Cara’s recent growth was unprecedented, but it caused the website to crash and forced the team to work around the clock to keep it operational.

The online art and social media platform Cara has seen a massive boost in popularity in the past few weeks thanks to concerns around Meta’s AI policies – but success can come at a price.

The site grew from roughly 100,000 subscribers at the start of the month to more than 900,000 by 9 June, according to the site’s founder Jingna Zhang. A large amount of this growth has been attributed to the site’s strict stance against generative AI art – a counter to sites such as Instagram and X.

Since Meta plans to use data from its sites such as Facebook and Instagram to train its various AI models, many artists have fled to the safety of Cara. But the sudden increase in users has caused problems for the fledgling website, which has had to work hard to adapt.

On 3 June, Zhang said the site had reached 300,000 users, but that the sudden increase caused Cara to “crash like crazy” and that the team had worked “around the clock to fix the issue”.

The sudden surge for the site also led to a massive bill by Cara’s web provider Vercel, as the site dramatically exceeded its monthly serverless function execution amount. Zhang shared details on 6 June of a notification from Vercel, which showed Cara was billed an extra $96,280 for exceeding this monthly amount.

By 9 June, Zhang said the site was approaching the 800,000 user milestone and that the team was doing everything it could to “make sure Cara keeps going”. The post suggests the site is still dealing with various issues as a result of the user surge.

“Our team and friends have worked on products used by hundreds of millions of people, so while I missed Vercel emails [because] I was heads down putting out fires, rest assured we have the expertise to fix this,” she said on X. “We’re fixing as many bugs as we can, but sometimes in development, more bugs are introduced as things are getting fixed.”

Simon Yeoman, the CEO of hosting service provider Fasthosts, said downtime and unexpected fees can lead to “significant financial losses, reputational damage and diminished customer trust”.

“For businesses, going viral should be a cause for celebration,” Yeoman said. “Yet, social media and portfolio platform, Cara, was left unable to service its new 300,000 users after its website unexpectedly crashed."

"The answer lies in not only finding a website hosting provider that successfully reinforces scalability when required, but also one without hidden costs or a strictly automated customer support team."

The online art and social media platform Cara has experienced an unprecedented surge in popularity over the past few weeks, primarily driven by growing concerns surrounding Meta’s AI policies. However, this rapid success has come at a considerable cost.

At the beginning of the month, Cara had around 100,000 subscribers. By June 9, that number had skyrocketed to more than 900,000, according to Jingna Zhang, the site’s founder. This significant growth can largely be attributed to Cara’s firm stance against generative AI art, setting it apart from platforms like Instagram and X.

Meta’s decision to utilize data from its sites, such as Facebook and Instagram, to train its various AI models has prompted many artists to seek refuge on Cara, where they believe their work will be safer from such practices. However, the sudden influx of users has posed substantial challenges for the young platform, necessitating swift and intense efforts to keep it operational.

On June 3, Zhang reported that the site had reached 300,000 users. However, the abrupt surge in traffic caused Cara to “crash like crazy,” compelling the team to work tirelessly “around the clock to fix the issue.”

The rapid growth not only strained the website's infrastructure but also led to a massive bill from Cara’s web provider, Vercel. The site dramatically exceeded its monthly serverless function execution quota, resulting in an additional charge of $96,280, as Zhang disclosed in a notification from Vercel on June 6.

By June 9, Zhang announced that the site was nearing the 800,000 user mark and reassured the community that the team was doing everything in its power to ensure Cara’s continued operation. Despite their efforts, the post indicated that the platform was still grappling with various issues due to the overwhelming user surge.

“Our team and friends have worked on products used by hundreds of millions of people, so while I missed Vercel emails [because] I was heads down putting out fires, rest assured we have the expertise to fix this,” Zhang explained on X. “We’re fixing as many bugs as we can, but sometimes in development, more bugs are introduced as things are getting fixed.”

Simon Yeoman, CEO of hosting service provider Fasthosts, emphasized the potential repercussions of such technical difficulties. He highlighted that downtime and unexpected costs could lead to “significant financial losses, reputational damage, and diminished customer trust.”

“For businesses, going viral should be a cause for celebration,” Yeoman stated. “Yet, social media and portfolio platform, Cara, was left unable to service its new 300,000 users after its website unexpectedly crashed."

"The answer lies in not only finding a website hosting provider that successfully reinforces scalability when required, but also one without hidden costs or a strictly automated customer support team."

The unprecedented growth experienced by Cara underscores both the opportunities and challenges that come with rapid digital success. While the influx of users signifies a strong demand for platforms that prioritize artist safety and ethical practices, it also highlights the critical importance of robust infrastructure and scalable solutions in the digital age.

As Cara continues to navigate these challenges, the platform's experience serves as a valuable lesson for other emerging digital platforms. Ensuring that technical infrastructure can support sudden growth, maintaining transparent communication with users, and having contingency plans for unexpected costs and technical issues are essential strategies for sustaining success in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.

In conclusion, Cara's recent surge in popularity, fueled by artists' concerns over Meta’s AI policies, has brought both significant growth and substantial challenges. The platform's ability to adapt and overcome these obstacles will be crucial in maintaining user trust and ensuring long-term success. As the digital world continues to evolve, the experiences of platforms like Cara offer critical insights into the complexities of managing rapid growth and maintaining operational stability.

Do you like what you're reading from the CoderOasis Technology Blog? We recommend reading our Cara: The Instagram Rival that Artists are Flocking To as your next choice.

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