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What is Brian's Tech Corner?

I'm Brian, a Staff Platform Engineer by day and homelab builder by night. This site is where I write about the tools and decisions I actually use: Kubernetes, platform engineering, AI integrations, and homelab infrastructure. Real configs, real trade-offs, no filler.

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Build a Kubernetes Homelab

Reading Path

For engineers who want to run production-like infrastructure at home

A full series taking you from hardware selection to a complete Kubernetes cluster with GitOps, observability, and HTTPS. Every post is a real config from my own setup.

Planning Your Kubernetes Homelab Hardware

How to choose Mini PCs, networking gear, and storage for a power-efficient homelab.

Proxmox VM Templates for Kubernetes

Create reusable cloud-init VM templates as the foundation for your cluster nodes.

Persistent Storage with Longhorn

Add replicated persistent volumes to your homelab cluster with Longhorn.

GitOps with ArgoCD

Manage your entire cluster declaratively from a git repo.

Homelab Monitoring with Grafana & Prometheus

Full observability stack: metrics, dashboards, and alerting.

AI Tooling for Your Homelab

Reading Path

For engineers who want AI assistants that actually know their infrastructure

Practical AI integrations for homelab and platform engineers. Not chatbots — tools that connect Claude and other models directly to your infrastructure so they can actually help.

Build Your First MCP Server: Give Claude Access to Your Homelab

Build a Python MCP server that lets Claude query your Kubernetes cluster, Docker containers, and homelab tools.

How to Think Like a Platform Engineer: The Greybeard Pack

An AI-powered thinking tool that catches bad architecture decisions before they cost you six months.

Platform Engineering

Reading Path

For engineers building internal developer platforms or improving engineering velocity

Practical platform engineering: from self-service scaffolding to AI-powered code review. Content from my work as a Staff Platform Engineer.

Platform Engineering for Solo Builders

Apply enterprise-grade platform patterns to indie projects without the overhead.

The Greybeard Platform Engineering Pack

A thinking framework for making architecture decisions like a Staff engineer.

Home Networking & Infrastructure

Reading Path

For homelab builders who want a solid network foundation

Network setup, DNS management, and the routing/firewall configuration that keeps my homelab running reliably.

Why I Switched to UniFi (And Whether You Should)

An honest look at UniFi: the good, the trade-offs, and who it's for.

Pi-hole for Homelab DNS and Wildcard Records

Block ads network-wide and use Pi-hole as your homelab internal DNS resolver.

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Ask questions, share your homelab, get unstuck. Channels for Kubernetes, homelab, platform engineering, and AI tooling.

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