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
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Postgres Replication: Streaming + Logical
Postgres replication at home: when you need read replicas, streaming vs logical replication explained, slot management, conflict handling.
9 min read -
Database Migrations: Liquibase vs Flyway vs Atlas
Compare Liquibase, Flyway, and Atlas for schema migrations. Declarative vs imperative, CI integration, and which suits your home lab.
9 min read -
MariaDB vs MySQL in 2026
Fork futures: MariaDB's agile innovation vs MySQL's Oracle stewardship. Storage engines, JSON, replication, and why your choice matters now.
8 min read -
What Is an AI Harness?
What is an AI harness? A plain-language answer, plus 21 of them grouped by job: Claude Code, Codex CLI, Kilo Code, Goose, OpenHands and DeepSeek Harness.
20 min read -
SQLite for Self-Hosted Apps
Why SQLite is the secret weapon for self-hosted apps. WAL mode, concurrency limits, and when to actually leave it behind for Postgres.
7 min read -
Redis vs Valkey After the License Drama
Redis went source-available, then back to AGPL. When to migrate to Valkey or KeyDB, persistence and clustering options, and what matters for self-hosters.
9 min read -
Postgres Backups: pg_dump vs pgBackRest vs WAL-G
Compare pg_dump, pgBackRest, and WAL-G for Postgres backups. Point-in-time recovery, S3 setup, and restore drills.
10 min read -
Postgres in Docker: The Durable Setup
Docker volumes, version pinning, health checks, and tuning. A production-ready Postgres Compose template with init scripts and backup strategy.
10 min read -
The KVM-over-IP Question: PiKVM vs JetKVM vs DIY
Remote console without IPMI: compare PiKVM, JetKVM, and DIY solutions, hardware costs, BIOS access, latency, and when to pick each.
11 min read -
Rack Choice: Open Frame vs 4-Post vs Wall-Mount
Pick the right rack for your homelab: open frame vs 4-post vs wall-mount. Cable management, noise, and space trade-offs explained.
12 min read -
2.5GbE / 10GbE on a Budget
Skip Cisco. Used SFP+ gear from MikroTik and Mellanox turns 10GbE from $5k fantasy into $200 reality.
10 min read -
HBA Cards for ZFS
Pick the right IT-mode HBA for ZFS: LSI 9211-8i vs 9300-16i vs 9400 series. Flash firmware, avoid RAID controllers, navigate expanders and PCIe lanes.
9 min read
