119 | Beyond Let's Encrypt: Overview of the Best Free SSL/TLS Alternatives

2025-10-10

Thanks to Let’s Encrypt HTTPS has become the standard for the entire internet. This project made it possible for any site administrator to get a free SSL certificate in just a few commands. But other players have appeared on the market, offering more convenience, integrations, and flexibility.

If you want to try something besides Let’s Encrypt — below is an overview of the most reliable and popular alternatives.

1. ZeroSSL — same automation, but with a friendly interface

ZeroSSL (Austria) — the main competitor to Let’s Encrypt. It is fully compatible with the same ACME protocol, but emphasizes convenience.

114 | Cloud or Own Server? How to Choose the Best Option for Business Data Storage

2025-10-02

Introduction

Data is the foundation of any business. Where and how you store it affects security, performance, and company growth. Today, entrepreneurs face a strategic choice: use their own equipment (local storage) or rent resources from major providers (cloud storage).

Think of it as choosing between buying a house and renting an apartment. Each option has its pros and cons. Let’s break it down.

🏠 Local Storage: Your Own Digital Home

What is it? Physical servers in your office. You buy, configure, and maintain them yourself.

110 | The Modern Era — S3 and Object Storage over HTTP

2025-09-27

Introduction

In previous articles, we looked at classic protocols that work with files and folders. But with the rise of cloud technologies, a new, more flexible and scalable approach emerged — object storage, and the de facto standard for it became the Amazon S3 protocol.

What is S3 and how is it different?

S3 (Simple Storage Service) is a protocol originally developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS) for cloud storage. Its success was so great that today the “S3-compatible API” has become an industry standard, supported by dozens of providers (Google Cloud Storage, DigitalOcean Spaces, MinIO, etc.).

099 | AWS Cognito and Microsoft Entra ID: Authentication Giants

2025-09-01

AWS Cognito and Microsoft Entra ID: Authentication as Part of the Ecosystem

Introduction

If Auth0 is the “hired expert” for authentication, then AWS Cognito and Microsoft Entra ID are the “system engineers” from tech giants. These services don’t just solve login — they are deeply integrated into their ecosystems and work best when you’re already using the cloud that created them.

AWS Cognito: Authentication for AWS-Native Applications

The Big Promise: AWS claims that Cognito is the “gateway” for your users into AWS. It’s designed to seamlessly integrate with other AWS services, such as Lambda for business logic or API Gateway for building APIs.

057 | OpenSearch (Formerly Open-Source ELK): A Community-Driven Alternative

2025-07-19

We’ve explored the ELK Stack, its power — and, unfortunately, its licensing changes. These changes sparked debate within the open-source community and led to the creation of a worthy alternative — OpenSearch.

OpenSearch is a fully open-source fork of the last open versions of Elasticsearch and Kibana, released under the Apache 2.0 license. The project was initiated by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 2021 and has since evolved as an independent open-source initiative under the OpenSearch Project.