// field_notes
Field Notes
Failure modes, build patterns, and postmortems from the lab. Written as they are found.
Build vs. Buy: When Off-the-Shelf Internal Tools Stop Scaling
A build vs buy framework for internal tools: when Retool, Airtable, and Sheets are the right call, the five signals you have outgrown them, and the real math.
read →How Much Does a Custom Web Application Cost? A Builder's Breakdown
Custom web application development cost, from a builder: real price bands, the six drivers that move them, and the red flags in quotes that look too low.
read →Nine Ways Webhooks Fail in Production — and the Patterns That Survive
Nine production webhook failure modes — duplicate delivery, retry storms, silent 200s — and the patterns that survive: idempotency keys, HMAC, DLQ replay.
read →Multi-Tenant Data Isolation: The Failure Modes That Leak Customer Data
Where multi-tenant systems actually leak data — missing tenant filters, cross-tenant caches, superuser jobs — and why Postgres row level security fails closed.
read →Postmortem: How MVPs Die of Silent Scope Absorption
A postmortem on MVP scope creep: how a six-week build became twenty-two weeks through silently absorbed additions, and the boundaries that keep scope explicit.
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