vs a do-it-yourself data stack
The do-it-yourself path assembles the same pieces from separately selected parts: Kubernetes for orchestration, Postgres for the hot store, DuckDB or another columnar engine for analytics, an object store for bulk data, a workflow tool for transforms, and glue code to connect them. The operator owns every component choice, boundary, upgrade, and integration.
Redgold is an opinionated version of that same stack with the integration already built. An application is a checked-in Rust serde schema encoded with CBOR, a pipeline manifest, an edge route, and transform code over a data engine that already combines a Lance/Parquet cold tier with a Postgres hot tier under one content-addressed addressing model, deployed through GitOps by default. You adopt one shape instead of wiring the seams yourself.
Criteria
| Criterion | Redgold | DIY stack (k8s + Postgres + DuckDB + glue) |
|---|---|---|
| Data model | Content-addressed Rust serde rows encoded with CBOR across a Lance/Parquet cold tier and a Postgres hot tier under one addressing model (data and pipelines) | Whatever you pick per layer; you own the schema translation and the cold/hot split |
| Deploy target | Your own Kubernetes cluster via a Git-backed build and ArgoCD, pre-wired (managed deployment) | Your own Kubernetes, assembled from your own manifests and pipelines |
| Extensibility | Review a Rust serde schema, pipeline TOML, transform code, and tests in Git; Redgold provisions and operates the managed application (managed application artifacts, build a vertical) | Unlimited, at the cost of writing and maintaining the glue between components |
| Self-host story | Managed during onboarding today; a single-machine Docker Compose evaluation sandbox exists for local trials, with broader self-service self-hosting planned | Fully self-hosted by definition; you run and upgrade every piece |
| AI / agent integration | Coding-agent fleet in isolated pods plus model API routing on the same platform (AI agents, LLM API) | Integrate an agent runtime and model routing yourself |
| Maturity | Early, single-operator; the generic external authoring surface is still being consolidated (data availability) | Each component is mature; the integration is only as mature as your glue |
Category boundary
A self-assembled stack leaves every component and service boundary open. It can include a managed warehouse, a dedicated workflow engine, direct DuckDB queries, or a database-specific ecosystem. Redgold deliberately constrains those choices to one application shape and one integration path maintained by a single operator.
When Redgold fits
Redgold fits when the schema-to-storage translation, cold/hot split, route and executor wiring, and GitOps deploy should operate as one system, with a coding-agent fleet included. Its value comes from turning a small spec into a deployed application through a fixed, inspectable path.