home-server_skill

Overview

This skill helps you plan, secure, and operate a home server that runs Docker services with reliable remote access, backups, and incident recovery. It organizes runtime memory in ~/home-server/ and guides decisions that protect data and minimize attack surface. It is practical and stepwise: define trust boundaries, verify backups, and validate recovery paths before changing production workloads.

How this skill works

On first use the skill reviews setup.md, explains the proposed local storage layout under ~/home-server/, and asks for confirmation before creating any files. It inspects your service inventory, backup coverage, and incident notes stored in the memory files and provides concrete actions: service classifications, Compose guidance, backup checks, and recovery drills. The skill never exposes ports or performs destructive changes without explicit instruction.

When to use it

• Designing or upgrading a home server architecture for Docker-based services
• Securing remote access and reducing exposed attack surface
• Creating or validating a backup and restore strategy before migrations
• Preparing incident response plans and documenting postmortems
• Operational checks: health monitoring, certificate expiry, and disk usage

Best practices

• Define trust boundaries (LAN-only, VPN-only, internet-facing) for every service first
• Pin image tags and use declarative Compose files so deployments are reproducible
• Back up data paths before changing images or configs; test restores on schedule
• Enforce key-based SSH, minimal ports, least privilege, and regular updates
• Track observable signals (health checks, disk usage, backup freshness) and treat silent failures as incidents

Example use cases

• Migrating a self-hosted application: classify exposure, identify data paths, run a restore drill
• Hardening remote access: move admin panels to VPN-only and enable key-based SSH
• Setting up automated backups with restore validation and documenting results
• Recovering from a failed upgrade by following an incident playbook and rollback plan
• Designing multi-service Compose stacks with pinned images and documented runtime variables