Melih Savdert's Tech Blog

Proxmox VE 9.x Installation on Hetzner: A Complete ZFS Setup Guide

Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Deploying Proxmox VE on a Hetzner dedicated bare metal server with a single public IP can be challenging because Hetzner does not provide standard IPMI/KVM access out of the box unless requested.

In this guide, we will walk through the step-by-step process of downloading Proxmox VE 9.x, installing it via QEMU inside the Hetzner Rescue System using a ZFS RAID0 layout for maximum performance across two disks, configuring native SDN-based NAT, and setting up Tailscale for secure remote management.

Securing Proxmox VE with Cloudflare Tunnel: A Zero Trust Approach

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In my previous post, we set up Proxmox VE on a Hetzner dedicated server. While the installation is complete, accessing the Proxmox dashboard usually involves opening port 8006 to the public internet or using a VPN. A more modern and secure approach is to use Cloudflare Tunnels (Cloudflared). This allows you to access your dashboard via a nice hostname (e.g., proxmox.yourdomain.com) without opening any inbound ports on your server.

Why Cloudflare Tunnels?
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No Inbound Ports: You can keep your firewall completely closed to the public internet.
Identity-Based Access: You can add Cloudflare Access rules (SSO, 2FA) in front of your Proxmox login.
Automated SSL: Cloudflare handles the SSL/TLS certificates automatically.

1. Prerequisites
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A Proxmox VE server (see the installation guide).
A domain managed by Cloudflare.
A Cloudflare Zero Trust account (Free tier is fine).

2. Setting Up the Tunnel in Cloudflare Dashboard
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Log in to the Cloudflare Dashboard.
Navigate to Zero Trust > Networks > Tunnels.
Click Create a tunnel and name it (e.g., proxmox-hetzner).
Select Cloudflared as the connector.
Choose your environment (e.g., Debian 64-bit).

3. Installing Cloudflared on Proxmox
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Back in your Proxmox terminal, follow these steps to install the agent:

Proxmox VE on Hetzner Bare Metal: The Complete Deployment Guide

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Deploying Proxmox VE on a Hetzner Dedicated Server can be a bit tricky due to Hetzner’s specific network security policies. In this guide, we will walk through the process of installing Proxmox VE on a fresh Debian 13 (Trixie) installation and configuring a modern, scalable networking stack using Software-Defined Networking (SDN).

If you are looking to expose your Proxmox dashboard securely without opening ports, check out my follow-up guide: Securing Proxmox VE with Cloudflare Tunnel.

Building the Ultimate 'No-Sudo' Modern Dotfiles: A Native & Secure Approach

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Managing my developer environment across multiple machines (macOS, Ubuntu, Oracle Linux, and minimal Docker containers) has always been a challenge. Most dotfiles setups I’ve seen rely on brittle helper scripts, global sudo installations, or manual token handling.

I decided to fix this by building a fully native, no-sudo, and secure dotfiles infrastructure from the ground up. Here’s how I modernized my workflow and why it’s a game-changer for my daily productivity.

Documenting My Shift to Platform Engineering

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I am in the middle of a career shift.

For years, I worked close to legacy database systems. That experience taught me how to think carefully, solve production problems, and respect reliability.

Now I am moving toward platform engineering.

To make that shift visible and real, I started a public GitHub repository:

legacy-dba-to-platform-engineer

This repository is my working log. I will use it to document what I learn, what I build, and how my thinking changes over time.

Setting Up GitHub Pages with Custom Subdomain Using Cloudflare DNS

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This guide provides the official, recommended steps to configure a custom subdomain (e.g., blog.savdert.com) for GitHub Pages using Cloudflare as your DNS provider, based on GitHub’s official documentation.

1. Configure GitHub Pages
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First, you need to tell your GitHub repository that you intend to use a custom domain.

Navigate to your GitHub repository.
Go to Settings > Pages (under the “Code and automation” section).

Getting Started with Pigsty: Self-Hosting PostgreSQL Like a Pro

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Pigsty is an open-source, battery-included PostgreSQL distribution that allows you to self-host PostgreSQL databases like a professional RDS (Relational Database Service). Developed by Vonng, Pigsty provides a comprehensive platform for deploying, managing, and monitoring PostgreSQL clusters with enterprise-grade features.

What is Pigsty?
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Pigsty stands for “PostgreSQL In Great STYle” and encompasses Postgres, Infrastructure, Graphics, Service, Toolbox, and more. It’s designed to make PostgreSQL deployment as easy as possible while offering advanced capabilities that rival commercial database services.

Building a Modern Tech Blog with Hugo, Blowfish, and GitHub Actions

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Building a fast, lightweight, and modern developer blog doesn’t have to require heavy server infrastructure or database systems. In this article, I will walk you through the exact technical details of how this blog was initialized, customized, and automated using Hugo, the Blowfish theme, Git submodules, and GitHub Actions.

The Core Stack
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Static Site Generator: Hugo (known for being incredibly fast to build).
Theme: Blowfish (a highly configurable, responsive, and aesthetically premium Hugo theme built with Tailwind CSS).
Hosting & CI/CD: GitHub Pages deployed automatically via a GitHub Actions workflow.

Step 1: Repository Initialization & GitHub Setup
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To build a personal site hosted on GitHub Pages, we start by duplicating a starter template.

Welcome to my Platform & DevOps Blog

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to my new technical blog! Here, I will be sharing guides, architectural insights, and hands-on tutorials about platform engineering, cloud-native deployments, database administration, and automating complex systems.

What We Will Cover
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In-depth technical articles on the following domains:

Platform Engineering: Building internal developer platforms (IDPs), Infrastructure as Code (IaC) patterns, and developer self-service tools.
Kubernetes: Cloud-native architecture, container orchestration, scaling, ingress management, and operators.
DevOps & CI/CD: Software delivery pipelines, automating GitOps workflows (e.g., ArgoCD, Flux), and security scanning.
Database Administration (DBA): Designing high-availability database architectures, automated backups, performance tuning, and database reliability engineering.

Stay tuned for upcoming deep dives!

Melih Savdert's Tech Blog

Proxmox VE 9.x Installation on Hetzner: A Complete ZFS Setup Guide

Securing Proxmox VE with Cloudflare Tunnel: A Zero Trust Approach

Why Cloudflare Tunnels? #

1. Prerequisites #

2. Setting Up the Tunnel in Cloudflare Dashboard #

3. Installing Cloudflared on Proxmox #