How do you efficiently document your self hosted journey? reddit / selfhosted ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-01 12:24 I have a few options to set-up my personal journal and I intend to journal my process of how to, what's the practical way of writing it all down with writing everything down ? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- washedFM · 2023-11-01 12:28 Keep track of everything in a self hosted stackedit page. You can sync it to GitHub, google drive, and more ---------------------------------------------------------------------- _nix-addict · 2023-11-01 12:32 \*.md ---------------------------------------------------------------------- shadoodled · 2023-11-01 12:33 not as much as I need to ---------------------------------------------------------------------- thekrautboy · 2023-11-01 12:41 I use [snippet-box](https://github.com/pawelmalak/snippet-box) and [memos](https://github.com/usememos/memos) a lot, but i should convert to something like Bookstack, Vikunja, Wikijs and so many more options. You can try to simply search this sub. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Neomee · 2023-11-01 12:45 How about just writing Ansible playbook/s? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- thekrautboy · 2023-11-01 12:50 Thats not documentation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Neomee · 2023-11-01 12:55 Have you used it? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- thekrautboy · 2023-11-01 12:56 Yes :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Psychological_Try559 · 2023-11-01 13:06 Personally I have started using git (and selfhost github) for the history & day to day changes but that's a story for computers, not humans. I also selfhost a wiki (wikijs) to document things in a way that human me finds useful. The more you write here the better! How did it used to work, what caused it to change, how did it change, why is it better now, etc? You could even do a blog if that makes sense to you, important thing is good search and for you to have a narrative that you can follow! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LastTreestar · 2023-11-01 13:15 TRILIUM. https://github.com/zadam/trilium Dig into it and check out all the examples before giving up on it. I've tried every note app I can imagine, and it's hands down the best. I am even using the API to pull shopping lists from home assistant and add them to my todo list via node-red. With tailscale and 24/7 access, I never have to worry about missing a thought. While working out this morning, I heard a new word in a song, took me 5 seconds to stop and document that. It's now my home for every thought, idea, plan, code snippet, recipe, home inventory, etc... It's 100% my trusted system. I roll GTD concepts into it with @contexts and whatnot, so I've even combined all other knowledge management systems into trilium. I can't recommend it enough. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Simon-RedditAccount · 2023-11-01 13:16 Knowledgebase + OIDplus + scripts/configs in git repo. I chose local instance of Wordpress for my knowledgebase a decade ago. Today I'd probably use Bookstack. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- nuvcmnee · 2023-11-01 13:34 I use Joplin for my wiki/documentation tool. I like that it supports markdown and can be exported as markdown if needed. Also the variety of plugins is a plus. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- dcabines · 2023-11-01 14:00 [https://silverbullet.md/](https://silverbullet.md/) and I may start using [https://d2lang.com/](https://d2lang.com/) too. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Beastmind · 2023-11-01 14:10 Mkdocs, grav ---------------------------------------------------------------------- netyaco · 2023-11-01 14:11 I use Obsidian as writing app (desktop and mobile) with Syncthing to sync between my devices (sync to my desktop, mobile and NAS as backup) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- stark-light · 2023-11-01 14:32 \+1 for Trilium. I also tried a lot of note-taking apps that are out there and Trilium is by far the most robust one. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- kextatic · 2023-11-01 14:37 All my servers have nginx by default. index.html is where documentation goes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ModerateBiscuit · 2023-11-01 14:52 What's this documentation you speak of?! But more seriously, my entire homelab is driven by Gitlab CI (also self hosted), and every project has a decent README file documenting things like setup quirks, connected services (e.g. ldap) and things such as required secrets, etc. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LastTreestar · 2023-11-01 14:59 I literally just posted a trilium/node-red/discord/python repo! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- gs-red · 2023-11-01 15:16 I keep setup docs, quirks, to-dos in Gitea Wiki now. Earlier it was readme.mds ---------------------------------------------------------------------- mr_whats_it_to_you · 2023-11-01 15:19 Just install your own Wiki and document everything you think is worth to be documented. I use Dokuwiki for everything in my homelab. From installation instructions to updating, key features, vm characteristics etc. And I take notes on what I need to do in the future on my Desktop an mobile with Joplin. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- imabigcave · 2023-11-01 15:23 No, but it's a good start as it forces you to write something ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Richbria90 · 2023-11-01 15:39 Yes it is.. thats the whole point of a playbook. Documentation as code is a very real thing. Ansible is one of the best. