Work in progress: 181,232 of 181,233 sites checked so far, more every week · updated 2 Nov 2026Missing a blog? Tell us

Top all-time · #12032

P

Pat Robinson

Personal blog · patrobinson.github.iosystemsprogramming

Pat Robinson writes Sysadmin 4 lyfe, a personal blog at patrobinson.github.io about systems and programming. Since 2016, 6 different Hacker News readers have linked it 6 times, most often “Thou shalt not run a database inside a container”. The last post was in 2019, but the archive is still widely read.

Visit the blog
6mentions?
6HN people?
2016–2021first – last linked?
Links on Hacker News per year · peak 3 in 2016

Too few sampled comments (2) to say how often HN recommends it.?

Why HN links it

Linked as an argument against running databases inside containers, with a 2017 follow-up that keeps the same conclusion. Comments cite it as the source for that view rather than judging the writing itself.

Summarised by Claude from a sample of 2 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.

This blog covers various issues I encounter and the (sometimes creative) solutions I apply.

Most-linked posts?

  1. Thou shalt not run a database inside a container
    3 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2016-11-07

What Hacker News says?

  1. So, you're running your databases in containers? Really? Have you read "Thou Shalt Not Run a Database Inside of a Container"? See https://patrobinson.github.io/2016/11/07/thou-shalt-not-run-...

    Comment linking /2016/11/07/thou-shalt-not-run-a-database-inside-a-container/

    on “Why we're ending support for MySQL”
  2. Submitted Docker in Production: A retort as a story · 133 points

    HN discussion
  3. (2016) 2017 Followup: https://patrobinson.github.io/2017/12/16/should-i-run-a-data... Tone softens a bit, but still comes to the conclusion it’s not a good fit. Four years on, I can’t imagine a benefit to running a prod DB out of a container either.

    Comment linking /2017/12/16/should-i-run-a-database-in-kubernetes/

    on “Thou shalt not run a database inside a container”
  4. Submitted Thou shalt not run a database inside a container as a story · 59 points

    HN discussion
  5. Submitted Stop writing shitty health checks as a story · 4 points

    HN discussion
  6. Submitted Thou shalt not run a database inside a container as a story · 3 points

    HN discussion

Search all of HN for patrobinson.github.io