Building an MVP on a Budget: Cost-efficient Infrastructure for Marmelade.io

Driven by our passion for startups, we collaborated with Marmelade.io from the idea stage to the beta version. Marmelade.io is a goods exchange marketplace connecting an unlimited number of people. It operates by identifying exchange circles. The beta version includes three categories: clothes, home appliances, and tech devices.

The goal was to provide a working MVP with high availability and scalability, aligning with our ongoing mission to deliver efficient and cost-effective DevOps solutions.

While we also managed the platform’s development, this article will focus on how we created the infrastructure at minimal cost.

Challenge

Marmelade.io aimed to launch an MVP encompassing:

• 3 landing pages for each product category (clothes, home appliances, and tech devices)
• one main landing page
• an authenticated user section
• a waiting list for pre-launch account creation.

The main challenge was to do this with low infrastructure costs. We also had to ensure a smooth user experience.

Solution

To address Marmelade.io’s requirements, we devised a strategic solution leveraging serverless architecture. Read this blog post to find out more about the requirements of serverless technologies.

The chosen tech stack included a frontend written in Angular with server-side rendering, prerendering static content wherever possible, and an API built using ExpressJs.

Given the expected low initial user volume, we opted for Google Cloud Run for the API and Firebase for the frontend.

Implementation

Our implementation phase spanned two weeks. During this time, we set up repositories for the Angular frontend and Express server. We also created a deployment pipeline using CircleCI and configured the project on Google Cloud.

Finally, we went for a Cloud SQL instance to serve as the database. This streamlined setup allowed for rapid development and deployment.

Infrastructure Cost

The standout feature of our approach was the nearly negligible infrastructure cost. The serverless architecture, coupled with the free tiers offered by Google Cloud Run and Firebase, ensured that Marmelade.io’s costs remained close to zero.

The only associated monthly fee came from the Cloud SQL instance. This one proved to be a minimal investment for the overall infrastructure.

Results

The swift and cost-effective implementation of the MVP enabled Marmelade.io to launch with confidence. The dynamic combination of Angular with server-side rendering, ExpressJs, Google Cloud Run, Firebase, and CircleCI provided a robust and scalable foundation.

The waiting list feature allowed users to express interest pre-launch, building anticipation for the marketplace.

Conclusion

We highly enjoyed working on this project. It proved our commitment to providing tailored solutions that align with clients’ specific needs.

By strategically combining serverless technologies, cloud services, and an efficient deployment pipeline, we enabled Marmelade.io to realize its MVP vision with minimal infrastructure costs. On top of this, we created a good infrastructure base for future growth.

As Marmelade.io continues to grow, we remain poised to support their evolving DevOps requirements. We continue helping the project scale seamlessly in the dynamic digital landscape.