Security through obscurity is fine if it's an additional layer in a well thought out security implementation. I've build a bespoke Node.js site/service where I sometimes have to kick out clients due to various reasons. I sometimes fear reprisal and have to consider a targeted attack on my infrastructure. And indeed I do get the occasional hack attempt with for instance hand crafted sql injection attempts (I receive an instant notification when this happens). The best approach in hardening your infrastructure I think is trying to hack your own service by trying a plethora of methods like sql injection attacks or denial of service attacks on your public api's.
I disagree. My entire backend is written in Typescript and maintenance and feature development pace is incredible. It's been this way for years now and I cannot see myself switching to Go or Java anytime soon.
I use GraphQL (postgraphile) for my admin backend crud. This allowed me to do some incredible fast development with only minimal customisation (couple of PostgreSQL functions). Anything outside the happy path is handled by a REST API. Maybe we shouldn't think in absolutes, eg: only use GraphQL. For the same reasons I use an ORM, and raw queries where it matters most. The cliché holds true: use the right tool for the job.
Swpapped my G suite custom domain accounts for mailcow and never looked back. Luckily I never used these accounts for paid apps or other Google specific services.
I have a much different experience. I use Mollie, probably very similar to Stripe or any other modern payment service provider. I have the occasional failed SEPA transaction due to an invalid reference id but otherwise this is very smooth sailing. There is almost zero friction in the payment process. I might be a small fish with say 40 transactions a day but I guess my situation is not much different from bigger players. Maybe this is because most transactions are in the Euro zone and things go south fast when dealing with international payments.
I find it deeply concerning we are still very much in bed with Putin. We should have taken drastic steps early and maybe be half way in tapping alternative sources. The fact Germany is happily closing nuclear power plants shows Europe is in for a rude awakening when Putin tightens the vice.
CockroachDB and others come with huge downsides in performance and features. I keep trying to see of these databases are a good fit for me but just the sheer time it takes to import my database makes me shudder. I've used the Aws cloud hosted free tier of CockroachDB but ran into transaction timeouts on very moderate loads. There is a reason these databases aren't seeing massive uptake despite their lofty promises.