StableLab Saves an Estimated 35% in Hosting Costs with Cherry Servers

StableLab was established in 2021 by Doo Wan Nam and Gustav Arentoft, former MakerDAO members passionate about decentralized governance. Using their years of first-hand experience navigating Maker governance, Doo and Gustav assembled a dedicated team of experts and researchers. 

StableLab's mission is to drive the evolution and adoption of decentralized protocols through effective DAO governance. The company is committed to empowering decentralized protocols by delivering top-tier services and solutions that drive growth and stability.

The Challenge

Before partnering with Cherry Servers, StableLab faced challenges maintaining the high-performance infrastructure required for our blockchain validation and staking services. As we operate nodes across multiple networks, including Ronin, Kaia, UX Chain, and Chromia, we needed a reliable server solution that could guarantee the exceptional uptime our clients expect. 

Moreover, our previous infrastructure solutions weren't optimized for the specific demands of blockchain node operation, which requires consistent performance and reliability.

The Solution

Since January 2024, StableLab has been utilizing Cherry Servers' infrastructure to power our blockchain validation and staking operations. We currently rent nine servers to operate six nodes across multiple blockchain networks, including Ronin, Kaia, UX Chain, and Chromia. 

Our implementation leverages Cherry Servers' high-performance dedicated bare metal servers to ensure the reliability and performance necessary for maintaining our exceptional uptime statistics (99.98-100% across all networks). The server configuration is optimized for the specific requirements of each blockchain protocol we support, ensuring efficient operation and maximum returns for our stakers.

We chose Cherry Servers and bare metal over hyperscale cloud providers because Web3 infrastructure demands high performance, cost-efficiency, and full control. 

• Performance: Bare metal provides dedicated NVMe storage and no virtualization overhead, which is essential for the fast and consistent disk I/O that validator and RPC nodes require.

• Cost: Bare metal is far more affordable than cloud VMs with similar specs for long-running services.

• Control: Bare metal gives full access to OS-level settings, kernel tuning, and firewall configurations, which are essential for node stability and security.

• Security: Dedicated hardware reduces the risks of shared tenancy and gives better control over access and compliance.

Even though cloud platforms offer easier scaling and more managed services for stable and persistent workloads, bare metal's benefits outweigh hyperscale providers' flexibility. Cherry Servers has proven to be a reliable, high-performing, and cost-effective partner for Web3 operations.

The Result

Cherry Servers has played a pivotal role in our ability to scale our infrastructure effectively without compromising performance or security. This comprehensive solution has enabled us to maintain high standards while optimizing our operations, ultimately contributing to our continued success.

Our transition to Cherry Servers has yielded substantial enhancements across multiple areas, directly impacting our operational efficiency and bottom line:

Financial Benefits:

• Significant Cost Reduction: Compared to similar setups on major cloud providers, we have achieved an approximate 35% cost reduction while maintaining or even enhancing performance and operating more efficiently without compromising reliability. This substantial saving has a direct and positive impact on our overall expenditure.

• 20% increase in infrastructure-driven revenue over the quarter by being able to support multiple high-demand projects.

Performance Gains:

• Reliable High Performance: Our Web3 nodes have exhibited consistent high performance, particularly in areas crucial for our operations, such as disk I/O and network throughput. This reliability translates to improved validator uptime and RPC responsiveness, ensuring our services remain accessible and efficient.

Operational Stability:

• Enhanced Reliability: Since migrating to Cherry Servers, we have experienced zero downtime attributable to hardware performance issues. This increased reliability ensures uninterrupted service, bolstering our reputation and customer satisfaction.

• Scaled from 2 to 6 nodes cost-effectively and seamlessly thanks to Cherry Servers’ flexibility and provisioning speed.

• 99.9% uptime for each node reflecting infrastructure stability and their service-level guarantees.

Security and Compliance:

• Strengthened Data Security and Compliance: By running on dedicated hardware, we have full control over access and configurations. This enhanced control allows us to meet and exceed data security and compliance requirements, safeguarding sensitive information and ensuring regulatory adherence.

We would certainly recommend Cherry Servers to other blockchain and staking service providers. Cherry Servers’ exceptional reliability has enabled us to maintain near-perfect uptime (99.98-100%) across all our supported networks, which is critical for blockchain validation services. 

Moreover, cost-effective infrastructure provides the performance necessary for blockchain operations while maintaining competitive pricing, allowing us to offer attractive staking rewards to our users. Lastly, their flexible scaling options have supported our growth from initial implementation to our current setup of 9 servers running 6 nodes.