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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KV Cache Quantization: Free LLM Context, Almost
KV cache eats your VRAM at long context, not the weights. Q8/Q4 KV quantization in llama.cpp and vLLM cuts it 2-4x with almost no quality hit.
9 min read -
LoRa Mesh vs LoRaWAN vs Helium
LoRa, LoRaWAN, and Helium are not the same thing. What each one actually is, what it is good for, and why the Helium IoT network deflated the way it did.
11 min read -
NextDNS vs Self-Hosted: When SaaS Wins
NextDNS vs Pi-hole vs AdGuard Home: an honest breakdown of when paying two dollars a month beats running and maintaining your own DNS server from home.
11 min read -
Self-Hosted CAPTCHA Alternatives in 2026
Ditch reCAPTCHA data harvesting for good. Here are the best self-hosted and privacy-respecting CAPTCHA alternatives for your home lab web apps in 2026.
10 min read -
Skopeo: Container Image Surgery Without a Daemon
Skopeo lets you copy, inspect, and sync container images between any registry without Docker. No daemon, no bloat, just clean image ops.
10 min read -
Meshtastic vs MeshCore in 2026
Meshtastic vs MeshCore: routing models, hop limits, who gets to repeat traffic, and which LoRa mesh firmware you should flash on your first radio in 2026.
12 min read -
DNS-over-HTTPS at Home: cloudflared vs dnscrypt-proxy
cloudflared vs dnscrypt-proxy for encrypted DNS at home, setup steps, threat model, Pi-hole integration, and which one actually fits your home lab setup.
9 min read -
Komga vs Kavita: Self-Hosted Comic & Manga Servers
Komga vs Kavita: the definitive self-hosted comic and manga server comparison. Library structure, OPDS, reading apps, metadata, and Docker Compose for both.
10 min read -
Headlamp: K8s UI Without the License Drama
Headlamp is the CNCF-backed Kubernetes UI that won't hold your clusters hostage. Deploy it, add OIDC auth, and extend it with plugins for your home lab setup.
12 min read -
YubiKey + age: Hardware-Backed Encryption Without GPG
Use age + age-plugin-yubikey to encrypt files with a key that literally cannot leave your hardware token. No GPG drama required.
9 min read -
K9s vs Lens vs Headlamp: Cluster UIs
K9s, Lens, and Headlamp compared for Kubernetes cluster management, find the UI that fits your workflow: terminal TUI, desktop GUI, or self-hosted web app.
10 min read -
Pangolin: Self-Hosted Cloudflare Tunnel Alternative
Pangolin gives you Cloudflare Tunnel-style access to home services via a $5 VPS, WireGuard mesh, and zero vendor lock-in.
9 min read
