The Spark: Linux in High School
My adventure truly began in Grade 12 when I fully switched to Linux. That decision opened up a whole new world, and it wasn't long before I stumbled upon Docker. The idea of packaging applications seemed incredibly powerful, even if I didn't fully grasp its depth back then. When I started my Computer Science Year 1, I took the plunge and bought a modest $5 VPS – that was the real start of my homelabbing journey.
Early Days: Docker Standalone and Learning Pains
At first, I didn't know much beyond how to host existing open-source projects that offered ready-to-use Docker images. I was running Docker standalone, which meant everything was in one place. My VPS quickly became a mess of assigned ports, leading to frustrating port conflicts and plenty of head-scratching moments as a beginner. But these challenges were blessings in disguise. They forced me to learn the essentials: IP routing, understanding ports, configuring DNS, setting up reverse proxies, and scheduling tasks with cronjobs. Each problem solved deepened my understanding of how networks and applications truly interact.
Evolution: From VPS to True Homelab Power
Slowly, I began to evolve. I moved beyond standalone Docker and embraced Docker Swarm, a more advanced way to manage my containers. This allowed me to truly containerize my own code and websites, bringing my development and deployment workflows to a new level. The thrill of seeing my applications seamlessly scale across a cluster, even a small one, was incredibly rewarding.
The biggest leap, however, came in 2024. My $5 cloud server, while a great starting point, was no longer enough. I decided to build a proper server-grade computer for my homelab. This beast now boasts a dual Xeon CPU motherboard with two E5-2680 v4 processors and 64 GB of ECC RAM. This new server has truly unleashed my ability to experiment and learn without limits.
THE END
I'm incredibly glad I started my Linux journey in high school, as it directly led me down this fascinating path. And now, with my powerful new homelab, I'm excitedly diving into Kubernetes, eager to explore the next frontier of container orchestration. It's been an incredible adventure of continuous learning and building.