Why Dropbox decided to build its own infrastructure and network • Hacker News Board

Re: Why Dropbox decided to build its own infrastructure and network

#31

Post by kibwen » Sat, Sep 16, 2017, 2:06 AM UTC

The article is dated today, but isn't this news from a few years ago? https://www.wired.com/2016/03/epic-story-dropboxs-exodus-ama...

Re: Why Dropbox decided to build its own infrastructure and network

#32

Post by antoncohen » Sat, Sep 16, 2017, 2:06 AM UTC

Dropbox hasn't dropped AWS, they moved things off AWS as it made sense to. The article is talking about two things, the move of file storage and a network backbone. Neither of which were done recently.

The file storage move from S3 to Magic Pocket is detailed in these blog posts:

https://blogs.dropbox.com/tech/2016/03/magic-pocket-infrastr...

https://blogs.dropbox.com/tech/2016/05/inside-the-magic-pock...

https://blogs.dropbox.com/tech/2016/07/pocket-watch/

The network backbone is talked about here:

https://blogs.dropbox.com/tech/2017/09/infrastructure-update...

Re: Why Dropbox decided to build its own infrastructure and network

#33

Post by xbmcuser » Sat, Sep 16, 2017, 2:07 AM UTC

swampthinker wrote: post #2

I'll be 100% honest, I didn't realize Dropbox was still on AWS. You figure at a certain scale it makes more sense to run your own solution.

Yeah and that's why it amazes me that Netflix uses Amazon a straight competitor that uses the money it makes from Netflix to compete with Amazon prime.

Re: Why Dropbox decided to build its own infrastructure and network

#34

Post by mulmen » Sat, Sep 16, 2017, 2:08 AM UTC

driverdan wrote: post #30

uiri wrote: post #25

Can we remove /amp/ from the end of the URL? Some people still use HN on a laptop or a desktop. Also, as mentioned elsewhere in the comments here, it should be retitled to "Why Dropbox decided to drop AWS"

I'm against Google hosted amp but what's the issue with self hosted? This page is so much nicer than the overly busy normal TC site.

The problem is you making that decision for me.

Re: Why Dropbox decided to build its own infrastructure and network

#35

Post by lsjdfkljdfwkwdf » Sat, Sep 16, 2017, 2:13 AM UTC

jimktrains2 wrote: post #20

kyledrake wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They run BGP and do an enormous amount of IX peering. https://www.peeringdb.com/asn/2906 AWS doesn't even let you do BGP. If you want to use them for a CDN, you're monopolized into their network and their blend of ridiculously overpriced bandwidth. They might be using AWS for the canonical store of data, but the sanity of using "the cloud" goes out the window the second you need to ship a lot of traffic to the public…

> heir blend of ridiculously overpriced bandwidth. For someone not at netflix's level, can you recommend somewhere with significantly cheaper bandwidth.

At that traffic volume Netflix has more negotiation power with ISPs

Re: Why Dropbox decided to build its own infrastructure and network

#36

Post by justonepost » Sat, Sep 16, 2017, 2:14 AM UTC

Is 500 petabytes really that epic? 1500 tapes? I could probably stuff that in the back of my minivan.

Re: Why Dropbox decided to build its own infrastructure and network

#37

Post by interfixus » Sat, Sep 16, 2017, 2:14 AM UTC

driverdan wrote: post #30

uiri wrote: post #25

Can we remove /amp/ from the end of the URL? Some people still use HN on a laptop or a desktop. Also, as mentioned elsewhere in the comments here, it should be retitled to "Why Dropbox decided to drop AWS"

I'm against Google hosted amp but what's the issue with self hosted? This page is so much nicer than the overly busy normal TC site.

Separate URLs for separate devices? Talk about regression!

Re: Why Dropbox decided to build its own infrastructure and network

#38

Post by mulmen » Sat, Sep 16, 2017, 2:14 AM UTC

xbmcuser wrote: post #33

swampthinker wrote: post #2

I'll be 100% honest, I didn't realize Dropbox was still on AWS. You figure at a certain scale it makes more sense to run your own solution.

Yeah and that's why it amazes me that Netflix uses Amazon a straight competitor that uses the money it makes from Netflix to compete with Amazon prime.

I hear this line of thinking a lot but I don't really buy it.

You could just as easily say it's amazing that Amazon allows a competitor like Netflix to run on it's platform. The reality is that relationship is more complex than that.

Re: Why Dropbox decided to build its own infrastructure and network

#39

Post by toomuchtodo » Sat, Sep 16, 2017, 2:15 AM UTC

qaq wrote: post #21

lobsterloga wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe but OpEx is tax deductible. CapEx is not.

I am pretty sure if they desire they can convert CapEx into OpEx.

Sure, if they sell the storage system to someone and arrange a leaseback.

Re: Why Dropbox decided to build its own infrastructure and network

#40

Post by toomuchtodo » Sat, Sep 16, 2017, 2:16 AM UTC

jimktrains2 wrote: post #20

kyledrake wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They run BGP and do an enormous amount of IX peering. https://www.peeringdb.com/asn/2906 AWS doesn't even let you do BGP. If you want to use them for a CDN, you're monopolized into their network and their blend of ridiculously overpriced bandwidth. They might be using AWS for the canonical store of data, but the sanity of using "the cloud" goes out the window the second you need to ship a lot of traffic to the public…

> heir blend of ridiculously overpriced bandwidth. For someone not at netflix's level, can you recommend somewhere with significantly cheaper bandwidth.

Any colo or dedicated server provider.