DEV Community: Piyush

My Week of Self-Hosting Adventures

Piyush — Sun, 28 Dec 2025 07:13:04 +0000

This week, I went all-in on self-hosting from tinkering with operating systems to spinning up my own VPS and deploying apps with Docker.

I grabbed a basic hosting plan for around ₹700, and honestly? Totally worth the experiment. The journey started with the essentials: creating users, updating packages, patching the system—basically getting everything production-ready.

For exposing ports, I went with Caddy instead of the usual Nginx.

The apps I tested this week:

Glance — simple self-hostable server status/dashboard - https://github.com/glance-gh/glance
Uptime Kuma — self-hosted uptime monitoring
https://github.com/louislam/uptime-kuma
https://uptime.kuma.pet/
Outline — team knowledge base
https://github.com/outline/outline
https://www.getoutline.com/
Zerobyte
ntfy — simple notification service
https://github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy
https://ntfy.sh/
n8n — workflow automation
https://n8n.io/
https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n

Each one was a mini-adventure in itself.

I've even been experimenting with building my own OS (more on that in an upcoming series!), but today I want to focus on something simple: why you should try self-hosting.

It gives you control, teaches you a ton, and it's honestly just fun. Right now, I'm eyeing a Raspberry Pi to host my own home VPS.

Could be the next chapter in this journey.

Stay tuned! 🚀

Reborn Windows

Piyush — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 06:40:32 +0000

Reborn Windows: A Minimalist’s Guide to a Windows Machine

The Quest Begins

Every great adventure starts with a clean slate. Think of a fresh Windows install as your hero’s rebirth.

🔧 A lightweight option, consider TinyOS, a bloatware-free version of Windows that’s as nimble as a ninja.
💾 Create a bootable USB using tools like Rufus.
📁 Before you start, back up your data.

Your Windows is now a blank canvas, but a hero needs tools! Here’s a curated list of free, lightweight apps to supercharge your PC without weighing it down:

7zip: Unpack files faster than a shuriken throw.
Brave: A privacy-first browser that blocks ads like a shield.
VLC: A video player that handles every format like a master alchemist.
Sublime Text: A sleek text editor for coding ninjas.
Everything: Search files instantly, like a hawk-eyed tracker.
KDE Connect: Sync your phone and PC seamlessly.
SumatraPDF: A lightweight PDF reader that’s quick as lightning.
Espanso: Automate text snippets for ultimate efficiency.
PowerToys: Microsoft’s secret sauce for productivity boosts.
SyncThing: Keep files in sync across devices without the cloud.

Check out Gourav’s blog for more gems like Ditto Clipboard, ImageGlass, and FreeDownloadManager. These are your trusty kunai—sharp, simple, and effective.

Clipboard Mastery: Enable clipboard history (Settings > System > Clipboard) to store multiple items like a memory jutsu.
Multilingual Text: Turn on multilingual text suggestions (Settings > Time & Language > Typing) for faster typing.

Slow System?: Run sfc /scannow in Command Prompt to fix corrupted files—it’s like a healing potion for your PC.

Printer Setup

Rename your PC for easy network sharing (File Explorer > This PC > Properties > Rename).
Enable network sharing (Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Private: Turn On, Password Protection: Off).
Share folders (Right-click > Give Access > Everyone > Read/Write).
Enable SMB in Windows Features (Control Panel > Programs > Turn
Windows Features On/Off) for network sharing.
Create a desktop shortcut to the network path (\Desktop-Name\Folder) for quick access.

Privacy & Security: Guard Your Dojo

Your PC is your sanctuary, so protect it like a hidden village:

Disable BitLocker: Unless you need encryption, turn it off to avoid slowdowns.
Windows Update: Pause updates via services.msc (Windows Update > Properties > Disable) to control when they run.
Privacy Settings:
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Windows Permissions and App Permissions. Turn off everything you don’t need (location, camera, etc.).
Disable background apps (Settings > Apps > Installed Apps > Advanced Options > Never Run in Background).
Turn off Windows Backup, Device Usage, and Lock Screen “fun facts” (Settings > Personalization).
Browser Config: Import your old browser settings, but disable telemetry in Brave or Edge for extra privacy.
For encryption needs, use tools like hat.sh instead of BitLocker for lightweight file protection.

Optimization: Keep It Lean, Not Mean
Forget debloating scripts—they’re like cursed scrolls that mess with Windows Updates. Instead, tweak settings manually:

Personalization

Background: Use a static image, not a slideshow or Spotlight.
Taskbar: Turn off unused widgets and search.
Lock Screen: Disable fun facts (nobody needs them).

Apps

Startup: Disable unnecessary apps (Settings > Apps > Startup).
Share Across Devices: Turn off unless needed.
Visual Effects: Run SystemPropertiesPerformance.exe (Win + R) and select “Adjust for best performance” to disable animations and transparency.
Wi-Fi Issues: Update drivers in Device Manager and disable “Save Power” in Power Management settings.

