Adventures in Setting Up a Home Server
I finally decided to take the plunge and set up a proper home server. For years, I've been relying on various cloud services, but the desire for more control over my own data and the fun of a new project was too strong to ignore. After some research, I decided on a low-power single-board computer to keep electricity costs down.
The initial setup was surprisingly straightforward. I flashed a lightweight Linux distribution onto an SD card, plugged everything in, and was able to SSH into the machine within minutes. The first order of business was to set up basic security: updating packages, creating a new user with sudo privileges, and configuring the firewall.
With the base system ready, the real fun began. I decided to manage all my applications using Docker, which keeps everything neatly containerized. The first service I set up was a network-wide ad-blocker, which has already made Browse the web at home much more pleasant. Next, I'm planning to migrate my files to a self-hosted cloud solution and set up a web server to host some personal projects. It's been a rewarding experience so far, and I'm excited to see what else I can do with this little machine.