DEV Community: Syn Naulaid

I Moved from GitHub to Codeberg and Started Self-Hosting My Website

Syn Naulaid — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 15:43:40 +0000

As developers, we often build our workflows around tools that make our lives easier.

We use Git for version control, hosted platforms for repositories, and managed services to deploy our websites. When everything works, we rarely think about what would happen if one part of that setup suddenly became unavailable.

Recently, I had a reason to think about exactly that.

GitHub had been my home for repositories and my personal website. I used GitHub Pages because it made publishing a website simple, especially for someone building personal projects without a dedicated hosting budget.

Then I encountered a problem.

My account was still accessible, but I could no longer publish my website as expected. I did not know the exact cause, and I did not want to speculate about what had triggered it.

What I did know was that my existing workflow was no longer working for me.

The timing was unfortunate, too. I had recently connected a custom domain to my personal website. I was excited about that small milestone, and suddenly I had to spend time figuring out an alternative.

So, I decided to make a change.

Codeberg for My Repositories

My first step was migrating my repositories to Codeberg.

The goal was simple: keep my source code accessible and continue developing my projects in a different environment.

Repository migration is a useful reminder that Git and hosting platforms are not the same thing. Git provides the underlying version-control functionality, while platforms add collaboration tools, interfaces, and integrations around it.

When migrating, it is worth checking your commit history, branches, tags, remotes, and any platform-specific features your projects depend on.

I also believe that keeping independent backups is important. Moving to a new platform should not be the only recovery strategy for valuable code.

A Home Server for Deployment

For my personal website, I decided to try self-hosting through my home server.

This is where things become more interesting.

Instead of treating hosting as something that simply happens after a Git push, I need to understand the environment running my website.

That includes DNS, network connectivity, HTTPS, deployment configuration, backups, and security updates.

There are also practical limitations. A home server may become unavailable when the internet connection drops, the electricity goes out, or the hardware fails.

Self-hosting is not a magical solution to every hosting problem. It exchanges some managed-service convenience for more control and more responsibility.

For me, that trade-off is part of the learning experience.

What I Learned About Platform Dependency

I still appreciate GitHub. It helped me learn, store code, and publish projects with very little initial infrastructure work.

My migration is not an argument that everyone should leave GitHub.

Instead, it made me reconsider how much of my workflow depended on a single service.

Could I recover my repositories if I needed to move? Did I have backups? Did I understand how my website was deployed? Could I troubleshoot the infrastructure if something went wrong?

These questions are useful even when your current setup is working perfectly.

You do not have to self-host everything to become a better developer. Sometimes, understanding your dependencies and maintaining a recovery plan is enough.
The Story Behind the Migration

This post covers the technical lessons I am taking away from the experience. The full story is more personal: it explains my disappointment, why the timing mattered, and why I chose to move forward without turning that disappointment into hatred.

You can read it here:

Moving On, Not Out of Hate: My Journey from GitHub to Codeberg

For now, I am learning to manage a different setup, experiment with my home server, and understand more of the systems supporting my work.

I do not know whether this new arrangement will always be the right choice. But I know that the experience is teaching me something valuable: convenience is useful, and understanding how things work is useful, too.

Have you ever migrated away from a developer platform because your needs changed? I would love to hear what you learned from the experience.

Git #Codeberg #SelfHosting #WebDev #DevOps

"A New Domain, A New Chapter: My Journey Back to Development" published: true tags: beginners, webdev, github, career A New Domain, A New Chapter 🚀

Syn Naulaid — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 17:35:56 +0000

Hey devs! 👋

It's been a while since I was actively working on my personal website and sharing things about my developer journey.

Life happened. Real-world responsibilities took priority, and I had to step away from development for a while. I wasn't gone because I had lost interest in coding, but sometimes life requires us to focus on things beyond our screens.

Now, I'm slowly getting back on track, and I have a small milestone to share: I finally own my first custom domain! 🎉

From GitHub Pages to My Own Domain

For a long time, I used the default GitHub Pages domain for my personal website. It was a great starting point because I could publish my work without worrying about hosting costs.

Honestly, I'm grateful for GitHub Pages for providing free hosting and giving developers like me a place to build something of our own.

After saving money little by little, I finally managed to purchase an affordable domain.

