My story
It started with a phone.
As a kid I flashed custom firmware onto my Android phone and rooted every device I could get my hands on. Figuring out how a phone works turned into running Linux servers: first with a guide next to me, later entirely from the command line.
That became work. I built complete IT environments for businesses and took on roles across the stack: infrastructure and security, plus web development, marketing, design and outreach. That is how I learned how technology, people and business goals fit together.
I want to know how things work under the hood, which is why I gravitate toward open-source software and self-hosting. I test, break things to learn from them, and rebuild them better—from servers and code to SEO and game servers.
Self-hosted & Open-source
My own cloud, under my own control.
I run my own servers. They are set up redundantly so if one fails the others take over, and everything is monitored automatically.
On them run dozens of open-source services that most people rent from big tech. Not because everyone needs a server rack at home, but because it proves you can have modern convenience without giving away your data or getting locked into a vendor.
- Files and cloud storage
- Passwords
- Calendar and contacts
- Chat and notes
- A private search engine
- Media and streaming
- Monitoring and alerts
- Websites and web shops
What I stand for
Your data belongs to you.
A large part of our digital lives runs on a handful of US tech giants. Dutch businesses rely heavily on American cloud storage, e-mail and network services too. Those companies fall under US law, such as the CLOUD Act, even when your data sits in a European data centre.
At the same time, our digital infrastructure is under pressure. Conflicts are fought online too, AI makes attacks cheaper and more convincing, and everyday systems are increasingly connected to the internet. Big incidents make the news; the many small ones don't.
That is why I help people and businesses take their digital affairs back into their own hands: securely configured, built on open standards and open-source where possible, and never more dependent on third parties than necessary.
Principles
How I work.
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Privacy by default
The tools store nothing, this site counts visitors without cookies or profiles, and your data stays yours.
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Open & independent
Open-source, European or self-hosted alternatives when they genuinely work. No dogma: if a big provider is the best choice, you will hear that too.
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Straight advice
If something won't benefit you, I'll tell you upfront.
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Hands-on evidence
Recommendations come from real-world testing and self-hosting, not vendor brochures.
Toolbox
From bare metal to the browser.
Software
- Go
- Python
- TypeScript
- Bash
- Astro
- MedusaJS
- Tailwind CSS
- PostgreSQL
Infrastructure and hosting
- Proxmox
- Linux
- Docker
- Traefik
- Caddy
- nginx
- Forgejo
- Git
Network and security
- OPNsense
- WireGuard
- Tailscale
- CrowdSec
- Vaultwarden
- Let's Encrypt
Monitoring
- Grafana
- Prometheus
- Uptime Kuma
AI and automation
- n8n
- Claude
Contact
A question, or a project in mind?
E-mail me and you'll get a direct reply from me.