>config server (think in-house developed consul or etcd) and it was awful. "If this specific config value is being set by Service A then what is actually written should be twice the given value, but if Service B is reading the value, return 1/3 of the value as an HTTP form body instead of JSON."

People say dev salaries are way too high but this is basically what internal systems look like at all the places that refuse to pay fair market value.