If you work in the field of education, pay attention to DidiSam.
Ahyeon: DidiSam is an online education platform with the motto "Easy to prepare, easy to operate." When it comes to knowledge sharing, videos have a longer-lasting impact on our memory compared to text. They reduce cognitive strain and provide information through visuals and sound, enhancing comprehension.
DidiSam recognized the need to overcome geographical barriers in education. They transformed this concept into a service that automates the entire process, from filming to editing, enabling swift production.
DidiSam provides a SaaS-based learning management system (LMS) development service. It empowers users to create their own lecture website and LMS. We interviewed CTO Kim Dae-hee and developer Kim Ah-hyun to delve into their utilization of WhaTap for seamless service operations.
An overview of DevOps organization and infrastructure
Please introduce yourself and your role at Santa.
Ahyeon: I am part of Santa, a development organization with a total of 9 members, including 1 CTO, 4 front-end team members, and 4 back-end team members. Currently, all developers actively participate in DevOps practices. The back-end developers are responsible for managing the infrastructure.
How is Santa's IT infrastructure organized?
Ahyeon Kim (hereinafter Ahyeon): The DidiSam service is currently hosted on AWS. It utilizes a beanstalk environment for the backend API. Our database solutions consist of RDS and Redis, which are monitored through WhaTap. For the front-end, we leverage AWS Amplify for configuration.
Daehee Kim (hereinafter Daehee): Our infrastructure is mainly on AWS. We plan to adopt a multi-cloud approach, including integrating the Naver Cloud Platform, in the future. The backend technology stack consists of Lilavel and PHP. Certain components require Java for optimal performance.
What led to your decision to choose WhaTap?
Ahyeon: When DidiSam prepared to launch its service in September last year, we needed comprehensive monitoring. This included server load testing and API monitoring. Our CTO, Daehee, enthusiastically recommended WhaTap, and we decided to adopt it. Previously, we relied on CloudWatch's basic monitoring for our legacy service. However, it lacked the detailed logs we required.
Daehee: I have had the opportunity to use WhaTap in three different service development and operation processes. After joining Santa in February of last year, I recognized the need for an API performance assessment tool. Additionally, I identified the necessity of a feedback mechanism for front-end usage. As the need arose, I gradually integrate WhaTap into our workflow. Now, all our backend developers effectively utilize WhaTap without major challenges.
Is there a monitoring solution you've used before?
What monitoring tools did you use before WhaTap?
Daehee: We used Jennifer initially, and then we created any other tools we required.
Did you develop your own monitoring system before WhaTap?
Daehee: Yes, we developed and utilized our own monitoring tools. Depending on the purpose, we used them from both development and operations perspectives.
Before implementing WhaTap, we relied on logging to analyze service metrics. We used it to evaluate various aspects, such as transactions and performance. When we adopted WhaTap, I emphasized the idea that "monitoring works on behalf of developers." Without monitoring, developers would need to allocate resources to operations. However, with monitoring, we can reduce the burden on developers. I'm using WhaTap from that perspective, and I find it to be effective in practice.
You mentioned that it's a labor-saving perspective, but does it actually reduce the workload significantly?
Daehee: If we don't utilize a monitoring tool for our own services, our internal developers will eventually have to allocate separate development resources. This is specifically for the monitoring components they require. During the operational phase, they would need to make necessary modifications related to monitoring. This would ultimately consume additional developer resources aside from the main service.
Using a monitoring tool effectively reduces the development workload from that standpoint. It has the potential to decrease the workload by approximately 0.5 M/M.
Alert notifications for critical conditions!
What were the benefits of using WhaTap?
Ahyeon: WhaTap offered intuitive monitoring by installing and running the agent through a script during server deployment. Unlike AWS, which requires a separate deployment for receiving notifications, WhaTap makes it easy to configure notifications for each status, which is highly beneficial.
Additionally, the hitmap feature enhanced overall intuitiveness by illustrating server usage patterns in specific regions.
Daehee: The user interface is extremely intuitive. Although I may not have a precise understanding of the exact issue, it becomes apparent when something is amiss just by glancing at the dashboard. This has significantly streamlined our troubleshooting process.
Monitoring starts at the development stage!
Daehee: When we launched the DidiSam service, our planning team remarked that it was the first time we had a trouble-free opening. The smooth launch can be attributed to our comprehensive utilization of WhaTap. We extensively used it throughout the development process, including initial functional testing and performance testing. We diligently addressed potential issues and filled in gaps to ensure a seamless service launch.
Santa's top 3 WhaTap features
- Configure a dashboard on your Flex board to check API status and server status.
- Use to track and improve APIs with long response times or errors.
- View hitmaps of your application monitoring.
Tell us about your experience problem-solving with WhaTap.
Ahyeon: In the early stages, WhaTap was invaluable in improving long response time APIs and addressing slow queries. It also facilitated the anticipation and tracking of user scenarios involving these problematic APIs. Furthermore, the intuitive UI and hitmaps provided a quick and efficient means to identify issues and implement necessary improvements.
What about startups that have raised Series B or less?
Daehee: If you're a backend company, it's crucial to utilize WhaTap. Developers and engineers can greatly benefit from the expertise it offers. With just 100,000 Won (less than 100 USD) per month, you can gain multiple times the value. If you don't plan on developing your own monitoring solution, I believe CTOs and backend engineers will understand the importance of implementing monitoring.
For startups or those seeking to swiftly establish a monitoring solution and maintain a stable service, I highly recommend WhaTap Monitoring. By installing an agent on the API server, you can easily monitor the server using an intuitive and user-friendly UI. Developers can quickly identify problematic APIs, simplifying the understanding of underlying processes and aiding in service improvement.
WhaTap has played a pivotal role in assisting us in building our initial service and continuously enhancing our offerings for our users. We sincerely appreciate your ongoing support.😊