Nobody Likes Lag: How to Make Low-Latency Dev Sandboxes
Summary
The article describes practical strategies to achieve low-latency remote dev sandboxes at Compyle. It starts with a naive, high-latency setup and evolves to a warm-pool approach, JWT-based direct machine connections, and multi-regional sandboxes using Fly.io dynamic routing, dramatically reducing terminal latency from over 200 ms to around 14 ms for nearby users. The piece emphasizes removing middleware, decentralizing compute, and iterative architectural simplification to improve developer experience.