Category
Servers
DNS, SSL, server location, hosting decisions, and the Linux fundamentals that matter for anyone managing web infrastructure.
13 guides
When to hire a DevOps engineer vs managed hosting
A practical breakdown of when managed hosting makes more sense than hiring a DevOps engineer — and when you genuinely need one on payroll.
Hidden costs of self-hosting in 2026
The real costs of running your own server — time, risk, security, and the things VPS pricing pages don't mention.
Nginx and PHP-FPM tuning for busy WordPress sites
A practical tuning checklist for Nginx, PHP-FPM workers, OPcache, buffers, and slow request logging on WordPress servers.
Server backup restore drill checklist
How to test backups properly: step-by-step database restore, file recovery, permission fixing, DNS and secret verification, restore timing measurement, and gap documentation.
How to choose the right server location for your WordPress site
The real impact of datacenter geography on latency, and the secondary factors (legal, cost, redundancy) that make the difference for production sites.
DNS explained for people who manage websites
How DNS actually works — A records, CNAMEs, nameservers, TTLs, and the most common DNS mistakes that take sites offline.
Managed email vs self-hosted email: the real tradeoffs
Why most WordPress sites should use a dedicated email service rather than self-hosting mail, and when self-hosting makes sense.
Managed WordPress vs VPS: a practical decision guide
What you give up and what you gain with managed WordPress hosting versus a virtual private server, and how to choose for a specific site.
How to monitor server resources: CPU, memory, disk, and network
A practical guide to server resource monitoring — which metrics actually matter, which tools to use, and how to catch problems before they become outages.
Nginx vs Apache in 2026: which web server should you choose?
A practical comparison of Nginx and Apache for hosting WordPress, static sites, and reverse-proxy workloads. Benchmarks, config differences, and when to pick each.
Setting up automated backups that actually work
How to configure automated backups for WordPress sites, databases, and server configs — and how to verify they will restore when you need them.
Backup checks that matter more than having a backup plugin
The practical questions that decide whether a WordPress backup will actually save you during an incident: storage location, restorability testing, retention policies, alerting, and the dangerous patterns to avoid.
Setting up a mail server: what you need to know
A realistic look at self-hosting email — what it takes to run Postfix, Dovecot, and keep mail out of the spam folder. Includes managed alternatives.