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2023-11-01 15:54 [deleted] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- virtualadept · 2023-11-01 16:10 Every host of mine has its own web server and index.html page, with links to and descriptions of what it's running. External ones are behind HTTP basic auth as well. I keep all of my notes (including glitches and solutions) in a wiki, the contents of which I synch to my laptop and phone periodically. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Jedkea · 2023-11-01 16:13 I think it’s even better than strictly human readable documentation. Any tricky bits can have comments. Then if you need to get things back up to speed on a new machine, you simply run the playbook. No need to copy/paste 20 things from a markdown file ---------------------------------------------------------------------- meddig0 · 2023-11-01 16:13 I'm surprised no one has suggest Obsidian! Absolutely love it :) https://obsidian.md ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Silencer306 · 2023-11-01 16:32 Same for me. Although I just got started and not using all the features, its awesome so far ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ghoarder · 2023-11-01 16:46 Private git repo and Markdown ---------------------------------------------------------------------- thekrautboy · 2023-11-01 16:51 DoC is not equal to documentation. OP asked for documentation. I know Ansible is great and i use it myself, but its not exactly what they asked for. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- holzgraeber · 2023-11-01 16:54 All my documentation currently is in a obsidian vault, so it's just plain markdown. Additionally I have a mediawiki instance for the public notes I have. The goal is to replace mediawiki with static HTML pages created from markdown, since keeping mediawiki updated and running is a pain and not worth it in my case, although it was a great learning experience. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- N0ah17 · 2023-11-01 17:01 Flowcharts + a Google doc i keep on my main PC. I also used draw.io to create network diagrams. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- tinuzzehv · 2023-11-01 17:01 Same. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- superglue_chute115 · 2023-11-01 17:07 Logseq ---------------------------------------------------------------------- AmIBeingObtuse- · 2023-11-01 17:10 Love memos 👍 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- panjadotme · 2023-11-01 17:13 > Just install your own Wiki This makes me so paranoid! I have my homelab documentation in Skiff because I don't want to lose anything in an emergency. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- _Traveler · 2023-11-01 17:16 I have a docuwiki, but 99% of the time I just hit the Up arrow key til I find something I needed ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Minituff · 2023-11-01 17:27 I run [MkDocs](https://squidfunk.github.io/mkdocs-material/). [Here](https://tufarel.li/zsh.html) is an example of how I use it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- bhthllj · 2023-11-01 17:28 .md files in obsidian ---------------------------------------------------------------------- blackrosae · 2023-11-01 17:34 Any End to End encryption option ? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- factorysealed · 2023-11-01 17:39 Same, in a git repo in gitea ---------------------------------------------------------------------- HTTP_404_NotFound · 2023-11-01 17:39 I blog it. [https://static.xtremeownage.com/](https://static.xtremeownage.com/) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- fliberdygibits · 2023-11-01 17:58 Obsidian with it's folders/files in a location that gets duplicated to another drive by rsync. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cyber_Encephalon · 2023-11-01 18:08 A downside of recording your self-hosting documentation in a self- hosted wiki is that when the self-hosting stops working you don't have the self-hosted wiki to fix it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cyber_Encephalon · 2023-11-01 18:09 I like Logseq. Try it, you may also like it. Block-based editing is not for everyone, but it works great for me. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- schrnz · 2023-11-01 18:14 Bit of a different approach here other than taking notes on wikis: One can follow the Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) paradigm by using ansible in particular to setup all services. It might seem overkill for a home network and, in fact, it takes a bit of extra time for each service (+ the initial steep learning curve of ansible itself). But its declarative nature not only gives you precise documentation on all the steps (including the quirks), setting it up again after a fault or the like becomes a breeze. It's definitely not for everyone but I can absolutely recommend it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- carolina_balam · 2023-11-01 18:18 Either github private repo or Trilium/memos, trilium seems a bit better for this case ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Gnunixl · 2023-11-01 18:34 Might be because it's not open-source. That said, I also use Obsidian for most my documentarion and notetaking, syncing with livesync. