HgN Lab

Hoàng Gia Nguyên

I'm a hobbyist who is now exploring the world of self-hosting and AI. This blog documents my journey building and managing my own server and applications, sharing tips and learnings along the way. Let's connect!
A collection of hardware components, a Jetson Nano, and lines of terminal code.

Beyond the Big Three: The Tech Nerd's Guide to Hardware Struggles

CPU, RAM, and Disk are the basics. The real 'boss fights' of self-hosting involve proprietary drivers, legacy chips, and hardware acceleration.

Beyond the Big Three: The Tech Nerd's Guide to Hardware Struggles
Cloudflare Stack Illustration

The Cloudflare Stack: My 'Cheat Code' for Self-Hosting

Bypass CGNAT, secure your services, and host for (almost) free. Why Cloudflare is the ultimate toolbox for modern self-hosters.

The Cloudflare Stack: My 'Cheat Code' for Self-Hosting
Self-Hosting Isn’t Deployment — Maintenance Is the Real Game

Self-Hosting Isn’t Deployment — Maintenance Is the Real Game

Self-hosting is not just about getting services running. Maintenance is the real challenge — and it should be considered from day one.

Self-Hosting Isn’t Deployment — Maintenance Is the Real Game
One Year of Homelab — The Services I Actually Use

One Year of Homelab — The Services I Actually Use

After a year of running a homelab and a stretch of time where I barely touched it, here are the self-hosted services that genuinely made a difference in daily life — from media streaming and photo management to backups and push notifications.

One Year of Homelab — The Services I Actually Use

After the Free Tier: how a hobbyist continues living with LLMs

After RPM/TPM limits tightened, I was forced to re-evaluate how I use LLMs and redesign a cost-efficient, sustainable setup for personal needs.

After the Free Tier: how a hobbyist continues living with LLMs

Support My Work!

Your support helps me keep the servers running, the code compiling, and the late-night learning sessions fueled. Thank you for being a part of my journey!

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