Automation & DevOps

Self-Hosted Essentials: The Core Stack Every Homelab Needs in 2025

Every self-hosting journey starts with a few essential applications that form the backbone of your homelab. We explore the must-have tools that experienced users install first, and why they're so critical to a successful setup.

11 min read | 91 views | Dec 31, 2025

Sell Your Old RAM Now: The 2025 Market Explained

A perfect storm of supply constraints and sustained enterprise demand has turned that drawer of old RAM into a potential goldmine. This guide explains why the market is hot, what your modules are worth, and how to cash in safely.

11 min read | 89 views | Dec 30, 2025

The Broken Elevation Trend: Why Security Theater Is Killing IT Productivity

A disturbing trend is emerging in 2025 where organizations are removing admin rights from elevated accounts while keeping the accounts themselves, forcing IT staff through multiple approval portals for every task. This security theater approach is crippling productivity while offering questionable security benefits.

12 min read | 89 views | Dec 28, 2025

MongoDB Unauthenticated Exploit: Patch CVE-2025-14847 Now

A critical unauthenticated exploit for MongoDB (CVE-2025-14847) dubbed 'MongoBleed' was publicly released, enabling attackers to leak memory and harvest database secrets. This guide provides immediate patching instructions, detection methods, and long-term security hardening for DevOps and sysadmin teams.

12 min read | 84 views | Dec 28, 2025

When Users Break Your Flow: Automation for the Human Problem

Every sysadmin knows the frustration of being interrupted mid-flow. But what if automation could handle the predictable 'stupid' questions? We explore how modern DevOps principles can create systems resilient to human unpredictability.

10 min read | 86 views | Dec 28, 2025

When Steam Goes Down: The Sysadmin Nightmare in 2025

When Steam's holiday outage hit, sysadmins everywhere raised a virtual glass to their counterparts at Valve. This deep dive explores what really happens during major platform failures, the human cost of on-call rotations, and how modern DevOps practices can prevent—or at least mitigate—these nightmares.

11 min read | 83 views | Dec 27, 2025

On-Call Holidays: DevOps Strategies for Peaceful Celebrations

For every sysadmin and DevOps engineer covering holidays, this guide explores practical automation strategies, monitoring optimizations, and team management approaches to ensure peaceful celebrations while maintaining system reliability.

13 min read | 83 views | Dec 27, 2025

What to Host Next After Your First Self-Hosted Setup

You've conquered the basics with Jellyfin, AdGuard, and the *arr suite. Now what? Here's your roadmap to the next level of self-hosting with automation, security, and productivity tools that will transform your digital life.

12 min read | 125 views | Dec 25, 2025

The Golden Age of IT: Myth, Reality, and Finding Fulfillment in 2025

Many modern IT professionals feel disconnected from the hands-on work that defined earlier tech eras. This article explores whether the 'Golden Age' was real, how automation changed everything, and practical ways to reclaim technical satisfaction in 2025.

10 min read | 85 views | Dec 25, 2025

NIST Atomic Clock Failure: What It Means for Your Systems

When NIST's atomic clock ensemble in Boulder failed due to a power outage in 2025, it revealed how fragile our digital timekeeping infrastructure really is. This breakdown affected thousands of systems relying on accurate time synchronization—and exposed critical vulnerabilities in how we manage something as fundamental as time itself.

13 min read | 89 views | Dec 23, 2025

GitHub Actions Self-Hosted Runner Fees: The 2025 Cost Shock

GitHub's announcement of a $0.002/minute fee for self-hosted runners has sent shockwaves through the DevOps community. For some teams, this means thousands in unexpected monthly costs. Here's what you need to know and how to respond.

13 min read | 85 views | Dec 23, 2025

My Self-Hosting Journey: From Pi-hole to Full Linux Migration

Discover how one tech-savvy user's frustration with ads and Windows 11 led to a complete self-hosting transformation. This diary-style guide covers Pi-hole setup, Linux migration, and practical automation strategies for 2025.

12 min read | 90 views | Dec 23, 2025