-brella/index.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..0dd1d1c9a --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/interview-vito-botta-brella/index.md @@ -0,0 +1,82 @@ +--- +title: "Unlocking full Kubernetes functionality at Brella with CloudNativePG and Hetzner" +date: 2025-08-19 +draft: false +image: + url: brella_cloudnativepg.jpg + attribution: +author: fdrees +tags: + - react + - Rails + - Hetzner + - kubernetes + - postgresql + - open-source +summary: "We talked to Vito Botta, Lead Platform Architect for the event management platform +Brella, about how CloudNativePG fits in their technology stack." +--- + +[Vito Botta](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitobotta/) is the Lead Platform Architect at Brella, an event management +platform where he oversees all technical aspects of the product. Outside of +work, he enjoys participating in bug bounty programs, finding and responsibly +reporting vulnerabilities. We had a chance to talk to him about his use of +CloudNativePG. + +Brella provides event organizers with the tools to manage event access, +schedules, sponsors, and more—while helping attendees make the most of +their time through powerful networking features. The platform’s architecture +includes a React frontend (for both web and mobile), a Ruby on Rails backend, +and a PostgreSQL database. The backend runs in Kubernetes clusters on Hetzner +Cloud, powered by Vito’s own open-source project, hetzner-k3s. + +Brella previously ran on Google Cloud using Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL but +migrated to Hetzner to reduce costs and gain flexibility. After testing multiple +operators, Vito chose CloudNativePG for running PostgreSQL in Kubernetes due to +its simplicity, robustness, and feature set. + +## hetzner-k3s: from side project to community tool +Originally created for their specific use case, [hetzner-k3s](https://github.com/vitobotta/hetzner-k3s) enables running +full-featured Kubernetes clusters on Hetzner Cloud at low cost. Interest from +the community quickly grew, with companies using it to migrate from costly +hyperscalers while retaining necessary features. The project now boasts nearly +2,700 GitHub stars and an active, growing user base. + +## Why CloudNativePG works for Brella + +For Vito, CloudNativePG “just works”. It’s easy to set up, maintain, and +integrate into Brella’s architecture. The migration from Cloud SQL brought major +benefits: better specs, three-node PostgreSQL clusters instead of one, seamless +failovers, point-in-time recovery, S3-compatible backups, and horizontal read +scaling. + +By contrast, Cloud SQL often caused downtime, even with high availability +enabled, limiting flexibility and delaying updates. CloudNativePG’s Kubernetes +native design aligned perfectly with Vito’s goal of running all services +(including the database) inside Kubernetes. + +## Keeping it simple for the team + +Vito, who is the Brella team member with the deepest Kubernetes experience, +values CloudNativePG's simplicity. It helps keep Brella’s architecture +approachable for teammates who are still learning infrastructure administration. +Compared to other PostgreSQL operators like Zalando or Crunchy, Vito finds +CloudNativePG more streamlined and better integrated into Kubernetes from the +ground up. + +## A lifelong passion for technology +Vito’s fascination with computers began at age six. By eight, he was developing +simple games, but a virus that erased his source code shifted his focus to +computer security. In his teenage years, he explored both programming and hacking +—until a teacher helped him redirect his skills toward ethical and productive work. +Since then, Vito has built platforms and systems of all sizes, with a particular +focus on security, eventually discovering bug bounty hunting as a way to combine +passion and profession. + +## Looking ahead + +Six to seven months into production, Brella has had zero issues with +CloudNativePG. Vito particularly appreciates features like automatic failover, +rolling updates with no downtime, smooth replication, and S3-based WAL +archiving. He’s looking forward to testing in-place major upgrades as the next +enhancement for Brella’s clusters.