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Engineering Notes
Self-hosting, homelab and DevOps – notes from practice
Concrete problems, decisions and results from my own projects: short, honest and reproducible.
Series: leaving the cloud
Self-hosting · Homelab · Privacy
Leaving the cloud: a home server instead of Google, iCloud & co.
At home I run a Proxmox server with 15+ services. Here is which cloud services it replaces for me, what it costs – in time – and where you are better off staying in the cloud.
Proxmox · LXC · Homelab
Proxmox & LXC in a homelab: which containers I run and why
Four containers, four roles: how my home server is built, which programs run where and how I laid out the storage.
Access · Security · Backup
Reaching and protecting a home server: Tailscale, Cloudflare Tunnel, vzdump
A home server is only as good as its access and its backups. My principle: no port forwarding, every access path a conscious decision, a backup every day.
More notes
DevOps · Cloudflare · Zero Trust
Zero Trust for the homelab: Cloudflare Tunnel and Access instead of open dashboards
An internal dashboard was publicly reachable via a subdomain. Here is how I locked it down with Cloudflare Tunnel, Cloudflare Access and Tailscale.
DevOps · CI/CD · Next.js
CI/CD for Next.js 15 on a VPS: GitHub Actions, PM2 reload and Caddy
Manual deployments were slow and error-prone. Today a git push is enough – no downtime and no PaaS.
AI · LLM · Content pipeline
AI content with human-in-the-loop: 200+ guide articles from LLM drafts
With care law, AI mistakes are not acceptable. This is how I use a language model as a writing aid without handing it the responsibility.
Field report · Hardware · Linux
Why I left macOS – and what my 2013 iMac can still do
An iMac with 32 GB of RAM and a good display is not junk after twelve years. Why I switched to Windows and Linux anyway – a personal field report, not a benchmark.
AI · Productivity · Calculator
How much routine work does AI save? A calculator based on studies
The studies show very different numbers – from just under 3% to over 40%. Instead of a single number, the calculator gives three scenarios, each with its source, in hours and euros for your team.
AI · Labour market · DevOps
The world in 10–20 years: three scenarios instead of a forecast
Nobody knows what the world looks like after AI, robots and drones. What one can do: collect measured numbers, derive scenarios from them and ask what stays the same in all of them – from the view of someone working in IT and DevOps.
Regulation · Security · DevOps
CRA reporting duty from 11 September 2026: 24 hours, 72 hours, 14 days
Since 11 September 2026, manufacturers of products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities – in three stages and on a fixed clock. What this means for development and DevOps teams.
Regulation · IT security · SMEs
NIS2 for small IT companies and freelancers: thresholds, deadlines, duties
The German NIS2 implementation act has been in force since 6 December 2025. Whether a company is directly affected depends on sector and size – but small firms feel it as suppliers too.
Regulation · AI · Transparency
AI Act Article 50: what needs doing by 2 December 2026
Most of Article 50’s transparency duties have applied since 2 August 2026. For the machine-readable marking of generative AI already on the market, a transition period runs until 2 December 2026. A checklist for developers and operators.
Homelab · Backup · Proxmox
Backup the 3-2-1 way and the restore test: a backup only counts once it has been restored
Most backup stories end at the same point: the backup ran – but nobody ever tested whether it can be restored. Here is how I back up my Proxmox host and how I test the restore without endangering anything running.
Career · DevOps · Field report
Career change into DevOps in Germany: my plan, my evidence, my gaps
I am looking for a permanent IT job, with DevOps and platform engineering as the best fit. This is an open account of what the market offers according to the numbers, where I come from and how I make my skills verifiable.
Projects
Case study · SaaS · Trades
MeisterMeld: voice-first reports and job management for tradespeople
An AI-assisted field-service app that lets trades businesses create work reports by voice and photo right on the job site – instead of typing up notes in the evening.
Case study · Health · Guides
PflegeOasis: care-level calculator, objection-letter generator and AI content with human review
A free portal that helps relatives find their way through the German care system – with calculators, checklists and more than 200 guide articles.
Case study · Website modernisation · Trades
Kernbohr-Expert: website modernisation with a price calculator and AI readiness
The website of a core-drilling company in Dresden gained a price calculator, the Kerni assistant and a structure that search engines and AI assistants can read well.
More from my homelab
Find the whole series, more notes and case studies here.
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