Backup & Recovery

Every hero needs a backup plan. Create a system restore point (Control Panel > System & Security > System Protection > Create). If disaster strikes, boot into a Windows 10 bootable USB and use tools like Hiren’s BootCD to recover files or fix issues.

The Reborn Windows

Your Windows PC is now a sleek, privacy-focused, optimized machine—ready to take on any task like a shonen protagonist facing their final boss. Disable unnecessary startup apps, update drivers, and keep your system clean by removing temp files (Settings > System > Storage > Temporary Files).

And there you have it, young shinobi! Your Windows is reborn, ready to slice through tasks with the precision of a samurai’s blade. Now go forth and conquer your digital adventures!

My Linux Journey

Piyush — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 08:52:40 +0000

My Linux Journey: From a Broken PC to Aesthetic Bliss 😎

Hey there, Buckle up for a fun and slightly chaotic tale of how I went from a frustrated kid with a dying PC to a Linux wizard 🧙‍♂️. This is my story of diving into the Linux rabbit hole and "never give up" energy 💪.

1. The Backstory 📖

Picture this: it’s 2018, a kid obsessed with PC games 🎮. Weapon of choice? A second-hand PC running Windows 7, barely holding itself together 😵.

I dreamed of epic gaming sessions, but my PC had other plans: crashing, freezing, and eventually, the ultimate betrayal "it died" 💀.

Boot? Nope. Repair? Broke again. Repair again? Broke again. I was stuck in a repair cycle from hell 🔥. Out of frustration, I decided to take matters into my own hands ✋. I started researching, but nothing worked until I stumbled upon a magical word "Linux" 🐧.

2. Never Give Up: The Linux Leap 🚀

Fast forward to 2020, and I’m ready to start my Linux journey.
It wasn’t all rainbows 🌈 and unicorns 🦄. Back then, the Linux world felt like a wild forest with fewer tools and more "figure it out" vibes 🌲.

My mission? Get a Linux distro running on my dead PC 🖥️.

Step one: grab a pendrive 📀
Step two: download an ISO 💾
Step three: make the pendrive bootable 🔌

Sounds simple, right? Wrong! 😣

It was a nightmare that tested my patience 😤. I burned through a 4GB CD (retro, I know) 💿 and, after countless failures, finally got Ubuntu installed. It was pure "never give up" spirit 💥.

3. The Rabbit Hole 🐰

With Ubuntu up and running, I was like in a candy store 🍬. The sleek interface, the freedom, it was love at first boot 😍. For six months, I lived and breathed Ubuntu, reinstalling it at least 100 times because, I was fascinated (and maybe a little reckless) 😜. But then, reality hit.

Compatibility issues 😬. The software market was just growing, and installing apps? Oh boy. My first encounter with the terminal was like stepping into a dark, spooky forest 🌑. Commands like sudo apt install felt like casting spells in a wizard’s lair 🪄.

Scary at first, but the more I practiced, the more it felt like home 🏡. I learned about package managers, and soon I was installing apps like a pro 😎.

From Ubuntu, I hopped to Kubuntu, then Linux Mint, KDE Neon, and finally landed in the cozy, aesthetic arms of Manjaro KDE 🖤. I stayed there for a year, soaking up knowledge about cleaners, environments, and the Linux way of life. It was my safe haven, but the adventure wasn’t over yet.

4. The Final Destination 🏁

Enter Archcraft, the tea of productivity, music, and pure aesthetic bliss ☕🎶. This is where I discovered the magic of window managers like i3, dwm, awesome, bspwm, and qtile. These tools transformed my desktop into a sleek, minimal, and gorgeous workspace ✨.

Imagine a desktop that looks like a sci-fi movie interface, perfectly tailored to my vibe 🪐. It’s not just a PC, it’s a lifestyle 😎.

Archcraft became my endgame, blending functionality with an aesthetic that screams “I’m a cool developer” 😏. I found my productivity sweet spot.

5. Pure Wisdom 🧠

Here’s the golden nugget I’ve learned ⭐

It doesn’t matter which distro you pick. Ubuntu, Manjaro, Archcraft, or something else entirely. It’s about what fits your needs, your style, and your comfort zone 😌.

Linux is a playground of possibilities 🎡. Whether you’re chasing performance, aesthetics, or simplicity, there’s a distro out there calling your name 📢.

So, dive in, experiment, and don’t be afraid to break things (you’ll reinstall, trust me) 😉. The Linux world is vast, vibrant, and ready for you to make it your own 🌍.

