Prefer boring recovery plans
A backup is only useful when the restore path is documented, tested, and simple enough to run under pressure.
Field notes
Small systems should stay understandable.
Short, practical observations on keeping services reliable, quiet, and easy to recover.
Measure from the edge
Service health is more than an open port. Observe latency and failure modes from the same place as real clients.
Change one boundary at a time
Small, reversible changes make it easier to identify the cause when behaviour shifts unexpectedly.