My Jellyfin anime collection finally feels organized, and Shoko did all the work

Prime Day slashes this x86 NAS down to $240 — a steal for backing up TBs of media without cloud subscriptions

The TerraMaster F2-425 is a 2-bay x86 NAS currently discounted to $240 during Prime Day. Powered by an Intel N95 CPU with Quick Sync support, it enables hardware-accelerated transcoding for Jellyfin, Plex, and Emby. It supports up to 60TB of storage, 2.5GbE networking, and works well with Btrfs for RAID 1 or JBOD setups. The author used it as a remote backup rig connected via Tailscale with Rsync, making it a practical option for 3-2-1 backup pipelines and self-hosting containers without relying on cloud subscriptions.

Terramaster F4-425 Pro: An Hardware Upgrade for an Already Solid NAS

Terramaster has refreshed its F4-425 NAS lineup with the Pro model, upgrading the CPU from an Intel N150 (4-core) to an Intel Core 3 N350 (8-core, 7W TDP) and doubling the integrated GPU execution units to 32. The unit reviewed is the top configuration with 16GB DDR5, priced at $799.99. A notable discovery: TOS installs on user-inserted disks rather than onboard storage, making drive migration between devices seamless. TOS 7 brings a cleaner UI and better storage management, but the 'AI-native' marketing claim is questioned — the OpenClaw AI feature is merely an orchestration layer requiring external LLM configuration, not on-device inference. Several software rough edges are noted: global search limited to home directory, Jellyfin subdirectory browsing issues, no keyboard navigation in Photos, and apps needing manual re-enabling after each reboot. The underlying Linux environment is Ubuntu 22.04, which reaches EOL in April 2027 — a concern for a newly launched device. Hardware performance is solid, with under 20% CPU/RAM load during photo indexing and under 10% during 4K streaming.

I turned an old Android phone into a home server, and it outperformed my Raspberry Pi

An old Android phone running Termux can serve as a capable home server that outperforms a Raspberry Pi in several ways. The phone's UFS storage is significantly faster than microSD cards commonly used in Pi setups, and even older flagship Android chips tend to be more powerful than typical SBC processors. Setup involves installing Termux, disabling battery optimization, and assigning a static IP. Services like Jellyfin, Tailscale, ad-blockers, file servers, and lightweight databases run well. The main caveat is battery longevity when kept plugged in constantly, which a smart plug can help manage.

Self-hosted photos are just the beginning — your book collection belongs on the same server

Tự lưu trữ thư viện ảnh bằng Immich là bước khởi đầu phổ biến, nhưng thư viện sách điện tử (e-book) và sách nói (audiobook) cũng nên được quản lý tương tự trên cùng một máy chủ. Calibre-Web hỗ trợ quản lý e-book, truyện tranh với metadata, giao diện đọc web và hỗ trợ OPDS cho thiết bị đọc sách như KOReader, trong khi Audiobookshelf quản lý sách nói với tính năng đồng bộ tiến trình đa thiết bị. Cả hai đều chạy dưới dạng Docker container trên cùng NAS đang lưu trữ các phương tiện khác, không cần phần cứng bổ sung. Tuy nhiên, việc tập trung toàn bộ dữ liệu trên một thiết bị làm tăng rủi ro mất mát nếu phần cứng hỏng hóc, vì vậy chiến lược backup 3-2-1 vững chắc là rất quan trọng.

Lập trình viên nên đọc bài này để khám phá cách tự host các thư viện sách điện tử và âm thanh bằng các giải pháp Docker như Calibre-Web và Audiobookshelf, giúp tối ưu hóa trải nghiệm quản lý và chia sẻ nội dung trên hệ thống NAS hiện có mà không cần thêm thiết bị.

Strava killed its free API, so I built my own fitness platform with Endurain and FitPub instead

After Strava removed free API access, a self-hosting enthusiast built a personal fitness platform using Endurain and FitPub. Endurain is a self-hosted fitness dashboard that stores workout history, routes, health data, and gear tracking entirely on your own NAS, supporting GPX/TCX imports and optional Garmin/Strava sync. FitPub complements it by providing a decentralized social fitness layer built on ActivityPub, the same protocol powering Mastodon. Together, they offer data ownership and community features without depending on commercial platforms that can change their rules at any time.

This $159 NAS deal is the only one that matters this Prime Day

The Synology DiskStation DS223j, a two-bay NAS running DiskStation Manager (DSM), is discounted to $159 during Amazon Prime Day (down from ~$200). It's highlighted as the most budget-friendly Synology NAS with full DSM support, enabling self-hosted containers, Docker, remote access via QuickConnect, and a broad package ecosystem. Note that storage drives are not included and must be purchased separately.

Network-wide ad blocking with a Raspberry Pi Zero is easier than you think, but the Wi-Fi problem is real

Running Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi Zero is one of the easiest ways to set up network-wide ad blocking at home. The board is cheap, low-power, and requires minimal setup — flash an image, install Pi-hole, and point your router's DNS at it. However, the Pi Zero lacks built-in Ethernet, meaning DNS runs over Wi-Fi unless you add a USB Ethernet dongle and adapter, which undermines the device's simplicity and reliability. MicroSD storage is another long-term concern. The Pi Zero is a great entry point for learning DNS filtering, but once it becomes core household infrastructure, upgrading to a Pi 4, mini PC, or LXC container on existing hardware offers better reliability, real Ethernet, and more robust storage.