latest
I added NVMe caching to my media NAS, and the real win wasn't the files
I added NVMe caching to my media NAS and found the biggest improvement wasn’t faster file transfers, but quicker access to Jellyfin and app data.
Jellyfin 12 will break some home servers, and I'm okay with that
Jellyfin 12 could break some home servers, but its stricter upgrade path may be exactly what the project needs to stay healthy in the long term.
I've tried every functional filament, but PETG is still my first choice for a reason
PETG is still my default functional filament, even after trying TPU, PA6-GF, and PCTG. Here’s why I keep coming back to it.
I save $100 every month with these 7 docker containers in my home lab
I stopped paying for various cloud services and replaced them with Docker containers that give me more control, and privacy.
I stopped buying Raspberry Pis since refurbished mini PCs cost the same and do far more
Turns out the sticker price was lying.
Every home lab I build now starts with the same 5 Docker containers
Before I install anything else, these are the five containers I set up first.
5 Docker tools I use to stop babysitting my self-hosted servers
My essential Docker stack for keeping self-hosted services running.
In the Plex vs Jellyfin debate, everyone forgot the media player that works without either
Plex and Jellyfin dominate the media-server debate, but Kodi can play local and network media without requiring either one.
Tailscale replaced my entire networking setup, and I finally stopped dreading new services
Fewer firewall rules, more actual projects.
My Jellyfin server has four layers of protection, and RAID isn't the most important one
My Jellyfin server uses RAID, backups, local metadata, and separate file copies to protect against various types of data loss.
After months of self-hosting, I'd rather just pay for these 4 services
Some self-hosted services cost more than they're worth
SSD cache won't fix your storage array's biggest problem, and that's actually the point
SSD cache won’t transform a hard-drive array, but it can make the small, repetitive storage tasks that feel slow noticeably less annoying.
My home server was already useful, but here's how adding a used GPU turned it into something entirely different
Give your home server a boost with some gaming firepower.
I ditched cloud printing to keep my 3D printer private, and it's the only thing standing between me and mandatory file scanning
Proposed 3D printer file scanning laws make local printing more important than ever
I thought my NAS drives were the bottleneck, but 2.5GbE networking proved me wrong
Multi-gig Ethernet showed me that the bottleneck in my home network doesn't lie within my home lab
The same Linux setup follows me across three PCs, without cloning a single drive
Keep the same Linux workflow across multiple PCs without cloning drives by syncing configs, package lists, and personal data separately.
TPU finally made sense when I stopped looking for TPU projects and started noticing what rigid plastic does poorly
TPU became far more useful once I stopped chasing flexible-print ideas
I stopped dreading support removal on 3D prints after tweaking my slicer settings
These slicer tweaks made my 3D printing supports easier to remove
I stopped running every Docker container 24/7, and my home server has never been better
I thought my home server needed more hardware. Turns out, I just needed to stop running every Docker container 24/7.
My Raspberry Pi quietly replaced a year of subscriptions I spent hundreds of dollars on
This tiny SBC can run quite a few self-hosted services
