I made some mistakes like not backing up my db, not keeping up on maintenance. But didn't think it would result in a complete loss of database considering I was still paying heroku. This app had been running since 2014. After this incident I removed my website from heroku.
Tell HN: Heroku deleted my database with no warning
141–150 of 216 posts
Re: Tell HN: Heroku deleted my database with no warning
#142Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Are you allowed to inform paying customers that you are going to do this? I can't be the only one who's basically completely blind to emails from major companies, including SaaS providers, because they're so fucking spammy that the SNR is like 1:99. Notifying me by email, for one of these places, is functionally the same as not notifying me at all. [EDIT] Sorry, didn't mean to imply the parent wasn't paying attenti…
> ...because they're so fucking spammy that the SNR is like 1:99. This 1000x. I signed up for an SMS gateway service last year. Just for my own hobby use, nothing major. I gave them $10 to start service, and they charge like 2¢ or something per outgoing message. They have like 180 different prices for 180 countries, territories, provinces, parishes, cantons, prefectures, etc. Every week one of those prices changes, a…
Re: Tell HN: Heroku deleted my database with no warning
#143Same thing happened to me. My personal rails website, which I kept personal blog postings in a postgres database got completely lost. Most of those post date back to 2014. I made some mistakes like not backing up my db, not keeping up on maintenance. But didn't think it would result in a complete loss of database considering I was still paying heroku. This app had been running since 2014. After this incident I remove…
Re: Tell HN: Heroku deleted my database with no warning
#144Same thing happened to me. My personal rails website, which I kept personal blog postings in a postgres database got completely lost. Most of those post date back to 2014. I made some mistakes like not backing up my db, not keeping up on maintenance. But didn't think it would result in a complete loss of database considering I was still paying heroku. This app had been running since 2014. After this incident I remove…
In case this is useful, I recovered some lost content from my blog using the Internet Archive a few years ago and published notes about how I did it here: https://simonwillison.net/2017/Oct/8/missing-content/
Re: Tell HN: Heroku deleted my database with no warning
#145Earlier quoted context omitted.
Check out render.com, it's a solid alternative.
We currently use render. Its excellent, but is missing a couple key features: like Heroku's continuous rollback protection. If they offered this they'd be head and shoulders better.
Re: Tell HN: Heroku deleted my database with no warning
#146Earlier quoted context omitted.
Data retention policies are written by compliance people, not product people, so distinctions like overt, deliberate cancellation and "cancellation for nonpayment" or "abandonment" or "discontinuation" usually aren't captured in them. I'm not saying it's great that Heroku deleted these databases; I'm saying: the description given upthread, that the databases were deleted because of contractual requirements, is super…
Plausible, sure, but that doesn't mean it isn't a cop out. There are many things that Heroku could have done to prevent this, like delaying the disconnection when they don't have confirmed delivery of the notifications and/or when they are connected to paid dynos/accounts. Thus didn't happen because of the contract, but because the people implementing this transition didn't give a crap.
Re: Tell HN: Heroku deleted my database with no warning
#147He's moved on to Render since then (and he's now backing up his data offsite). Painful lesson to learn, but at least he hadn't launched his product yet.
Re: Tell HN: Heroku deleted my database with no warning
#148Earlier quoted context omitted.
The customer account wasn't terminated, the free DB being used by paid Dynos was deleted without any input from or notification to the customer. I highly doubt normal customers want this clock short when the cancellation is not customer initiated.
Data retention policies are written by compliance people, not product people, so distinctions like overt, deliberate cancellation and "cancellation for nonpayment" or "abandonment" or "discontinuation" usually aren't captured in them. I'm not saying it's great that Heroku deleted these databases; I'm saying: the description given upthread, that the databases were deleted because of contractual requirements, is super…
Silos lead to issues like this. Cross-functional teams cost more, etc.
Re: Tell HN: Heroku deleted my database with no warning
#149Earlier quoted context omitted.
Data retention policies are written by compliance people, not product people, so distinctions like overt, deliberate cancellation and "cancellation for nonpayment" or "abandonment" or "discontinuation" usually aren't captured in them. I'm not saying it's great that Heroku deleted these databases; I'm saying: the description given upthread, that the databases were deleted because of contractual requirements, is super…
Compliance people are product people too (even if in disguise), and obviously (?) vice versa. Silos lead to issues like this. Cross-functional teams cost more, etc.
Re: Tell HN: Heroku deleted my database with no warning
#150Earlier quoted context omitted.
Compliance people are product people too (even if in disguise), and obviously (?) vice versa. Silos lead to issues like this. Cross-functional teams cost more, etc.
Not so much, no.
Onboarding users/partners would be easier without making them read/click all those consent checkboxes, etc.