Latest Posts
14
Jul
🧪 What's Up in the Lab? - July 2026
CrowdSec Web UI, Authelia MFA, a new reverse proxy learning path, and a family-friendly Mealie recipe manager setup in this month's Core Lab roundup.
4 min read
10
Jul
Mealie Docker Setup Guide (2026): Build a Self-Hosted Recipe Manager Your Whole Family Will Actually Use
Learn how to install Mealie with Docker in 2026. Build a beautiful self-hosted recipe manager with recipe imports, meal planning, shopping lists, and secure remote access.
8 min read
06
Jul
What is a Reverse Proxy? Why Every Homelab Needs One (2026 Guide)
Learn what a reverse proxy is, why every self-hosted homelab should use one, and compare SWAG, Traefik, Caddy, Nginx Proxy Manager, HAProxy and NGINX before choosing the right solution.
12 min read
06
Jul
Authelia: Centralized MFA for Self-Hosted Services
Stop exposing unsecured apps. Learn how to deploy Authelia in Docker with a KeyDB backend and SWAG to enforce centralized Multi-Factor Authentication.
9 min read
30
Jun
CrowdSec Web UI: The Dashboard CrowdSec Should Have Shipped With
CrowdSec told me it was working, but I wanted to see it. Here's how I deployed CrowdSec Web UI for live alerts, geo-mapped attacks, and notifications - without giving up local control.
10 min read
22
Jun
Latest from the Lab - Jun 22 '26
Canada's digital privacy rollback, hardening your homelab stack, Prime Day deals, and a new homelab pen-testing guide in this week's Core Lab update.
6 min read
22
Jun
Prime Day 2026: Homelab, Networking & Budget PC Deals Worth Your Click
Skip the junk. Here are the genuine, tested Prime Day 2026 deals on 10GbE switches, OPNsense mini-PCs, NAS storage, and budget server hardware.
19 min read
22
Jun
Canada Is Quietly Dismantling Digital Privacy - And You're Probably Not Paying Attention
Buried inside federal Bills C-22, C-34, and C-9 is a sweeping surveillance architecture. Here is what it means for Canadians and how to self-host your way out.
18 min read
16
Jun
🛡️ Auditing the Castle: How to Scan and Pen-Test Your Homelab (2026 Guide)
Stop guessing if your self-hosted infrastructure is secure. Use Shodan, Greenbone OpenVAS in Docker, and Trivy to audit your homelab like a professional.
17 min read
09
Jun
New from Core Lab: Linux Gaming Showcas, 1 Year of Running A Tech Blog, more to come
The CachyOS gaming guide, one year of running a Ghost tech blog (costs and lessons learned), and a preview of an upcoming homelab security audit.
4 min read