DevOps for Solo Developers Checklist
Solo dev? You still need backups, logging, alerts, and rate limiting. Here's the minimum viable production checklist.
What this problem means
You're a solo developer. You don't have a DevOps team. But you still need: backups, logging, alerts, rate limiting. A minimum viable production checklist helps you ship without the most common failures.
Why this matters
- Data loss: Untested backups fail when you need them.
- Blind debugging: No logs = hours of debugging.
- Surprise bills: No alerts = you find out when the invoice arrives.
- Abuse: No rate limits = scrapers rack up bills.
Real-world example
A solo dev shipped a SaaS without backups, logging, or alerts. When the database corrupted, they had no backup. When the bill spiked, they had no alert. When a user reported an error, they had no logs. They spent weeks recovering. A simple checklist would have prevented most of it.
How to fix it
1. Backups: Enable automated backups. Test restore at least quarterly.
2. Logging: Structured logs with request_id. Send to CloudWatch or similar.
3. Alerts: Billing alerts at 50%, 80%, 100%. Uptime checks every 5 min.
4. Rate limiting: Add at API Gateway or Cloudflare. 100-500 req/min per IP.
5. Keys in backend: Never put API keys in frontend code.
Tools and configurations
- AWS: RDS backups, CloudWatch, Budgets.
- UptimeRobot: Free uptime monitoring.
- Cloudflare: Rate limiting, WAF.
- StackRail: Free production readiness assessment.
Common mistakes
- "I'll add it later."
- No backup testing.
- No monitoring.
- API keys in frontend code.
Quick checklist
- [ ] Automated backups + quarterly restore test
- [ ] Structured logging with request_id
- [ ] Billing alerts (50%, 80%, 100%)
- [ ] Uptime checks every 5 min
- [ ] Rate limiting per IP
- [ ] All API keys in backend only
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Frequently asked questions
- What DevOps does a solo developer need?
- Minimum: backups, logging, billing alerts, uptime monitoring, rate limiting, keys in backend. Test restore quarterly. Get your production readiness score.
- How do I do DevOps as a solo developer?
- Use managed services: AWS RDS backups, CloudWatch, Budgets, UptimeRobot, Cloudflare. Focus on automation. A checklist helps—StackRail offers a free assessment.
- What is the minimum DevOps setup for SaaS?
- Backups, logging, billing alerts, uptime monitoring, rate limiting, keys in backend. Test restore quarterly. Get your production readiness score.