---
title: '04.03 — Trade-offs'
description: 'Discussion of trade-offs made in the CalMiner architecture.'
---

# 04.03 — Trade-offs

- **Server-Rendered vs. SPA**: Opted for server-rendered templates over a single-page application (SPA) to reduce complexity and improve initial load times, at the cost of some interactivity.
- **Synchronous vs. Asynchronous**: While FastAPI supports async operations, the initial implementation focuses on synchronous request handling for simplicity, with plans to introduce async features as needed.
- **Monolithic vs. Microservices**: The initial architecture follows a monolithic approach for ease of development and deployment, with the possibility of refactoring into microservices as the system scales.
- **In-Memory Caching**: Implementing Redis for caching introduces additional infrastructure complexity but significantly enhances performance for read-heavy operations.
- **Database Choice**: PostgreSQL was chosen over NoSQL alternatives due to the structured nature of the data and the need for complex querying capabilities, despite potential scalability challenges.
- **Technology Familiarity**: Selected technologies align with the team's existing skill set to minimize the learning curve and accelerate development, even if some alternatives may offer marginally better performance or features.
- **Extensibility vs. Simplicity**: The architecture is designed to be extensible for future features (e.g., Monte Carlo simulation engine) while maintaining simplicity in the initial implementation to ensure timely delivery of core functionalities.