It's a small thing, perhaps, but it means a lot to me. It's not just about having a cleaner URL; it's about building my own identity online and taking another step toward personal branding as a developer.

And no, I'm not leaving GitHub Pages! 😄

I'm still using GitHub Pages as my hosting platform. I've simply connected a custom domain to my existing website.

A Small Step, A Fresh Start

I know that owning a domain isn't a huge technical achievement. But for me, this is a meaningful reminder that progress doesn't always have to be big.

Sometimes, it's about starting with free tools, learning along the way, saving a little at a time, and eventually taking that next step.

I'm looking forward to using my website to share more projects, technical notes, experiments, and lessons from my journey as a developer.

I'll also write about how I connected my custom domain to GitHub Pages in a future post.

For now, I've written the full story behind this little milestone on my personal blog.

👉 Read the full story here: A New Domain, A New Chapter: Perjalanan Panjang Seorang Developer Kecil

Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone building things one small step at a time.

Keep learning, keep building, and don't forget to take a break when life calls. 😄

Happy coding! 💻

I Thought I Knew Web Dev Turns Out I Didn’t

Syn Naulaid — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:01:40 +0000

At some point, I realized something uncomfortable:
I could build websites… but I didn’t fully understand them.

Everything worked until it didn’t.
And when things broke, I noticed how shallow my understanding actually was.

That moment changed how I approach learning.
I stopped chasing “features” and started chasing understanding.
This is a short reflection on why I decided to go deeper: I Thought I Knew Web Dev Turns Out I Didn’t

What Developers Actually Do (It’s Not Just Coding)

Syn Naulaid — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:22:38 +0000

If you think developers just write code all day, you might be missing the bigger picture. There’s a lot more going on thinking, analyzing, debugging, and communicating.
I wrote a quick breakdown of what really happens behind the scenes.
Read here: What Developers Actually Do (It’s Not Just Coding)

Unexpected Lessons from Website Challenges

Syn Naulaid — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 02:19:03 +0000

Working on my site taught me more than coding. I realized the value of patience, thoughtful planning, and reflecting on processes I often overlooked. Insightful for any developer who wants to grow.
Dive into my learnings: Unexpected Lessons from Website Challenges

One of the most common mistakes in web deployment

Syn Naulaid — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 19:54:04 +0000

One of the most common mistakes in deployment isn’t a major bug, but small overlooked details like exposed configs, missing HTTPS, or lack of monitoring. These issues often go unnoticed until something breaks in production. If you're building apps and want to avoid painful debugging later, I’ve written a breakdown of these pitfalls here: One of the most common mistakes in web deployment

The latest free web hosting 2026 that you need to try

Syn Naulaid — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:48:22 +0000

Finding reliable free hosting is often a challenge for developers who are just starting out. Many platforms offer web hosting, but only a few provide the right balance between performance, uptime, and ease of use.

If you are building a portfolio, testing a project, or deploying a side app, choosing the right hosting gratis alternative can save both time and cost while keeping your workflow smooth.

Check the full recommendations here: The latest free web hosting 2026

How to Create a Personal Website for Free Using GitHub Pages

Syn Naulaid — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 02:33:03 +0000

Building a personal website is something I had been delaying for years.

Not because it’s difficult, but because I kept overthinking everything. Recently, I decided to just start from zero.

In this post, I’ll show you how to create a personal website for free using GitHub Pages.

First, create a GitHub account if you don’t have one. Then create a new repository and upload your website files such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

After that, go to the repository settings and enable GitHub Pages. Within seconds, your website will be live and accessible online.

That’s it. Simple and completely free.

This is exactly how I built my own personal page. It’s still basic, but it works and it’s a real starting point.

If you want a more detailed guide along with my experience, you can read it here
https://synnaulaid.github.io/blog/20260407/how-to-create-a-personal-page-for-free/

Feel free to try it and start building your own.

Hello World!

Syn Naulaid — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:26:31 +0000

HelloWorld — My First Post on Dev.to

This is my first post on Dev.to.

After years of overthinking and procrastinating, I've finally decided to start building my own page and share my journey as a developer.

I'll share my projects, what I've learned, and my progress along the way.

It's all simple for now, but this is just the beginning.

You can visit my blog here
https://synnaulaid.github.io/blog/20260406/finally-hello-world/

Thanks for visiting.