Earlier in 2025, I signed up for Oracle’s “Free Forever” cloud offer. It was, and still is, one of the most generous free tiers available, especially for developers and hobbyists. I wrote a post to document my setup, and today I’m updating it with a more modern, simpler stack and...
Continue reading...A SysAdmin’s Tale: From a “Simple” Sync Error to a Full Server Health Check
This is the story of how I fixed a broken file sync. Except, it wasn’t just about the file sync. It was about what the sync error was hiding: a server at 93% disk capacity, applications silently crashing, and gigabytes of space being wasted by runaway logs. Join me as...
Continue reading...The Ultimate Guide to Installing and Using Gemini CLI on Windows, Linux, and VS Code
In the fast-paced world of software development, efficiency is everything. What if you could bring the power of a cutting-edge AI directly into your terminal, ready to answer questions, explain code, and generate commands without ever leaving your command line? That’s exactly what the Gemini CLI offers. It’s a powerful...
Continue reading...A Step-by-Step Guide to Installing Portainer with Docker and Caddy on an ARM Server
Managing a server with multiple Docker applications can quickly become a juggling act of docker ps, docker logs, and docker-compose commands. While powerful, the command line isn’t always the most efficient way to get a high-level view of your services. That’s where Portainer comes in. It’s a lightweight, powerful, open-source management UI that gives...
Continue reading...Supercharging Your Cloud Server Management: Mountain Duck + Tailscale + ARM Ubuntu Done Right!
Managing files on a remote server can sometimes feel like navigating a maze. Public IPs, firewalls, SSH keys – it’s a lot to keep track of. But what if I told you there’s a “super cool” way to get seamless, secure file access, even to your Oracle ARM Ubuntu server,...
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