What’s your Linux story? Drop it in the comments—I’d love to hear about your journey! 🗣️ And if you’re new to Linux, don’t worry. Take it one command at a time, and you’ll be a terminal wizard in no time 🧙‍♂️.

Obsidian Setup

Piyush — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 07:59:35 +0000

tldr

Royal Velve (theme)
Reading View as Default !
Fit Sync
Auto Link Title
Pomodoro Timer
Omnisearch
Emoji Shortcodes
Protected Note
homepage
calendar

Theme

Royal Velve

A Color Full Dark Theme

Extension

Fit Sync

Sync your files across mobile and desktop devices with one click.

Create A Repo for your vault
Create a Github personal access token
Select your Your Repo and branch
Click on FitSync :) Your Dobe !

Auto Link Title

This plugin automatically fetches the webpage to extract link titles when they're pasted, creating a markdown link with the correct title set.

When pasting https://github.com/zolrath/obsidian-auto-link-title the plugin fetches the page and retrieves the title
resulting in a paste of: [zolrath/obsidian-auto-link-title: Automatically fetch the titles of pasted links](https://github.com/zolrath/obsidian-auto-link-title)

Pomodoro Timer

Omnisearch

Find your 📝notes, 📄PDFs, and 🖼images faster than ever.

Protected Note

Set Password and hide your notes from other people 🔒

Emoji Shortcodes

Directly insert emoji into the page 😄

Calendar

Track your every Day

Homepage

Open a specified note, canvas, or workspace upon launching Obsidian.

💻 My VScode Setup

Piyush — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 06:12:05 +0000

I am All time Sublime Fan,
And maybe its time to switch to a more efficient code editor.

Short-cut

C + S + f : find text in whole PJ
C+S+p : Command Palette
C+` : Toggle Terminal
C+S+x : extension

Assets

hermit font

Extension

One Dark Pro
Materail Icon
Vetur
Bracket Pair Colorizer 2
color highlight
ReactJS
TailwindCSS
Thunder Client
Live Server
Prettier

Tribute to Sublime

I love this application even being a not opensource project

This is my way of showing gratitude of using sublime

I've haven't purchase its license yet but eventually I will doesn't matter i use it or not

Tailwind CSS

Piyush — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 09:07:06 +0000

Tailwind being mobile first framework has a responsive design curve
It follows atomic styling classes where each CSS property can be defined by using class attributes
To learn tailwind faster, start exploring its free component availabe in the market
One great thing about TailwindCss community is they provide really good documentation : https://tailwindcss.com/

eg : For flex box layout

Plain CSS

display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
justify-content:center;
align-items:center;

Tailwind CSS

<div class="flex items-center justify-center flex-cols">

Layout

- container : container
- Height : [min/max]-h-[full/screen]
- Width : [min/max]-w-[full/screen]

Flex

flex
flex-[col/row]
items-[left/center/right]: vertically
justify-[start/center/right]: horizontally
space-y-3
md:flex-row

Image

layout : object-fit rounded-xl h-80 md:h-64
animate : transform hover:scale-105 hover:rounded-xl duration-200

Content

Classes for typography

font-serif 
text-[sm/md/lg/xl/2xl..6xl]
font-[light/medium/bold] 
text-[left/center/right] 
text-[color]-[50..900]
md:text-left 
leading-[normal/relax/loose]

button

p-[1..6]
bg-[color]-[50..900]

button
.group
span=vector
Dash under text = .mx-2.mt-2.duration-500.border-b-2.opacity-0.border-black.group-hover:opacity-100

anchor

  Link
  anchor tag
   no-underline font-bold

Input

outline : form > grp > input + label

appearance-none : remove default input styling

w-full  :
rounded-lg
border border-gray-300 border-1 focus:border-blue-600 focus:outline-none  : border styling
  bg-transparent

---submit
Click Effect :  bg-blue-600 hover:bg-blue-400
Box effect : shadow-lg
Pointer : Cursor-pointer

Signup Page

Try to breakdown the Page into signle UI Components and then even at micro level css visually (not literally;)

Concept

visualize One Single page
Layout being grid with 2 col , • 1 with image and • 1 with 2 input fields (email & password)

Steps

List Down Components : card, image, input field
toc : Create a Outling of it • html • card • 1 : image • wrapper( image ) • 1 : form • grp( input + label ) • inp_submit

Image Gallery

Global Container (grid)
- ImgContainer: .relative.group
- wrapper_image
- text_over_image :
  - position : .absolute.botttom-0.left-0.right-0
  - animate : .duration-500.opacity-0.group-hover:opacity-100

Projects

Practice

Cheat sheet

Free Components

Opensource Contribution 👾

Piyush — Sun, 03 Mar 2024 04:23:42 +0000

tldr

Find a Project

Clone it and Get Familiar with Code

Observe Issue

Fork and work on that issue

Create Pull Request including : "Fixes #issueID"

Pre-Requisites 👌

1. Learn an Skill

Just get started with an skill , preferred languages for beginners would be JavaScript & Python.
Learn Any One , Start getting familiarise yourself with the language.

