marcgeremias

HTTPS, Cloudflare SSL/TLS and blog deployment with docker

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 11:50:47 +0200

Introduction

In the previous iteration, we successfully deployed a simple web page using Docker and exposed it to the internet through HTTP on port 80.

While this setup was enough to understand the basics of networking, DNS, and container deployment, it has an obvious limitation: all traffic is transmitted in plain text. Anyone between the client and the server could potentially inspect or modify the exchanged data.

The next logical step is therefore enabling HTTPS using SSL/TLS encryption.

Simple first web deployment

Fri, 15 May 2026 11:50:47 +0200

Introduction

With the VPN and remote access already configured, we can now start working on lab projects. The first thing I would like to achieve is deploying a simple web page. The most straightforward approach would be to install a web server such as Nginx or Apache and configure it to serve files from a specific directory.

However, since the goal of this project is to better understand modern infrastructure and self-hosting practices, I also want to experiment with Docker, reverse proxies, domain configuration, and basic network security. For this reason, I decided to use Docker containers to deploy my first simple web page.

Home server VPN

Wed, 13 May 2026 11:50:47 +0200

Introduction

So, now we have a fully functional server capable of running multiple services. However, access is still limited to the local network (LAN), which is impractical for remote usage. To solve this, there are several options, such as exposing the server to the WAN using port forwarding or setting up a VPN-based solution.

In terms of security, there are pros and cons to both approaches. However, in this case, I not only want to access the server itself, but also other machines within the same LAN. Additionally, I want to be able to manage the router when I am not physically at home.

Initial home server setup (Ubuntu, SSH & Networking basics)

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:50:47 +0200

Introduction

Nowadays, when building a new application, we often end up relying on multiple SaaS services such as app hosting, mail relays, database infrastructure, payment gateways, caching systems, routing, observability tools, and many others.

However, I do not think these services should always be the default choice. A proper architectural analysis should be performed before introducing external dependencies into a project. Building a tech stack is relatively easy, but maintaining it over the mid or long term can become expensive, complex, and sometimes difficult to migrate away from.