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LawfulMuffin · 2023-11-01 18:45 Ironically, I put it in confluence ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Marasuchus · 2023-11-01 18:49 Logseq. Open Source and more or less similar to Obsidian, but with a nice ChatGPT-integration, so you can also document and if necessary research at the same time ---------------------------------------------------------------------- HighAltitudeBrake · 2023-11-01 18:49 efficient is a strong word for my documentation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Marasuchus · 2023-11-01 18:51 Try logseq, it’s open source and more or less similar to obsidian wirh a ton of useful Addons, e.g a ChatGPT-integration. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Celsuss · 2023-11-01 18:54 I do all my documentation using org mode in emacs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SamSausages · 2023-11-01 18:59 git I setup gitea on my own server and use it to track version changes and notes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- grenskul · 2023-11-01 18:59 Poorly. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- root-node · 2023-11-01 19:00 [Bookstack](https://www.bookstackapp.com/) (/r/BookStack) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SamSausages · 2023-11-01 19:05 Been doing this for a year and it's the best I have found yet! Love me some Gitea. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- da_frakkinpope · 2023-11-01 19:06 Joplin organizes my life. Without it, I'd be lost. Like, for anything. What size tires do I need to swap my bike? How did I configure my samba shares? How do I setup VFIO passthrough? What's the name of that guy I hate at work? (Fuck you, Nick) How much did it cost to have the tree in my back yard removed? Can I see the invoice? All these questions I can lookup and solve using my Joplin database. Without Joplin, life gets way harder. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- purepersistence · 2023-11-01 19:19 wiki.js ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Scared_Bell3366 · 2023-11-01 19:21 Instead of documenting my self hosted setup, I automated it with ansible scripts. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Bagel42 · 2023-11-01 19:24 …I don’t I should ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ridelldie1824 · 2023-11-01 19:29 Piggy backing off this answer to ask a question, I find md files incredibly inconvenient for images, as you need to create a separate asset folder and essentially link the images to the md file. Or is there a more convenient copy/paste method from a solution like gitea I’m missing out on? Thanks! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- stoneobscurity · 2023-11-01 19:35 bear.app ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Reverent · 2023-11-01 19:38 I blogged it. https://blog.gurucomputing.com.au/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ok-confusion19 · 2023-11-01 20:00 Memos looks awesome ---------------------------------------------------------------------- thekrautboy · 2023-11-01 20:02 It is, very neat but also simple. It also has a thirdparty Android client app that is excellent. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- root_switch · 2023-11-01 20:03 Yes ! mkdocs is nice, well at least Material mkdocs is. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- L1nuxBear · 2023-11-01 20:05 Use an editor for editing your markdown files so you can just paste in your images and let the editor automatically save it to the right folder. I use Joplin, works really great ---------------------------------------------------------------------- camxct · 2023-11-01 20:07 Document? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- koffienl · 2023-11-01 20:10 About 2 years ago I came to the conclusion that my personal documentation for tech stuff is non existent. Some excel sheet here, a saved TXT in c:\\temp over there, the occasional "I still need tot rewrite and save this unsaved file in Notepad++" combined with a bunch of google keep notes. I ended up installing Wordpress with [https://basepresskb.com/docs/knowledge- base/basepress/](https://basepresskb.com/docs/knowledge- base/basepress/) I use it for virtually everything. From documenting the build of a server to simply logging expensive household equipment with extended warranty. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- lestrenched · 2023-11-01 20:27 Do you just use plain search, or are you running an LLM on your notes? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- grateful_bean · 2023-11-01 20:29 I don't ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I_Arman · 2023-11-01 20:36 I've got a file called "TODO server stuff.txt" with some notes from 2019, does that count? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- lestrenched · 2023-11-01 20:37 This is a decent idea except that it isn't exactly documentation (i.e. the steps in plain english) and will be rendered useless if Ansible is no longer the technology being used a few years from now. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- phin586 · 2023-11-01 20:43 Love Joplin ---------------------------------------------------------------------- laser50 · 2023-11-01 20:45 I keep everything in my brain. Has its perks.. no need to write things down. But it's easy to momentarily forget the little things that come with, say, reinstalling everything. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SpongederpSquarefap · 2023-11-01 20:54 100% this Serve the docs using mkdocs Serve the files straight from a git repo and make PRs reload it with new docs That way you have - Full doc history in git - Easily shared - Hosted with almost no infra - Available offline - No version upgrades required so it'll stand the test of time ---------------------------------------------------------------------- secopsx · 2023-11-01 21:10 what's documentation? