Technical articles about full-stack development and software engineering
Ricardo Gil
Full Stack Software Engineer · Writing about .NET, Angular, PostgreSQL, and building production systems.
Prompt caching in the Claude API dramatically reduces latency and token costs for repeated context. Here's a practical developer guide with real code examples.
Prompt caching reduces Claude API input token costs by up to 90%. Practical guide with Node.js and .NET code examples, RAG patterns, and monitoring tips.
From budget Hall Effect boards to premium wireless options, these are the 6 best mechanical keyboards to buy in 2026 — with honest recommendations for every use case.
The wireless earbud market hit a new high in spring 2026. Here are the 6 best picks — from $50 budget buds to flagship ANC monsters — with honest pros, cons, and who each is actually for.
AWS Kiro is the first AI IDE that writes specs before code. An honest review of its spec-driven workflow, pricing, agent hooks, and who should actually use it in 2026.
Run MinIO in a Proxmox LXC container to get S3-compatible object storage at home. Wire it into Proxmox Backup Server, Immich, and K3s Velero — zero egress fees.
Set up Paperless-ngx on Proxmox LXC in 2026. Full guide: Docker Compose stack, ZFS storage passthrough, scanner integration, OCR, and auto-tagging that actually works.
Zed is the fastest AI code editor in 2026—Rust-built, 120fps GPU rendering, half the price of Cursor. Honest review of whether it's worth switching your daily driver.
Set up Traefik v3 as a reverse proxy in a Proxmox LXC with Let's Encrypt DNS-01 certs, Docker label routing, and a production-ready middleware stack.
Running n8n self-hosted on Proxmox cut my automation costs by 85% vs Zapier. Here's the honest breakdown for developers in 2026.
Tired of Portainer paywalls? Run Komodo on Proxmox LXC instead — free, GitOps-ready, multi-server Docker management. Step-by-step setup guide for 2026.
5 ergonomic chairs picked specifically for long coding sessions — under $400. Real recommendations for developers who sit 8+ hours a day, tested and ranked in 2026.
Comparing Granola, Fireflies, Fathom, and Otter AI in 2026 — honest verdict on which meeting notetaker fits your workflow, team size, and budget.
Forgejo or Gitea on Proxmox LXC? We compare governance, CI/CD, resource use, and migration paths so you can pick the right self-hosted git platform in 2026.
Buying a tablet for school in 2026? These 6 picks under $500 cover every budget and OS -- with honest advice on iPad vs Android vs Windows.
Claude Code Agent Teams let you run parallel AI agents on the same codebase. Here's what actually works, what it costs, and when to use them in 2026.
Immich 3.0 is the best Google Photos alternative in 2026. Here's exactly how to run it on Proxmox LXC with ZFS storage passthrough — step by step.
The 2026 NAND shortage pushed SSD prices higher, but great portable drives still exist. Here are 5 fast, reliable picks from $60 to $150 worth buying now.
Comet vs Atlas vs Dia in 2026: we compare security risks, dev workflows, and pricing to reveal which agentic AI browser developers should actually trust.
Authentik vs Keycloak on Proxmox LXC — real resource usage, setup time, and OIDC integration compared so you pick the right SSO for your home lab in 2026.
Looking for a USB mic under $100 in 2026? We tested 6 top picks for podcasting, streaming, and home office calls — with honest pros, cons, and who each is best for.
Comparing Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, and GitHub Copilot for .NET full-stack developers in 2026. Real trade-offs, pricing, and which one to actually use.
Beszel uses 10MB RAM vs Grafana + Prometheus's 500MB+ stack. Here's exactly how both perform on Proxmox LXC in 2026 — and which one fits your home lab.
Upgrade your video calls with the right webcam. We tested and ranked 6 top picks for every budget — from $30 budget cams to 4K AI-tracking powerhouses.
Honest 2026 comparison of Claude Code, Cursor, and GitHub Copilot for .NET and backend developers. Real trade-offs, pricing, and a clear verdict.
Dockge vs Portainer on Proxmox LXC compared head-to-head in 2026. Learn which Docker Compose manager fits your home lab — and how to set up the winner in minutes.
The best 4K monitors for software developers in 2026 — sharp text, USB-C docking, and easy-on-the-eyes panels tested across every budget from $250 to $650.
Honest Codex CLI review for backend developers in 2026 — what actually changed with GPT-5.5, the two-tier workflow, pricing, and when to use it vs Claude Code.
Self-host NetBird on Proxmox LXC for a fully self-hosted WireGuard mesh VPN — no cloud dependency, full control. Step-by-step guide for home lab engineers.
Looking for a laptop this summer? Here are 7 tested picks across every budget — from $399 Chromebooks to the MacBook Air M5 and beyond.
Windsurf 2.0 embedded Devin directly into the IDE. Here's what that actually means for your daily coding workflow — and whether it beats Cursor.
Google's Gemini CLI gives you 1,000 free AI coding requests per day. Here's how it actually works — and whether it's worth switching from Claude Code.
Coolify v4 hit stable in April 2026 with MCP support and Ollama integration. Here's how to run it on Proxmox LXC and replace Heroku for good.
The best noise-cancelling headphones in 2026 for every budget — from $50 sleepers to the flagship Sony XM6 and Bose QC Ultra 2nd Gen.
n8n 2.0 ships native LangChain AI nodes. Here's how to build real agentic workflows that run on your own hardware — free.
