Notes on code, games, and the stuff in between.
Run your own Tailscale control plane with Headscale. Docker compose setup, preauth keys, MagicDNS, point clients with --login-server. No vendor lock-in.
Honest take on Caddy vs Nginx for small servers. Auto-HTTPS Caddyfile in 5 lines vs nginx + certbot. Where each one actually wins.
Pterodactyl is in maintenance mode. Pelican Panel is the fork that's actually moving. Install on Ubuntu 24.04 + first gameserver in 20 min.
Run a Minecraft, Valheim or Palworld server only your friends can reach. Tailscale mesh, MagicDNS, no DDoS surface, no router config.
Lock down RDP on Windows Server — enforce NLA, restrict the firewall to specific IPs, audit failed logons, kill the bot brute-force traffic. The settings I run on every internet-exposed server.
Three legacy protocols still enabled by default on Windows Server that no modern network needs. PowerShell one-liners to disable each, the rare exceptions, and how to verify.
Enable BitLocker on a Windows Server OS volume via PowerShell — TPM unlock, recovery key handling, the boot quirks specific to Server, and how to unlock from WinPE.
Alternative to the Utilman trick — replace sethc.exe to get SYSTEM-level cmd at the Windows lockscreen. When to use it, how to harden against it.
Set up a Satisfactory dedicated server on Ubuntu via SteamCMD. Native Linux build (no Wine), small RAM footprint, ports, claim flow, save backups.
How to run an ARK Survival Ascended dedicated server on Ubuntu via SteamCMD and Wine. Real RAM requirements, ports, mods via CurseForge, weekly restart strategy.
Run an Enshrouded dedicated server on Ubuntu via SteamCMD + Wine. Systemd unit, ports, the real RAM requirement, save backups, and the gotchas the wiki skips.
Run a CurseForge or Modrinth modpack server (Forge / NeoForge) on Ubuntu. Server-pack download, JVM tuning for modded RAM appetite, systemd unit, update workflow.