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Core Lab Joe

Core Lab Joe

Dad, IT guy, Self-Hosting Evangelist! https://www.reddit.com/r/corelabtech/

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A digital cybersecurity blueprint showing a glowing orange OPNsense firewall shield protecting a segmented network topology with blue data streams connecting various VLANs. — A logical map of our secure homelab architecture. An OPNsense firewall sits at the core, protecting isolated VLANs from the WAN using segmented routing and default-deny policies.

OPNsense 26.2 Master Guide: Architecture, Hardware & Deployment (2026)

Master OPNsense firewall setup. Build a digital fortress with OPNsense 26.2. This expert 2026 guide covers network topology, hardware sizing, ZFS installation, DNS config and baseline systems hardening.

Will you be a Digital Dragon and Hoard? Or a Hybrid Cloud Streamer who operates their own Netflix like service? Either way - You will have Total Control!

The Ultimate Media Server Guide (2026): Plex vs. Jellyfin vs. Cloud-Hybrid Stacks

Should you build a NAS or stream from the cloud? We break down the 4 paths to media server mastery: The Digital Dragon (Arr Stack), The Streamer (Stremio), and The Hybrid (Zurg).

Networking & Cybersecurity Roadmap: The 2026 Guide to a Secure Homelab

Networking & Cybersecurity Roadmap: The 2026 Guide to a Secure Homelab

Ditch the ISP router. Learn to secure your homelab with OPNsense, VLANs, and SWAG. A 20-year veteran's roadmap to building a "Default Deny" digital fortress in 2026.

Beyond the Fluff: Real-World CI/CD Automation for Your Homelab — Photo by Florian Olivo / Unsplash

Beyond the Fluff: Real-World CI/CD Automation for Your Homelab

Beyond the fluff: real-world CI/CD automation for your homelab. What CI/CD actually does, the core pipeline components, and why it matters even at small scale.

Installing & Gaming on Pop!_OS (Steam, Lutris & Heroic, ProtonGE) — Pop!_OS Download page

Installing & Gaming on Pop!_OS (Steam, Lutris & Heroic, ProtonGE)

Switch to Linux the right way. A complete, step-by-step guide to installing Pop!_OS, setting up for gaming with NVIDIA drivers & optimization.

So many choices for gaming via Linux now, PopOS, SteamOS, Nobara, Lakka, Garuda, Nobara and CachyOS! — So many choices for gaming via Linux now!

State of Gaming on Linux in 2026

Proton, ProtonDB, and the best gaming distros compared. Everything you need to know about ditching Windows for Linux gaming in 2026.

Dashboard of Frigate, showing my cams and live birds-eye view.

Frigate 0.17 NVR Setup Guide: NVIDIA GPU, Docker Compose & go2rtc (2026)

Set up Frigate with Reolink cameras and an NVIDIA GPU using Docker, go2rtc, and TensorRT. This guide shows how to reduce CPU usage, stabilize RTSP streams, and get fast, accurate object detection.

AI Generated image of an AI robot controlling streams and services in a "cyber cloud" for Stremio & Read Debrid. — This may be what you feel like, after getting this all working ;)

The Complete Stremio + Real-Debrid Setup Guide (2026 Working Config): The "Netflix Killer" Setup

Stremio provides the Netflix-style interface, AIOStreams aggregates multiple sources into one addon, and Real Debrid/Torrentio delivers fast HTTPS streams without maintaining a media server.

Beyond the Streamer's Paywall: A Dive into Self-Hosted Streaming Media Servers — Photo by Shutter Speed / Unsplash

Beyond the Streamer's Paywall: A Dive into Self-Hosted Streaming Media Servers

Break free from streaming subscriptions! Explore Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, and Stremio. This guide compares features, costs, and privacy for beginners.

An image of a digitized "ghost" running backup data streams across infrastructure. It's just a header image for eye-candy. — Backing up your data is easier than you think!

How to Automate Docker Backups: Script to Stop, Sync, Update & Prune

A production-ready bash script to safely stop, backup, update, and restore your Docker stacks with rsync, plus a full disaster recovery playbook.

Digitized cyberpunk styled wolf jumping through a LAN to WAN NAT table. — The packet wolf leaping through from LAN to WAN and being NAT'd.The packet wolf leaping through from LAN to WAN and being NAT'd.

Homelab NAT Explained: How Network Address Translation & Port Forwarding Work

Learn how NAT works in a homelab, how port forwarding exposes services, and why reverse proxies are safer for self-hosting.

RAM-Only VPNs FTW — Photo by Ian Talmacs / Unsplash

RAM-Only VPNs FTW

RAM-only VPN servers store nothing on disk and wipe all data on reboot. Why that matters for privacy, the Hong Kong PIA case study, and how top VPN providers compare.