How to run OPNsense 26.1 as a Proxmox VM, segment your network with VLANs, and finally stop trusting your ISP router.
The best portable SSDs in 2026 across every budget — from $40 budget picks to blazing-fast Thunderbolt 5 drives for video editors and creators.
A hands-on guide to Model Context Protocol in 2026 - what MCP is, why it became the universal standard, and how to build your own AI tool integrations.
Proxmox VE 9 drops cgroup v1, adds RAIDZ expansion, OCI containers, and HA rebalancing. Here's what changes, what breaks, and how to upgrade safely.
WiFi 7 prices have finally dropped. Here are the 5 best routers to buy in 2026 — from budget-friendly to full mesh — with real recommendations.
Prompt engineering is dead. Context engineering is the high-leverage skill that separates AI users who get real results from those chasing better prompts.
How I migrated my repos off GitHub to Forgejo on Proxmox LXC, set up Forgejo Actions runners, and built a real CI pipeline.
Honest USB mic buying guide for 2026: from budget bedroom podcasters to pro hybrid setups. Real picks, real prices, no fluff.
Cursor 3 shipped in April 2026 with parallel AI agents built in. Here's what actually changed for developers who write code for a living.
How to use cloudflared tunnels to securely expose Proxmox-hosted services publicly — no static IP, no port forwarding, no exposed attack surface.
Stop wasting money on the wrong gaming mouse. Here are the 6 best wireless gaming mice in 2026, with honest picks for every budget and grip style.
An honest developer's take on AI voice dictation in 2026 — Wispr Flow, Superwhisper, built-in alternatives, and the hardware that actually matters.
A complete guide to running Jellyfin, Sonarr, Radarr, and Prowlarr in Proxmox LXC containers — no Plex subscription needed.
Google's NotebookLM got a massive 2026 upgrade: Deep Research, Cinematic Video Overviews, and Gemini sync. Here's an honest take on where it fits in your workflow.
Run your own Tailscale control plane with Headscale inside a Proxmox LXC container. Full mesh VPN — no Tailscale cloud, no data leaving your network.
OLED monitor prices fell 40% and Mini LED hit under $300. Here are the best gaming monitors to buy right now, for every budget.
92% of devs use AI to write code, but most are doing it wrong. Here's the honest, practical guide to vibe coding that actually ships to production.
A practical guide to deploying Immich on Proxmox with Docker, hardware-accelerated ML, and mobile auto-backup — finally a Google Photos alternative that works.
From agentic coding to MCP, open-weight models to context engineering — here are the 7 AI dev trends reshaping how engineers build software in 2026.
A practical guide to deploying a multi-node K3s Kubernetes cluster on Proxmox VMs — with Longhorn storage, Traefik ingress, and Tailscale remote access.
A no-fluff breakdown of the top AI coding assistants in 2026 — Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, and Claude Code — with honest pros, cons, and who each tool is actually for.
Shopping for a laptop without breaking the bank? Here are the best budget laptops in spring 2026, tested and worth your money.
How to configure GPU passthrough on Proxmox and run 32B parameter LLMs locally with Ollama—zero cloud costs, full privacy, production-grade output.
Compare the best mini PCs for software development in 2026. Real-world testing with Docker, databases, and compilation benchmarks from a full-stack engineer.
How I set up OpenClaw on an isolated Proxmox VM to run a personal AI assistant accessible via Signal — fully self-hosted, no cloud dependency.
How I turned a Dell OptiPlex 7090 into a full home lab server running Proxmox VE, Ubuntu LXC containers, Samba file sharing, AdGuard DNS filtering, and Tailscale — all for zero recurring cloud cost.
Learn how to deploy production-grade Node.js applications on Windows 11 with nginx, PM2, and auto-start capabilities. Step-by-step guide with real-world examples.
Real-world Beelink GTi13 Ultra review after 6 months running Docker, databases, and home lab services. i9-13900HK performance benchmarks and AWS cost comparison.
Learn how I built a complete photography e-commerce platform with unique 'name your price' offers using Angular 20, Firebase, Stripe payments, and AWS S3 for secure image storage.
Learn how I migrated my Stripe payment server from Windows to a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ using Tailscale for secure remote access, running 24/7 for pennies a month.
How a Beelink GTi13 Ultra mini PC replaced my $500/month AWS infrastructure and saved me $5,024 in year one. Complete breakdown of costs, setup, lessons learned, and why self-hosting isn't just about saving money—it's about becoming a better engineer.
Complete technical case study of building and publishing Daily Random Bible Verse to the App Store. React Native, Expo, offline-first architecture, real metrics, and lessons learned from my first mobile app.
Learn how to implement production-ready Firebase Authentication in Angular 18 with email/password, Google Sign-In, route guards, role-based access, and more. Includes full code examples and common pitfalls.
How I went from leaving Venezuela in 2015 to becoming a full-stack software engineer in the US. Real challenges, practical advice, and lessons learned from building a tech career as an immigrant.
Real-world PostgreSQL optimization techniques that improved query performance by 40%, including strategic indexing, query optimization, and connection pooling.
Discover how to self-host applications with Tailscale for zero-trust networking, eliminating cloud costs while maintaining security and accessibility.
Learn how I built a comprehensive photography business management system using .NET Core 8, Angular 18, and PostgreSQL, handling clients, bookings, galleries, and invoicing.