Start with the boring shape: one reverse proxy, predictable DNS, and certificates that renew without you becoming pen pals with expiry alerts. The nginx docs are still the quiet textbook for how requests land; pair that with Let’s Encrypt for TLS that does not feel like juggling knives.
Containers are convenient, context still wins
Compose files buy repeatability. They do not buy sleep. Write down what “healthy” means beyond the green circle in a UI—pingable health routes, log volume that should not double overnight, backup verification you will actually run before panic hour.
Restore beats screenshot brags
If you cannot rehearse a restore without inventing new swear words, widen the funnel: smaller dumps, documented steps, a friend who reads them cold. Pride lives in boring drills, not in uptime vanity metrics your household never asked for.