Guides

In the software development world, Git has become the default choice for a version control system and most professional programmers use it every day. It’s not just used for handling source code though, but also configuration files, documentation, images, and more. That means that even if you never touch source code, there are still plenty of useful reasons to learn some Git basics. So this is an introduction to Git for “everyone else”, those of us who aren’t using Git every day as an integral part of our professional workflow. We’ll cover the commands and procedures that are most relevant when using Git on an occasional basis. And hopefully you’ll also get a glimpse into why it can be valuable to commit to learning a even a bit more about this powerful piece of software. ...

Immich offers a refreshing alternative to services like Google Photos by prioritizing privacy and control. As a self-hosted solution, it keeps your photos and videos entirely on your own hardware, avoiding third-party data mining or subscription fees. You get full ownership of your media, support for RAW files, and customizable organization tools—like auto-sorting photos into folders based on dates, cameras, or custom rules. While setup requires some technical work and , it’s a trade-off for avoiding vendor lock-in and ads. Its local AI features (face/object recognition) may not match Google’s polish, but for users valuing transparency and flexibility, Immich is a compelling, ethical choice. ...

You may have seen one of those Lightweight Windows ISOs out there such as Tiny 11, and AtlasOS. These are custom Windows ISOs that debloat Windows, remove things like Windows 11’s ads and copilot, take up less disk space, RAM, and system resources, So, these custom ISOs like Tiny11 are becoming relatively popular. BUT. I do not recommend these custom ISOs. For one, many of these ISOs disable core features, for example Tiny11 Core disables Windows Defender, Windows Update, and the WIndows Component Store. That is an extreme example because the Tiny11 developers don’t even recommend using the Core variant of Tiny11, but the point is, these ISOs are usually outdated, break things like Windows Update, and you don’t know what random things people are going to do to these ISOs. On top of that, you’re getting no support at all from Microsoft, and with all the weird mods and hacks they often break. They’re also straight illegal. You probably won’t get in trouble for just installing Tiny11, but if you are caught distributing it, than don’t be surprised if you find yourself in prison for 15 months. ...

Today I’ll be showing you how it can actually be pretty simple to get a self hosted monitoring system set up for your home lab. The idea is to collect and visualize key data about your machines, like how much CPU, RAM, and disk capacity is being used over time. Having monitoring in place can be really useful for understanding if there are adequate resources dedicated to your various services, and it can also just be a lot of fun to look at. Before we go any further, here’s a sample screen shot of what our end result will look like: ...

NixOS is a Linux distribution based on the Nix package manager. Nix has been trending lately so there’s a good chance you’ve heard of it. But if you went to do some research about Nix you might have gotten a bit lost in concepts like dependency trees and the Nix programming language. The good news is that you don’t need to understand how Nix works in depth or know any programming to enjoy the benefits that it brings. Nix has a repo of about 80,000 packages, which puts it up there with the Arch Linux AUR as a contender for the largest in the Linux ecosystem. You can actually use Nix on top of any distro and even MacOS, but today we’ll be focusing on NixOS specifically. First, I’ll tell you a bit about what makes Nix special, and then I’ll demonstrate a basic server installation to show how it works in practice. ...

Recently, I was asked a surprising question: Can you use Windows as a NAS (Network-Attached Storage) operating system? Initially, I reacted with shock and horror, but upon further thought, I realized it’s a valid query worth exploring. Yes, you can use Windows for this purpose, and I’ll guide you through the process. https://youtu.be/5pZu35hTipo Introduction While there are superior NAS-specific operating systems like UNRAID, TrueNAS, and Open Media Vault, Windows can still provide NAS functionality for those who prefer it or are simply working with an existing Windows installation. This guide will show you how to transform a Windows desktop into a NAS. ...

If you’ve been following recent videos on TechHut, you probably know we’re big Docker fans. Whether it’s media servers, analytic tools, web services, or download clients, most applications demoed on the channel are running in Docker containers. In this post, we’ll go over the why, the how, and some of the basics you need to know to start using Docker and implementing it in your network. What is Docker? But first, what is it? Docker is a platform that allows you to work with containers and containerized applications. In the world of software and servers, a container is an isolated environment that generally has a single primary application running inside. Containers allow developers and system administrators to create and deploy reproducible images that are similar to packages from a distro’s package manager. However, containers don’t rely at all on libraries or dependencies from the host system–they come with everything required to run a given application in a known working configuration. ...

AI and ChatGPT is possible in your Windows, macOS, and Linux terminal! In this article, we cover a small utility called tgpt that will allow you to run AI prompts in your terminal without the need for API keys. From its GitHub page, the application is described as “a cross-platform CLI (command-line) tool that lets you use ChatGPT 3.5 in Terminal without API KEYS. It communicates with the Backend of the Bai chatbot. It’s written in Go.” ...

Creating a basic Apache web server is often the first step in your web development journey. Apache is the base requirement for many web applications and products. Better yet, you can use an Apache web server to host your self-made or generated static websites with something like HUGO. In this video, we will be using Linode to host the server. You can use any VPS provider or even do this on your own hardware. Linode sponsors the companion video attached to this article, and if you use our link, you can get a $100 60-day credit. Below is the full video with all the steps and commands needed. ...

Nothing is better than sitting back and playing some of your favorite games when you were a kid, or even better, showing the next generation some awesome games we grew up with. In this guide, we will set up our RetroPie console using the Raspberry Pi 4. Depending on the Pi you have, you may be able to emulate old arcade games all the way up to Play Station 1 and N64 games. RetroPie itself allows us to emulate a good number of older consoles. Before we get into the setup, let’s talk about what you’ll actually need to accomplish this. ...