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RushTfe · 2023-11-01 21:16 A .txt somewhere I don't remember, written the first day ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LastTreestar · 2023-11-01 21:17 I'm not the Dev. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SaleB81 · 2023-11-01 21:19 The problem with Bookstack is that I cannot just dump something there. But, I can use some dumped data to construct a document for further reference in Bookstack. not go as planned. I need something faster, in-between not just for documenting the self-host journey, but to document the whole thinking process. Memos and snippet-box mentioned in this thread might be something that I could use. Mkdocs might be an alternative to Bookstack. My problem with Bookstack is that I cannot just dump something there. But, I can use some dumped data to construct a document for further reference in Bookstack. D2 is a very interesting mention, but not for this purpose, more as a tool for quick drawings, for something for which I have earlier used Visio, more recently [draw.io](https://draw.io), but often just sketch on a piece of paper, take the picture and send it to the computer; for something quick D2 might be an excellent choice (if I remember it when I need its functionality). Since in many similar posts Obsidian and Trilian get mentioned over and over I installed Obsidian on my desktop a few weeks ago, but did not see any appeal by now. I will also install Trilian too. I am hoping for Trilian if it gets to be a success to take the place of a "read-later" and "documentation" roles in one app. Currently, Joplin is filling the role of "read-later" and Bookstack the "documentation" role. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- billiarddaddy · 2023-11-01 21:22 I'm doing it in wikijs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- dinosaurdynasty · 2023-11-01 21:25 Something between "notes in tiddlywiki" and "I just remember what I did, I promise" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- useless_mlungu · 2023-11-01 21:25 Pinedocs has become my goto. Far more simplistic as it just pulls the files into a web browser, but it's exactly what I need! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- zn448sk39 · 2023-11-01 21:29 Infrastructure as code ---------------------------------------------------------------------- TheGacAttack · 2023-11-01 21:57 Is not the code also the documentation?? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Jolteon0 · 2023-11-01 22:03 [insert eye shifting meme here] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- senectus · 2023-11-01 22:33 Tiddlywiki https://mariushosting.com/how-to-install-tiddlywiki-on-your-synology- nas/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- _3xc41ibur · 2023-11-01 22:34 Obsidian is gold ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Frozen_Gecko · 2023-11-01 22:38 It's more than I have ---------------------------------------------------------------------- nemec · 2023-11-01 22:39 Trilium is a single-user product so I think the recommendation would be "use TLS and don't share your server with anyone else" (there's also a desktop app that keeps things entirely local). It *does* support encryption on a per-note basis but without digging into the API I can't say that the encryption happens entirely client- side in the server version. https://github.com/zadam/trilium/wiki/Protected-notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Frozen_Gecko · 2023-11-01 22:41 100% same ---------------------------------------------------------------------- briddums · 2023-11-01 22:42 I document everything in BookStack. Except for how I setup, backup, and restore BookStack, which I document in Google Docs. Because as I learned the hard way, if my documentation site goes down, I lose the documentation to bring it back up. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- g0-0se · 2023-11-01 22:56 LOL I don’t:/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- isleepbad · 2023-11-01 22:57 Yep. I use Trilium to document everything. If you make good titles it makes searching a BREEZE. Also anything you have to do ClickOPs for (i.e. something you can't automate) I highly recommend taking screenshots of your steps. Makes life so much easier during recovery. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- esturniolo · 2023-11-01 23:00 I came to say this. Memos is awesome for us that we’re a mess with documentation and only want/need something’s quick and simple. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- funkypenguin · 2023-11-01 23:02 I like writing docs in markdown, and using mkdocs with [mkdocs- material](https://squidfunk.github.io/mkdocs-material/) for this. With a bit of trickery, you can do templating / transclusion, and you get a useful search too. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- lomsucksatchess · 2023-11-01 23:16 You don’t need to do this with nixos :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- guhcampos · 2023-11-01 23:18 As code, in Ansible. Then the docs are also the means of reproducing everything. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Drak3 · 2023-11-01 23:33 I started with plain markdown in a private git repo. Then I used Jekyll and GitHub pages. Now I've basically pulled all those Jekyll posts into notes in obsidian ---------------------------------------------------------------------- paripazoo · 2023-11-01 23:39 I really don't think you should need an LLM to search through your own notes if they are in any way organised. