Debugging a slow server with AI

When "Free" Costs You Your Peace of Mind

We often talk about the trade-offs in business. Recently, a puzzle with a client’s website reminded me exactly why we prioritise simplicity over complexity.

The issue started subtly. The site felt heavy. Sluggish. We assumed it was a recent update to how we handle video archives, but the maths didn't look right. Being a systems thinker means looking for the root cause, not just treating the symptom.

I worked through it using Gemini to comb through the server logs. The culprit? Not our code, but a vulnerability in a self-hosted analytics tool, Umami, we were running.

Someone had managed to install a cryptominer (the root vulnerability in React), quietly siphoning off processing power in the background until the server crashed.

The Lesson

It’s a stark reminder of a core business truth: complexity has a hidden cost.

We were self-hosting this tool to avoid a monthly subscription. On paper, it saved money. In practice, it cost us time, server stability, and a fair bit of stress.

The fix wasn't just deleting the malware; it was simplifying the system. We’re considering a move to Tinylytics. It’s a paid service, but it’s managed by someone else. It runs on their servers, not ours. It removes the maintenance burden almost entirely.

Sometimes, the most "optimised" choice isn't the cheapest one—it’s the one that protects your time and keeps things calm.

Next Step

If your digital admin feels heavy, or you're maintaining systems just to save a few pounds, ask yourself: is the complexity worth the risk?