Everyone who has built and shipped a web application or site, wants it fast, reliable and flexible to change. But how do you actually approach scaling a Python web application or REST API in a sane and systematic manner? This talk walks through how to realistically approach scaling a web application, based on lessons learned in the field. The talk breaks down the problem of scaling in terms of designing, building and operating a highly available commercial web application or REST service. The talk looks at what are the important bits to consider and finishes off with looking at 3 techniques for scaling applications or services.