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- hunterhulk · 2023-11-01 23:44 im surprised i didn't see it below but outline. https://github.com/outline/outline its a really nice md editor with support for multiple backends, drop in photos, easy layouting and easy share links ---------------------------------------------------------------------- UninvestedCuriosity · 2023-11-01 23:45 Dokuwiki If the self hosted goes down hard these flat files can be pulled up locally. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ruuutherford · 2023-11-01 23:49 I like to blog it sometimes. But I think the best spot is searching for what you’re trying to do, the posting on that forum. I’ll make these loooong detailed posts, edit them again and again, pics, obfuscated pastebin text, screen shots, the whole kit and caboodle. It usually helps others that way, and sometimes, m searching for a bit of code that I can’t remember and find my own post again. Ha! Ftw ---------------------------------------------------------------------- sulylunat · 2023-11-02 00:19 I don’t self host anything for notes since all my notes are on everything I self host as an emergency break glass in case my server ever dies and I need to rebuild. I just have documentation in OneNote. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- guzinya · 2023-11-02 00:25 yeah. i've only been using it for a few days, but bookstack is honestly so good. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -eschguy- · 2023-11-02 00:48 Same, I have always meant to do some kind of journal/blog thing and it's never materialized. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- tgp1994 · 2023-11-02 01:13 Works great if I haven't broken anything critical 😄 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- machstem · 2023-11-02 01:26 Step 1) plan it all put Step 2) get your instance all setup after a few hours of how you'd like to keep wt it Step 3) kind of lost sight of what you really wanted to do because now there are other neat projects to try Step 4) documentation is a few lines in a .MD file and it looks cool Step 5) forget to do it. I'd love to have documented my 20 years of hosting my own environments but at some point I just kept track of a few important notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------- machstem · 2023-11-02 01:27 A healthy mix of obsidian and Joplin + rclone against a remote path Gitea + mkdocs for making it all pretty ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Kommentierer · 2023-11-02 01:29 Zim wiki ---------------------------------------------------------------------- root_switch · 2023-11-02 01:49 Looks almost exactly like mkdocs, although the repo looks abandoned :( ---------------------------------------------------------------------- useless_mlungu · 2023-11-02 01:54 This is true, but I decided that I just want it to chuck markdown files in browser, so I can live with that. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RedditNotFreeSpeech · 2023-11-02 02:06 I use selfhosted gitlab-ce which has a really excellent wiki system. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- wooden_fixing · 2023-11-02 02:08 This is lit! So helpful! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-02 02:09 Thank you... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-02 02:11 Thank you, will look into it ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-02 02:14 Great suggestion, also I didn't phrase it clearly I needed some sort of guidance to what I should include in my documentation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-02 02:15 It's a great App, I have used it before. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-02 02:16 That's basically me..... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-02 02:17 That's exactly why I intend to keep a few copies of it locally and remotely with sync. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-02 02:17 Why not /s!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-02 02:18 I intend to be like that every time but now it's getting a little overwhelming. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-02 02:21 Read it(pun intended), it was cool. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-02 02:22 Probably would go your route if suffice. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-02 02:24 [insert me too buddy meme here] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-02 02:25 Thanks for the idea . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-02 02:26 Sounds good, would give it a try. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-02 02:27 I felt like I was the only one ... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pathtomelophilia · 2023-11-02 02:28 Apart from step 4, that's basically me. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- instant_dreams · 2023-11-02 03:06 I use GitHub. I have a repository for each server, with a file structure that supports Configuration As Code. 1. Log in as my service account 2. cd /srv 3. git clone [repo] . 4. Run the script to copy .env.example files to menv 5. Run the script to stand up all the containers Done. Each repo is documented. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- sowhatidoit · 2023-11-02 03:12 That is genius! Would you mind elaborating on how you structure it? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- lannistersstark · 2023-11-02 03:12 > While working out this morning, I heard a new word in a song, took me 5 seconds to stop and document that Not to be a party pooper but I guarantee you it took longer than 5s lol. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- sowhatidoit · 2023-11-02 03:15 This is the way! IaaC! