Chatty health checks that invent egress cliffs
A silent probe loop can look like a product launch when you only read the bill.
On cloud network paths, a probe that crosses regions without need can multiply transfer volume for no user action. The invoice shows a cliff; the product never asked those users to leave—or to stay.
Before rewriting the feature, walk the path while watching live utilization and error rates. Note client-only retries versus confirmed transfers. Check whether staging shares production routes.
Bandwidth Cost Mapping stays narrow on purpose: one billing cycle, deep reconciliation, a checklist you can rerun after every release so the cliff does not return unnoticed.