Code. Break. Secure. My First Step to Self-Hosting

Code. Break. Secure. Every project starts on localhost.

Mine stayed there for a long time — not because of lack of ideas, but because hosting is hard.

I wanted my services to be: ⚡ Accessible from anywhere 🌍 ⚡ Secure by design 🔐 ⚡ Cost-effective 💸 ⚡ Something I fully own and control

That’s where the real struggle began.

⚠️ The Hosting Dilemma

When I decided to move beyond localhost, I explored multiple paths:

1️⃣ Static IP from ISP

• 💸 ~₹200/month
• ⚡ Server running 24×7
• 🔋 Not energy efficient, not scalable

2️⃣ AWS Free Tier

• ☁️ Easy to start
• 🧠 Strict CPU, RAM & usage limits
• 📉 Not ideal for long-term learning or self-hosting

3️⃣ RackNerd VPS (My Choice)

• 🚀 Started with $10/year (700MB RAM)
• 📈 Upgraded to 4.5GB RAM for ~$40/year
• 🎯 Affordable, stable & perfect for learning

This became my first real step from localhost to self-hosted.

🛠️ What I Built

Once hosting was solved, I focused on real-world services & best practices: 🔹 Traefik – reverse proxy & TLS automation 🔹 AdGuard Home – DNS over HTTPS (DoH) 🔹 Personal Profile Website 🔹 Self-hosted services secured behind VPN & HTTPS

This wasn’t just about hosting apps — it was about learning infrastructure, security, and deployment the right way.

🎯 Why This Matters

🔹 Localhost is where you learn 🔹 Self-hosting is where you grow 🔹 Security is where you level up

This journey helped me understand: ✔ Networking ✔ Reverse proxies ✔ DNS security ✔ Cloud vs on-prem tradeoffs ✔ Cost-optimized infrastructure

🔗 Links

🌐 Personal Website: https://www.mkcyberlabs.in/
💻 GitHub: https://github.com/MKCyberLabs

📸 Screenshots of the Setup & Website

Personal Website

Traefik Reverse Proxy Dashboard

AdGuard Home Dashboard

Scan to visit MKCyberLabs

🙏 Learning Credits

Huge thanks to NetworkChuck, Christian Lempa, and A2D (Nandha) — your content played a big role in shaping my self-learning journey.

More services, automation & security experiments coming soon 🚀

Code. Break. Secure.