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- alldots · 2023-11-02 03:39 I do some of this, but have started just using Gitea tickets for most of it. The open tickets are my to-do list, and then I add comments and details of how I did it in the ticket comments, including issues I ran into, screenshots, etc. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- sexyshingle · 2023-11-02 03:40 Man, I need to start doing this so bad. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- UlyssesZhan · 2023-11-02 03:58 Bookstack, MediaWiki, Joplin. These are three ways that I'd recommend. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- shadowtux · 2023-11-02 04:11 Just some scripts and config files in external git at the moment but usually I just get my refrence form other VMs. Probably going with obsidian or other markdown editor and upload notes to somewhere if disaster strikes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- da_frakkinpope · 2023-11-02 04:12 Didn't even know what an LLM was. Lol. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- techmattr · 2023-11-02 04:17 Can't believe there are only 2 comments here mentioning BookStack. Its the only documentation/wiki platform that doesn't feel like a chore to use. There is something about it that is just so functionally perfect. For me anyway. I'm sure other people find it impossible. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- lannistersstark · 2023-11-02 04:32 >document everything you think is worth to be documented Write, but how do you document stuff? what do you document? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- sapereaud33 · 2023-11-02 04:39 Gradually memorizing things by not writing anything down, then having to figure it out again when something breaks. Can't say I recommend this methodology. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- uoxou_xoxo · 2023-11-02 04:45 I was gonna say maybe generate Nix code with org-babel lol Then I realized actually I don’t need to. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Encrypt-Keeper · 2023-11-02 04:50 That’s the neat part, you don’t ---------------------------------------------------------------------- lestrenched · 2023-11-02 06:37 Sure, I could search through them, but sometimes LLMs come up with great little insights (anecdotal experience). With that said, I don't think self-hosted LLMs have come that far. I believe Joplin has a search function, yes? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- deano_southafrican · 2023-11-02 07:00 Bookstack is such an amazing tool. Just make a shelf for Homelab, books for each aspect like VMs, docker, etc. Then have a chapter for each VM or app and them pages can be installation, running, issues, troubleshooting, significant upgrades, etc. It's important to actually take note of it all and not just grab URLs for your resources because if those pages are removed then you're screwed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- schrnz · 2023-11-02 07:26 Assuming ansible is discontinued (or superseded in some way), then you can still setup your services but can/should not add new stuff... I find useless too strong here, but I agree it's utility will degrade. After some time, it will degrade to a documentation of sorts using declarative rather than natural language. Persinal opinion: declarative domain-specific languages like used in ansible, terraform and the like are more precise than English language. And where they are lacking, one can add context via comments. But that's very subjective and ofc up for debate. I can imagine that many people prefer texts ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Do_TheEvolution · 2023-11-02 07:36 Github? Document it in a way that its like a guide for others. You will take greater care than you would otherwise... Keep posting it around, adjust it as you see topics where it might be helpful. [Heres](https://github.com/DoTheEvo/selfhosted-apps-docker) my repo for that. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- macrowe777 · 2023-11-02 07:57 Infrastructure as code, the code that is your homelab should be the documentation of it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Rolbrok · 2023-11-02 08:04 You use obsidian and joplin together? Would you mind sharing how you do this/how it works in practice please? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- anon108 · 2023-11-02 08:17 Same, I tried a variety of other apps and finally settled with Trilium. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Haaroun · 2023-11-02 08:19 a notepad++ doc with links to a millon guides I used, end result urls and login info. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- KejjRod · 2023-11-02 08:57 Brain ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sir_Squish · 2023-11-02 09:52 I have a folder with various .txt files in it - so, pretty much yeah. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- los0220 · 2023-11-02 10:11 I use markdown syntax but practically never see it rendered. Just plain text Anyway, great tool for documentation. I'm in the process of updating my templates ---------------------------------------------------------------------- StanPlayZ804 · 2023-11-02 11:05 Yeah I document everything… inside my brain ---------------------------------------------------------------------- TheFluffiestRedditor · 2023-11-02 11:25 never as much as I should either ---------------------------------------------------------------------- mr_whats_it_to_you · 2023-11-02 11:51 Well in an „emergency“ you should have something like a backup. Even for the wiki in some sort. My company was once hit by a cyberattack and our wiki was down for about two weeks which has been frustrating. Since then I ordered to have a backup at hand if something like this happens again. