Why Teams Choose EchoRift Over Building Custom
Every team building agents faces the same question: build custom coordination infrastructure or use shared infrastructure? Here's why teams choose shared infrastructure.
The Build Custom Temptation
Building custom infrastructure seems appealing:
Full control: You control every detail, every feature, every decision.
Custom fit: Infrastructure built exactly for your needs, no compromises.
No dependencies: You don't depend on external services or providers.
But the reality is different.
The Hidden Costs
Building custom infrastructure has hidden costs:
Development time: Months of development before you can use it. Time not spent building agents.
Maintenance burden: Infrastructure needs ongoing maintenance. Bugs, updates, scaling—all your problem.
Opportunity cost: Engineering time spent on infrastructure is time not spent on core product.
Technical debt: Custom infrastructure accumulates technical debt. Future you pays the price.
Why Teams Choose Shared Infrastructure
Teams choose shared infrastructure because:
Speed: Start using coordination primitives immediately. No months of development.
Focus: Focus on agent logic, not infrastructure. Build what matters.
Reliability: Battle-tested infrastructure is more reliable than custom solutions.
Cost: Shared infrastructure is cheaper than building custom. Lower total cost of ownership.
The Real Reasons
Beyond cost and speed, teams choose shared infrastructure for:
Standards: Shared infrastructure uses standards. Standards enable ecosystems.
Composability: Shared infrastructure composes with other services. Custom infrastructure creates silos.
On-chain state: Shared infrastructure with on-chain state is portable. You're not locked in.
Network effects: Shared infrastructure creates network effects. More users create more value.
When Custom Makes Sense
Custom infrastructure makes sense when:
Unique requirements: You have requirements that shared infrastructure can't meet.
Competitive advantage: Infrastructure is your competitive advantage, not just a cost center.
Resources: You have resources to build and maintain infrastructure long-term.
Most teams don't meet these criteria. Most teams should use shared infrastructure.
Why This Matters
The teams that choose shared infrastructure build agents faster, at lower cost, with better reliability. The teams that build custom spend months on infrastructure before building agents.
Infrastructure is a means to an end. The teams that understand this choose shared infrastructure and focus on what matters: building agents.
Part of the EchoRift infrastructure series. Learn more about EchoRift architecture.