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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Dify: Visual Agent Workflows
Dify is an open-source LLM-app builder you can self-host. Visual workflow editor, RAG, agents, tool use — without writing 500 lines of LangChain glue.
11 min read -
LazyLibrarian + Readarr: Automating Your Book Library
LazyLibrarian vs Readarr for ebook and audiobook automation — honest comparison of features, maturity, and community support, with real Docker Compose configs.
11 min read -
stunnel vs spiped
TLS tunneling for legacy plaintext services — stunnel's X.509 cert model vs spiped's pre-shared key simplicity, and when each one actually wins.
9 min read -
OpenRouter vs LiteLLM
Two ways to route LLM traffic across providers — OpenRouter as a hosted gateway, LiteLLM as a self-hosted proxy. Which one fits your home lab in 2026?
12 min read -
Immich vs PhotoPrism vs Ente: Self-Hosted Photo Libraries
Google Photos went paid and the alternatives matured fast. Immich, PhotoPrism, and Ente: which self-hosted photo library actually fits your life in 2026?
10 min read -
Unbound vs Technitium vs BIND
Picking a recursive DNS resolver for your home lab — Unbound, Technitium, and BIND9 compared on speed, GUI, DNSSEC, and split-horizon.
11 min read -
Function Calling in Local LLMs
Local LLMs can call tools, query APIs, and run code if you set them up right. Function calling on Ollama and llama.cpp explained — patterns that actually work.
13 min read -
HACS: When Custom Integrations Bite You
HACS custom integrations can brick your Home Assistant setup overnight. Here's how to use them safely, recover when they don't, and know when to skip them.
10 min read -
ntopng vs darkstat
ntopng vs darkstat: full DPI flow analysis vs a tiny always-on stats page. Pick the right tool for home-lab network visibility without losing your mind.
10 min read -
Gemma 4 vs Qwen3.6
Gemma 4 vs Qwen3.6: sizes, reasoning, coding benchmarks, and which model you should actually pull for your home lab rig.
11 min read -
AnythingLLM as Knowledge Base
AnythingLLM is the closest thing to a real private NotebookLM you can self-host. Workspaces, RAG, agents, document chat — running locally on Ollama in 20 minutes.
13 min read -
FRR vs BIRD
FRR vs BIRD: two open-source routing daemons compared for BGP, OSPF, and home-lab dynamic routing. Which one belongs in your stack?
9 min read
