Keeping a small server tidy

Notes · 6 min read

A single small machine can run a surprising amount if you keep a few habits: one directory per service, logs with a size limit, and a written list of what listens on which port. Most outages on small servers come from a full disk or an expired certificate, and both are easy to watch for.

Certificates that renew themselves

Notes · 4 min read

Automatic renewal is only finished when the web server reloads afterwards. A renewed certificate that nobody loads is still an expired certificate from the visitor's point of view, so schedule the reload together with the renewal.

Static pages are enough

Notes · 3 min read

For a notebook like this one, plain HTML and a single stylesheet load instantly, cost nothing to host and have nothing to patch. Add complexity when a real need shows up, not before.