SumGuy's Ramblings
The art of wasting time.
Docker, self-hosting, AI/LLM, Linux, and DevOps — explained by someone who learned the hard way. No fluff, no enterprise jargon, just practical stuff that actually works on real hardware.
Recent Posts
-
Falco + Trivy in k3s: Runtime Security on Small Clusters
Combine image scanning and runtime detection in k3s with Falco and Trivy Operator. Practical Helm setup, working rules, and alert routing for small clusters.
15 min read -
Renovate for k8s GitOps
Auto-update Kubernetes images and Helm charts with Renovate: the built-in Helm managers, custom regex managers, cron scheduling, and PR grouping rules.
14 min read -
External Secrets Operator + Vault on k3s
Pull secrets out of git with External Secrets Operator and Vault on k3s: real server mode, Kubernetes auth that actually works, rotation and audit trails.
15 min read -
k3s on Pi 5 Cluster: Real or Toy?
A k3s cluster on Raspberry Pi 5 is real Kubernetes with real limits. Which workloads stick, why the M.2 HAT is mandatory, and when to go buy mini-PCs.
16 min read -
Kustomize Without Helm: When Overlays Win
Skip Helm for home lab Kubernetes. Kustomize base + overlays give you dev/staging/prod variants with zero templating pain.
11 min read -
Compose-to-Helm Migration That Doesn't Break
Migrate from Docker Compose to Helm without throwing away your Compose setup. Use kompose, hybrid CI stages, and run both in parallel during the transition.
16 min read -
Ingress Choices in k3s: Traefik vs ingress-nginx vs HAProxy
Traefik, ingress-nginx, or HAProxy on k3s? ingress-nginx retired in March 2026. Install commands, IngressRoute vs Ingress, and the ServiceLB port trap.
18 min read -
k3s Backups: etcd Snapshots + Velero
etcd snapshots and Velero on k3s: the native S3 upload flags, the local-path hostPath trap that silently skips your PV data, and a restore drill that works.
16 min read -
MetalLB for Bare-Metal LoadBalancer
Give your bare-metal Kubernetes cluster load-balanced services with MetalLB. Layer 2, BGP, IPAddressPools, and when to use each.
10 min read -
Longhorn vs OpenEBS for k3s Storage
Battle of the distributed storage drivers: Longhorn's simplicity vs OpenEBS's flexibility for your 3-node k3s cluster.
19 min read -
ArgoCD for Home Lab GitOps
Install ArgoCD on k3s, manage apps declaratively from Git. Secrets, sync waves, app-of-apps pattern explained.
15 min read -
Helm Without the YAML Soup
Master Helm templating sanity. Values files, smart defaults, when to skip Helm entirely, and why nested variables aren't always the answer.
13 min read
