Embracing the Messiness in Search of Epic Solutions

Category: Server

  • NordVPN: Extracting WireGuard Configuration

    This article shows how to extract the WireGuard configuration from NordVPN without additional tools and test it by configuring WireGuard on a GL.iNet travel router (ex: Beryl AX). Why WireGuard? While most modern routers support OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols, the latter is faster and more efficient when traveling through the encrypted tunnels, providing a superior… Read More…

  • Rclone: Backing Up Synology NAS to GCP

    This post shows how you can use Rclone to back up your data from a Synology NAS to a storage bucket in GCP. Why Backing Up Synology NAS Backing up data is like wearing a seat belt when driving, where nothing bad happens 99% of the time. However, when the 1% strikes unexpectedly one day,… Read More…

  • WordPress: Creating Gutenberg-Block Compatible Posts Using Rest API

    This article shows how you can dynamically create new WordPress posts using REST API that is compatible with Gutenberg blocks. When done correctly, there is no need to manually convert the content from Classic Editor to Gutenberg Block Editor, or fix incorrectly converted blocks. This is a big time saver when you plan to create… Read More…

  • Squid: Configuring Whitelisted URLs

    PROBLEM To configure a proxy server that only allows whitelisted URLs through. SOLUTION Install Squid… in this case, on Ubuntu. Ensure the service is running. Create a file ( /etc/squid/whitelist.txt ) containing the whitelisted URLs. In this example, only one URL is whitelisted. To simplify the configuration, backup /etc/squid/squid.conf and create the same file with… Read More…

  • Nginx: Requesting and Configuring SSL Certificate

    INTRO Step by step instructions for my future self to obtain the SSL certificate and to configure it in Nginx because my fragile little brain cannot retain them at the moment. INSTRUCTIONS Generate a private key and store it in a safe place. Generate a certificate signing request (CSR). Request a SSL certificate from Certificate… Read More…

  • Azure: Deploying WAR File to Tomcat

    PROBLEM Typically, when using ZipDeploy to push a WAR file (ex: my-app.war) to an Azure instance, we need to:- This zip file will automatically be unzipped under site/wwwroot:- Tomcat detects ROOT.war and will try to unpack the WAR file under ROOT/:- The problem is sometimes Tomcat is unable to fully unpack ROOT.war because some files… Read More…