Linux and Homelab
Is 2026 a Bad Time to Buy a NAS?
NAS boxes are better than ever, but drive pricing, compatibility policies, and AI-era storage demand make the buying decision less automatic.
Immich vs Google Photos: Which Photo Backup Setup Should You Trust?
Google Photos is easier and Immich gives more control, but neither removes the need for a real backup of originals and metadata.
Syncthing vs Nextcloud vs Cloud Storage: Stop Using the Wrong Sync Tool
Syncthing, Nextcloud, and managed cloud drives solve different problems. Pick by sync model, sharing needs, trust, admin time, and backup plan.
Mini PC vs Raspberry Pi for Homelabs: Which One Should Run Your Services?
A practical homelab decision guide for choosing between Raspberry Pi boards and x86 mini PCs for Docker, Proxmox, storage, networking, and always-on services.
Beginner Proxmox Home Server Build: Safe Defaults for Your First Node
A beginner-friendly Proxmox build plan covering hardware, storage, networking, first VMs, backups, updates, and validation before trusting the server.
Docker Compose for Normal People: Run Home Services Without Container Chaos
A plain-English Docker Compose guide for running home services with understandable folders, volumes, ports, environment files, updates, and backups.
What Not to Self-Host in 2026: A Practical Risk List for Homelabs
A realistic self-hosting risk guide covering email, passwords, identity, family-critical data, public dashboards, backups, and safer alternatives.
Move from Plex to Jellyfin Without Losing Your Rollback Path
Move from Plex to Jellyfin with a read-only parallel run, exact inventory steps, client acceptance checks, and restore and rollback gates before cutover.
Used Enterprise Server vs Mini PC: Which Homelab Buy Makes Sense?
Used enterprise servers are worth it when you need PCIe lanes, drive bays, ECC memory, lab realism, or noisy hardware experience. Mini PCs are usually better for always-on home services because they.
How Do You Back Up Docker Volumes and Databases Properly?
Back up Docker by backing up the data, configuration, and restore instructions, not the running container. For databases, use application-aware dumps or backup tools, then store those dumps with the volume backups.