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- mr_whats_it_to_you · 2023-11-02 11:52 Since Dokuwiki is easy to backup and re-deploy to a simple vm on a desktop PC i don‘t worry about that. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- mr_whats_it_to_you · 2023-11-02 11:57 - Installation Instructions (of VMs / services) - Update Instructions (of VMs / services) - Good to Knows - Layer-2 and Layer-3 homelab Topology - Configuring different configs for different services And everything with programming is documented on Github and self hosted gitea. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- kextatic · 2023-11-02 12:32 Nothing special really. Every time I add or modify software on a server, I note it on the index.html file at /var/www Any time I need to know what’s on a server, I just read what’s on http://localhost ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Majestic-Contract-42 · 2023-11-02 13:36 Oh god... Google sites set to private. It, like 90 other things is on the to-do list. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- dxman83 · 2023-11-02 13:48 Same, I keep all of my docker-compose files, config files, and scripts in a git repo, which also contains a Dendron workspace. Each Docker stack gets a md file with links to sources, a list of to-dos, known issues, etc. Similarly, I have a repo based on Dotbot to keep track of all my machine-level configs and scripts, and an accompanying Dendron workspace. It's a process I've arrived at over time through trial and error, so it's far from complete, but it's a base to build from, and it has at least allowed me to reduce the number of saved browser tabs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Illeazar · 2023-11-02 15:01 .txt file with the following: Install the program via instructions from website A. That did not work. Install via the instructions on website B. That did not work, first failed installation caused a failure of second attempt. Uninstall and remove all traces of initial installations. Install via instructions on website B. Same failure, something was missed from previous installations and still causing trouble. Revert to a backup on the VM from this morning before I started messing with things. Recover the files that were lost that had been modified between this morning and when I started this process. Clean Install from website B. Starts, but gives error message. Search error message on Google. Top three results are from forums where someone posted my exact question, and all replies are people berating the OP for not searching the answer on Google. Next three results are questions similar to mine but different enough to be unhelpful. Next result is my question, several very different responses list a large variety of things for the OP to try. OP responds, "nevermind, I figured it out" Try the various solutions listed. Find one that works. Wipe everything again and perform a clean install using the instructions given plus the working solution for the error message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- IllegalD · 2023-11-02 15:50 The true zen of self-hosting is documenting nothing, and then setting up your services so well that they never ever break. Eventually, you just forget that you're self-hosting at all, saving you a lot of time writing documentation you'll never want to read. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- machstem · 2023-11-02 16:11 I use Joplin primarily but sync up my md files to my other location I tend to use obsidian and ghostwriter with so really I used obsidian to do what I do now with Joplin, ghostwriter and then use a combination of rsync and rclone to backup my MD files My stories end up being backed up using mkdocs to make them look visually appealing and easy to export ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PovilasID · 2023-11-02 17:59 I version docker compose files + configs, so that helps a lot. I also have a couple of layers: 1. Sometimes I add quick comments to settings or variables. these are usually something hyper specific to a setting etc. 2. I add a few general notes to repo for the multiple files 3. I have an instance of outline where I dump some general instrution ---------------------------------------------------------------------- moontear · 2023-11-02 18:47 Self hosted HedgeDoc instance since it allows for ALL THE MARKDOWN. No seriously I use a lot of markdown formats to create e.g. graphs or embed stuff from somewhere else. https://hedgedoc.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- betahost · 2023-11-02 20:45 You could self host a tool called Standard Notes or Memos and track. Others have given great local first solutions ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Huge_Werewolf4135 · 2023-11-03 02:39 Love bookstack for documentation. I named it my “BS” server. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- falcorns_balls · 2023-11-03 06:04 I’ll second obsidian like everyone else. That’s a great tool, although i don’t use it. I like having a web accessible apparatus for this. (Not that obsidian webtop container though) So i hosted a wiki.js container. And i also use usememos for quick tagged notes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- da_frakkinpope · 2023-11-04 15:00 Totally does. Little search box right on top of the desktop app. Mobile app has the spyglass button to search. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DanGarion · 2023-11-06 16:39 I have one called site stuff... but then I have 3 of them since they have been saved to different places in the past. So now I need to look at the date to make sure I'm looking at the right one...