Feedback: you need to state very clearly, high up on the page WHY someone would want to use a non-managed solution vs SecretsManager or SSM Parameter Store.
The website has way too much information that is basic credentials store 101. I know why I’d want a secrets manager already.
and if you are targeting users/builders on AWS (which you are implicitly if you can’t run off AWS) you need to be clear as to why anyone would waste time with an unmanaged solution
> a one-time payment for an external hard drive may be a more economical alternative over time.
If you care about your data, you are playing with fire.
Drives do not store data forever. Data must be read and rewritten occasionally to maintain it, from old media past its lifespan to new media.
Good storage software, with the ability to write your data with either mirroring or striping of some sort is able to routinely scan your entire data set and detect bit rot - and rewrite sectors that contain bitrotted data to new media.
You simply do not get that level of protection buying a single external hardrive alone.
Most enterprise storage systems do this. Most cloud storage does this. It’s worth paying for if you have data that is valuable.