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+---
+
+# optimizing for scale before you have users
+
+*(common gotcha)*
+
+## what happened
+
+teams spend hours setting up kubernetes, microservices, CI/CD pipelines, and database sharding for a hackathon project that will have exactly 3 users: the judges.
+
+## why it's a gotcha
+
+over-engineering is a way to feel productive without making progress on what matters. nobody at a hackathon cares about your infrastructure. they care about whether it works and whether it solves the problem.
+
+## the fix
+
+use the simplest possible stack. sqlite, a single server, hardcoded config. get the demo working first. you can architect properly later if the project survives past the weekend.
+
+## see also
+
+- [[building-all-in-one-product]] — over-scoping at the feature level
+- [[over-planning-trap]] — over-engineering at the planning level
+- [[building-before-validating]] — building infrastructure for a problem nobody has
+- [[perfectionism-over-hackathon-fit]] — optimizing the wrong things
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