$265K annual savings
86% reduction in compute usage after migrating to Cosmo Router
45% lower query latency
One key query improved from 171ms to 94ms
Lean, scalable architecture
Lower overhead and improved developer efficiency
Company Overview
SoundCloud is a digital music and audio streaming platform that provides artists with cloud-based tools to upload, manage, analyze, and monetize their content. At the same time, listeners access and interact with this catalog via web and mobile apps. The company’s core offering is a creator platform layered on top of its consumer streaming service, exposing features like content management, audience analytics, engagement insights, and monetization programs that help artists treat SoundCloud as a scalable software product for distribution and fan development.
The Challenge
High Costs, Vendor Lock-In Risk, and Performance Limits
Before switching to WunderGraph, SoundCloud relied on another federated gateway. It covered the basics, but going deeper into its features would have tied them more closely to that system than they wanted.
Needed lower compute costs and better performance
Wanted to avoid enterprise-only, license-locked features
Built a schema reporting plugin just to track usage metrics
Found existing open-source options not fully integrated for enterprise scale
Needed long-term flexibility without increasing vendor dependence
Building it ourselves was something we talked about, but the amount of effort required to build and maintain it long term just wasn't worth it
The Solution
Migrating to the Open-Source Cosmo Router
SoundCloud evaluated WunderGraph Cosmo to see whether an open-source router could deliver better performance and lower costs without the risk of vendor lock-in.
Cosmo’s approach gave SoundCloud full control over their infrastructure, removed restrictive licensing, and reduced compute usage through a lightweight routing layer.
A major factor in the decision was the working relationship with WunderGraph:
Working with WunderGraph felt like working with another team inside SoundCloud versus having that tension with a vendor.
SoundCloud ran Cosmo alongside their existing gateway, validating schema checks and measuring resource consumption. Early wins included lower CPU usage and improved efficiency. Eventually, the original gateway was phased out, and Cosmo became the primary router.
The Results
Lower Costs, Better Performance, Greater Flexibility
Cosmo produced immediate, measurable improvements:
Infrastructure costs dropped from ~$14,000 to ~$9,750 (Tyk + Cosmo combined)
CPU usage reduced by 86%, from 600 vCPUs → ~80 vCPUs
Estimated annual savings: $265,000
Query latency improved by 45%, from 171ms → 94ms
Leaner routing layer after offloading sessions, geo lookups, and subscriptions
No enterprise lock-in or proprietary dependencies
Our infrastructure costs went from $14,000 with our previous provider down to $9,750 with Cosmo.
The Conclusion
A Cost-Efficient, High-Performance GraphQL Future
Migrating to Cosmo Router enabled SoundCloud to eliminate costly inefficiencies, reduce CPU usage by 86%, and achieve an estimated $265K in annual savings. By moving away from enterprise-locked features, SoundCloud gained a more flexible, scalable, and cost-efficient GraphQL architecture that continues to evolve with their needs.
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Frequently Asked Question
What led SoundCloud to migrate away from their previous GraphQL gateway?
SoundCloud’s third-party gateway worked initially but introduced high infrastructure costs and risk of lock-in due to enterprise-only features. They needed more flexibility and control over their GraphQL infrastructure without restrictive licensing.
How did WunderGraph Cosmo help SoundCloud reduce infrastructure costs?
Cosmo reduced CPU usage by 86%, from 600 vCPUs to 80, saving an estimated $265,000 annually. Their overall infrastructure spend dropped from ~$14,000 to ~$9,750 per month even after accounting for other infrastructure components.
What performance improvements did SoundCloud see after switching to Cosmo?
One high-traffic query related to reactions dropped in latency from 171ms to 94ms (P95). Routing became more efficient, reducing bottlenecks and improving responsiveness across views like track waveforms and comment counts.
How did SoundCloud approach the Cosmo migration process?
They ran Cosmo alongside their existing gateway to validate schema checks and measure performance. Once confident, they phased out the old gateway and fully transitioned to Cosmo Router.
Why did SoundCloud prefer an open-source federation router?
Cosmo’s open-source model gave SoundCloud full control without enterprise restrictions. They could inspect the codebase, avoid vendor lock-in, and maintain flexibility in how they manage their GraphQL architecture.
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