Guides, releases and engineering notes

Wireguard -vpn-server-hosting

How to move a website to a new host without downtime

A step-by-step migration plan that keeps your site live the whole time — DNS timing, staging, mail and the checklist people forget.

How to stop your email going to spam (the 2025 checklist)

SPF, DKIM, DMARC and the sending habits that decide whether your mail lands in the inbox or the junk folder — in the order to fix them.

A self-hosted Google Photos alternative: getting started with Immich

Google Photos is convenient and free until it is not. Here is how to move to Immich — a self-hosted photo and video backup platform with automatic phone uploads, faces and smart search.

What is a VPS? A plain-English guide (and how to pick one)

What a virtual private server actually is, how it differs from shared hosting and a dedicated server, and how to size your first one.

How to run your own mailing list with Listmonk

Self-host a newsletter with Listmonk — no per-subscriber fees, your list stays yours. What it does and the exact setup path.

How to self-host a password manager with Vaultwarden (in under an hour)

Vaultwarden is a lightweight, self-hosted server for the official Bitwarden apps. Here is what it is, why it is popular, and the exact steps to run your own — securely.

The best free DNS tools for troubleshooting (and when to use each)

A tour of the free DNS tools that actually resolve problems — lookup, propagation, DNSSEC, blacklist checks — and the order to run them in.

How to back up a VPS properly (a strategy that survives real disasters)

Snapshots are not backups. Here is a 3-2-1 backup strategy for a VPS — what to back up, where to put it, and how to prove a restore actually works.

The best self-hosted Slack alternatives (and how to choose)

Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Zulip and Matrix all replace Slack on your own servers. Here is what separates them, and which to pick for a team that wants its chat in-house.

Nginx vs Apache: which web server should you run?

The two dominant web servers, compared honestly — architecture, performance, configuration and which fits your workload.

How to replace Zapier with self-hosted n8n (and when you should not)

n8n runs visual automations on your own server with no per-task billing. Here is how it compares to Zapier and Make, how to migrate, and the honest trade-offs.

Self-hosted cloud storage: Nextcloud vs Seafile vs Syncthing

Three very different approaches to "my own Dropbox." Here is what each does best, and how to choose based on whether you want a platform, performance, or pure sync.

What is object storage? S3 explained for people who are not cloud engineers

Buckets, objects, keys and endpoints — object storage explained plainly, plus why self-hosting S3-compatible storage (MinIO/Garage) is a smart move for backups and media.

VPS vs shared hosting: which one do you actually need?

Shared hosting is cheap and hands-off; a VPS is raw control. Here is a plain-English way to decide which fits your project — and when to switch.

How to self-host WordPress on a VPS (that stays fast)

A complete walkthrough from a blank VPS to a fast, secure WordPress site — stack choices, hardening, caching and the mistakes that slow people down.

WireGuard explained: why self-hosting your own VPN beats a subscription

WireGuard is fast, small and auditable. Here is what it actually does, and why running your own endpoint changes the privacy and performance maths.

How to choose a hosting region (and why latency is mostly distance)

Region choice is the highest-impact performance decision you make before you write a line of code. Here is how to pick well using measurable data.

Self-host your own cloud: a practical Nextcloud guide

Take your files, calendars and documents off someone else’s servers without losing convenience. What to plan for before you install Nextcloud.

Why your live stream buffers (and the fixes that actually work)

Buffering is a chain of bottlenecks. Learn how to find the real cause — upload, transcode, bandwidth or the viewer’s connection — and fix it.

S3-compatible object storage, explained without the jargon

Object storage is how modern apps keep files. Here is what “S3-compatible” means, when to use it, and how to avoid the egress bill trap.

Why (and how) to self-host your password manager

A hosted password manager concentrates enormous risk in one place. Self-hosting Vaultwarden keeps your encrypted vault under your own control.

What is a CDN, and does your website actually need one?

A CDN puts copies of your static assets closer to visitors. Here is when it dramatically helps, when it does nothing, and how to tell the difference.

Backups that actually save you: the 3-2-1 rule in practice

Most people have backups and still lose data, because the backup was never restorable. Here is a backup plan that survives real failures.

Running Docker on a VPS: the practical starting point

Docker makes self-hosting hundreds of apps a one-command affair. Here is how to run it well on a VPS without fighting it later.

