We built LogDNA around the idea that developers are more productive when they have access to all of the logs they need, when they need them. However, we also know that log management can get expensive fast. And, for anyone who owns the budget for developer tools, logs can be an unpredictable line item as you try to determine your monthly, quarterly or even annual spend.

LogDNA recently celebrated 5 years since our launch in Y Combinator and during this half-a-decade we’ve learned several lessons about balancing cost and scalability. As a founder, here are the top 3 things I wish someone had told me as we were racing towards success. The appeal of building a cloud-native application for a startup is a no brainer—it’s agile, scalable, and can be managed by a distributed team. Not to mention, it’s the cheapest way to get off the ground.