Homelab on Bader Alrowaiei

How to Install Docker on a RackNerd VPS and Self-Host n8n with Caddy

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 14:27:22 +0300

In the previous post, How to Secure Ubuntu 24.04 on a RackNerd KVM VPS , we covered the following:

Enabling 2FA on the VPS provider account and control panel.
Logging in as root once, then updating, upgrading, and rebooting the system.
Creating a non-root sudo user.
Setting up SSH key authentication and disabling password login.
Disabling root SSH login.
Setting the server timezone.
Enabling unattended security updates.
Configuring UFW to allow SSH, HTTP, and HTTPS while denying all other inbound traffic.
Installing and tuning Fail2Ban, with a 3-hour ban time.
Running YABS to benchmark the VPS and save a baseline.

The idea was simple: secure first, deploy later. Now that the server is locked down, it’s time to put it to work.

How to Secure Ubuntu 24.04 on a KVM VPS - RackNerd

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 20:45:16 +0300

After setting up a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 VPS, the first priority is hardening it before hosting anything public. In this guide, I’ll walk through the essential steps: securing access with SSH keys, disabling password login, creating a non-root sudo user, enabling automatic updates, setting up a firewall, and adding brute-force protection with Fail2Ban.

I’ve always wanted to own a VPS as a small corner of the internet where I could run web apps, test scripts, and learn by doing. But I could never quite justify the monthly cost or find the time to manage one. Instead, I stayed busy with virtual machines on my PC and laptop, which kept my curiosity satisfied for a while.

How to Export Firefly III Data

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 16:47:18 -0600

In this article, I will cover the steps I took in OpenMediaVault to export all the data from Firefly-III to Unraid on my new server, EVE 6, a ZimaBlade powered by Unraid . As I transition to this new setup, I document my process and progress to facilitate future improvements and enhancements. I also hope this article will inspire others to tackle similar projects.

How to Build a ZimaBlade‑Powered Unraid NAS – Step‑by‑Step Guide (2025)

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 13:16:01 -0600

Learn to assemble a high‑performance Unraid NAS on a ZimaBlade board, with detailed hardware setup, OS install, Tailscale VPN and share configuration.

The Evolution of EVE: Lessons from a Home Lab Enthusiast

In an era where data drives everything from work to leisure, the Network-Attached Storage (NAS) concept has moved from corporate server rooms to the homes of tech enthusiasts. My story of starting with OpenMediaVault on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ in 2019 and evolving through a series of hardware upgrades and software experiments to my current ZimaBlade powered by Unraid EVE 6.0 is a testament to the power of curiosity, adaptability, and the never-ending quest for optimization.