Is your website fast enough? A simple performance audit

Speed is a feature users feel and search engines measure. Here is a five-minute audit that finds the bottlenecks that actually matter.

Hosting an internet radio station: what you actually need

From stream bitrate to auto-DJ and listener stats — a practical look at the moving parts behind an online radio station.

How to improve email open rates without spamming people

Deliverability and open-rate tactics that respect your list: authentication, sender reputation, subject lines, segmentation and list hygiene.

Web hosting vs a website builder: which do you actually need?

Hosting plus a CMS versus an all-in-one website builder — compare cost, control, ownership and who each one suits.

How to choose a domain name that still works in five years

Practical domain naming: extensions that build trust, why hyphens and misspellings hurt, brandable vs keyword names, and protecting the name you pick.

How to size a VPS: CPU, RAM, disk and bandwidth explained

A practical guide to choosing VPS resources: what actually runs out first, how to estimate RAM and disk, and when to resize instead of over-buying.

What is a 301 redirect and how to use one without losing SEO

301 vs 302 vs 307 explained, how to set redirects up on Apache and nginx, and the redirect-chain mistakes that quietly cost you rankings.

How to set up a subdomain (and when you should)

Create subdomains correctly: what a subdomain is, how to add the DNS record, SSL for wildcards, and when a subfolder beats a subdomain.

How to reduce bounce rate: speed, clarity and the first five seconds

Practical, measurable ways to keep visitors on your site: real performance fixes, clear above-the-fold messaging, and mobile-first checks that matter.

Is self-hosted VPN hosting worth it? (WireGuard vs commercial VPNs)

When running your own VPN makes sense, when it does not, and how self-hosted WireGuard compares to a commercial VPN service on privacy, cost and effort.

How to build a backup strategy you would actually trust in an emergency

The 3-2-1 rule explained in practice, how often to back up, off-site copies, and the one step almost everyone skips: restoring to prove it works.

How to fix a 500 Internal Server Error (step by step)

A calm, ordered approach to debugging a 500 error: where to look first, the common causes, and how to confirm the fix before you tell anyone it's resolved.

How to point a domain to your website (A, CNAME and nameservers)

Point any domain at your hosting correctly: choosing between A records and nameservers, setting them up, and checking it worked without guessing.

Email deliverability checklist: beyond SPF, DKIM and DMARC

You set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC and mail still lands in spam. Here is the rest of the checklist: alignment, rDNS, reputation, list hygiene, warm-up and DMARC reporting.

How to speed up WordPress: a practical checklist

The changes that actually make WordPress faster — hosting fundamentals, caching, images, database hygiene and how to measure the result.

Video hosting explained: HLS vs MP4, bitrates and captions

When to serve MP4 and when to use HLS, how to pick bitrates that do not buffer, and why captions matter for reach and accessibility.

WireGuard vs OpenVPN: which should you run?

A practical comparison of WireGuard and OpenVPN for private VPN hosting — speed, battery, configuration, security and when to pick each.

How to transfer a domain without breaking your site

Transferring a domain safely: the EPP/auth code, unlocking the registrar lock, avoiding the email pitfalls, and what to expect during propagation.

How to choose a web host in 2025 (and the traps to avoid)

The questions that actually matter when choosing a web host — renewal pricing, migrations, backups, support quality and the terms hidden in the fine print.

VPS hosting for beginners: sizing, SSH, firewall and backups

What a VPS actually is, how to choose the right size, and the first four things to do after you get root: SSH keys, a firewall, updates and backups.

How to migrate a WordPress site with zero downtime

A step-by-step WordPress migration: staging the copy, moving the database, testing, then cutting DNS over with no downtime and no lost orders or comments.

DNS propagation explained: why your domain change isn't live yet

Why DNS changes seem to take hours, how TTL and caching really work, and how to verify a change with a free propagation checker.

How to start an internet radio station in 2025

Everything you need to launch an internet radio station: software, bitrate, listeners, licensing basics, AutoDJ, and going live in under an hour.

How to set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC (the 20-minute guide)

A plain-English guide to SPF, DKIM and DMARC: what each record does, exact examples you can copy, and how to test them for free before you send.