2. Start Building Projects

Create Portfolio.
Create Different kind of projects.
Clone of an per-Existing Application.
Watch Others Project , Create Your Project , Deploy that Project , Showcase Your Project to Others (SM...).

3. Git & GitHub

Learn GIT Basics
Start using GitHub
Get familiar with its features (Github Actions,Pages,Desktop)

Opensource Contribution 👍

1. Find Opensource Project

pick up an Opensource Project which also uses the same stack as you are learning.
Observe and get familiar with the project by locally setup or trying their online services.
Google any openaource alternative of the regular tool you are using .
Follow on github acc , watch their star listed projects
Github provide various Page : Explore , Trend , Events

Advance Search Option :

in:name , in:description

is:issue , is:open , label:"easy"

stars:1..1000 , pushed:>2022

language:JavaScript

is:issue  stars:<1000 is:open   in:description tailwind

Checkout

README.md : gives overview of the project.
languages : To know , are you familiar with the languages.
Code Of Conduct : It gives overview of the project and what blueprint should be followed for your contribution has been documented.

4.Template for Issue , Pull request , Commit Message.

Issues

Once you get familiar with project you can start creating `issues.
Issues are nothing but raise an point you want to contribute such as any feature or fixing an bug.
Every Issue has its own #ID.
Creation of an good issue : Clear and Minimal Title , good description , Screenshot of that issue , Solution Description.

2. Fork & Local Setup

before getting start to opensource contribution in a project you need to fork it and setup locally.
Fork : Creating an copy in your Own GitHub Repo to work on.

Fork and Locally Setup
Create an new-branch & do Changes in the Code
Commit that new-branch
push that new-branch into Your GitHub Repo
Create an Pull Request of it

3. Sync Upstream Branch

Connect to the repo you forked : git remote add upstream <github_repo>
Switch to your main/master branch : git switch main
fetch the changes in upstream repo : git pull upstream main
Update your GitHub Repo : git push origin main

create an branch regarding that issue , create fix branch only from being into main branch else you will clone the fix branch . then goto main branch and pull the latest commit to stay updated

Ethical Border 🫶

In Opensource Contribution, their are various factors to keep in mind.
You can't expect that your PR(Pull Request) will get merge every time.
You have to be an open minded person and all review on your code of other developers.
Opensource Doesn't mean you have become an developer but its gives as close as possible experience.
Don't get demotivated , initially you wont be able to do regular contribution but keep going , you will learn by making mistakes.
Opensource Community has very big heart and ready to help you in all kind of situation , Just be respectfull to other and show little patience thats all.

License

GPL v3 : Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.
Apache v2 : when distributed and are not required to provide source code. Apache licenses contain a patent grant.
MIT : It allows anyone to do whatever they wish with the original code, as long as the original copyright and license notice is included either in the distributed source code or software.
more...

Resources 👊

Explore

Learn

hackathon

devfolio , gsoc , jwox , iwoc , innogeeks
https://github.com/prathimacode-hub/Open-Source-Programs

find opensource alternative of your tool then find suitable stack to work on .

React vs Vue

Piyush — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 19:05:36 +0000

As I've recently started learning react , being an Ex Vue Developer. I can see the vision as well as difference of what make these two used for same purpose (Website) but in Different Condition.

React	Vue
High Learning Curve	Easy to Use
Huge Eco System	Minimal & Focused Eco System
Flexible Integration capability	Low Integration Capability
Prioritise Code Consistency	Prioritise Fast Project Building

If react is looking very Hard for you to learn , start with vue then you can choose to whether stay with vue or switch to react, as you learn basic concept such as components , props , event handling , conditional rendering faster with vue.

Lets Dive into CODE

Below is an Count Increment Example

React

import { useState } from 'react'
import './App.css'

function App() {
  const [count, setCount] = useState(0)

  return (
    <>
      <div className="card">
        <button onClick={() => setCount((count) => count + 1)}>
          count is {count}
        </button>
        <p>
          Edit <code>src/App.tsx</code> and save to test HMR
        </p>
      </div>
    </>
  )
}

export default App

<script setup lang="ts">
   let count = ref(0)
</script>

<template>
  <div>
    <div class="count" @click="count++"> 
      {{ count }}
    </div>
  </div>
</template>

<style scoped>
.count {
  background-color: #323232;
  padding: 1.5em;
}
</style>

As you can see , the same purpose can be acquired by both the Tech.

Conclusion

Learn React 💙

If you want to get a job in frontend as fast as possible
Want an Huge Eco System Support

Learn Vue 💚

Want to learn frontend concepts quickly
Start building Projects