We took our platform down for 22+ days to kill the old codebase and rebuild a 3-layer architecture. Here is what we learned.
A few weeks ago, our initial version was simply a standalone Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) tool. But as we tested it against real infrastructure, the reality hit hard: dropping raw PQC algorithms into an existing stack doesn't solve real-world enterprise adoption if the surrounding perimeter, policy enforcement, and API layers are brittle or buggy.
Rather than patching a compromised foundation with duct tape, we made a painful call: we pulled the platform down for more than 22 days of maintenance, scrapped the buggy legacy codebase entirely, and rebuilt it from the ground up.
Today, Shatachandra Shield is officially back live, evolved from a standalone PQC script into a full 3-Layer Cybersecurity Appliance:
- L3 Zero-Trust Gate: Strict policy enforcement that fails closed by design—no valid key, no request passed.
- L4 API Gateway: Reverse-proxy architecture managing ingress traffic, rate limits, and live server-side license verification.
- L5 PQC Engine: High-performance cryptographic core running NIST FIPS 203 ML-KEM-768.
Before bringing the new architecture public, we ran a zero-assumption pre-launch verification audit where every single metric on the site had to match an active, reproducible test artifact:
- Real bugs caught in the final pass: Even during the final review, we caught an insecure fallback default in our distributed client license script (
core.py) pointing to a stale HTTP endpoint, which we immediately patched to production HTTPS before release. - AVX2 SIMD Optimization: Verified 809 ymm instructions in
ring.solive on EC2 to hit 0.43 ms KeyGen, 0.50 ms Encapsulation, and 0.61 ms Decapsulation. - NIST FIPS 203 Compliance: Passed 180/180 byte-exact Known-Answer Tests (KAT) and 60/60 input-validation vectors.
- Perimeter Verification: Qualys SSL Labs A+ (hybrid X25519 + ML-KEM-768), clean OWASP ZAP DAST scan (0 High/Med/Low), and verified Wiz PQC compliance.
Taking a product offline for over three weeks when the startup playbook says to "ship fast and break things" was uncomfortable. But in infrastructure security, shipping something broken breaks trust permanently.
The platform is officially live: www.shatachandrashield.xyz
To the founders and backend engineers here: Have you ever had to pull the brake and delete a codebase to rebuild the right architecture? How did you manage that downtime?
The architecture question is already covered above, so a different angle - how did you handle communication during the 22 days itself? Silence for three weeks reads as abandonment way before day 22 rolls around, even to users who'd be totally fine with a real rebuild if they knew that's what was happening. A public status page with a fixed date range and short periodic updates, even just 'day 12, still on track,' does more for trust than a big writeup after the fact, because prospects evaluating you during that window have no way to tell a deliberate rebuild apart from a dead project.
Fair question - it wasn't total silence, though maybe not visible enough
in one central place. I posted updates on LinkedIn during the rebuild and
replied directly to emails from people asking, explaining we were
hardening the architecture and adding two more security layers. But you're
right that a single public status page would have been a better single
source of truth than scattered updates across channels - something I'd
do differently next time.
And for what it's worth - 22 days quiet in tech doesn't always mean dead,
sometimes it just means something bigger was being built underneath.
The bit I'd push back on is the 22 days of full downtime rather than building the new stack alongside the old one and cutting over. With a security appliance the rebuild call makes sense, but going dark for three weeks teaches existing users they can live without you, which is a harder thing to undo than a buggy perimiter. Out of interest, did you lose any paying accounts over that window, or was it early enough that nobody noticed?
The 22-day shutdown is the interesting decision here.
Curious whether the rebuild has changed anything yet in how prospects evaluate or trust the product, or if that validation is still ahead.
A lot of changes has made as in the beginning our software was only PQC,
now it's complete Triple layer PQC. Also as the structure change latency
and avalanche effect also changed. Basically I want to say the total
module is changed. You can think it's a fully upgraded and final version
of this software.
As for whether it's changed how prospects evaluate or trust it - that
validation is still ahead honestly, I'm still working on getting it in
front of more people.
I am not sure about the future as the technology and threat level change
we must upgrade it. But as of now this is the most updated version. I
will be happy if you can try it and give genuine suggestions. For more
details on how to install and get started, you can visit our live
website - www.shatachandrashield.xyz, the installation process is explained there. We are offering
14 days free trail to all new members.
That makes sense. The next useful signal will probably be how real prospects respond to the upgraded version once you have it in front of enough of them.
Agreed, that's the real test ahead. Will share how it goes once I have
more people trying it. As for me I don't believe anything in the tech world till you personally experience it. So if you are searching for a PQC middleware you can test it first. And that is the reason why I have given 14 days free trial offer.
That makes sense. I’d be interested in staying in touch as the validation develops. What’s the best email to reach you on?
I think you haven't checked my website if you had checked you must not ask this question. So my email and LinkedIn link is available on my website contact us page.