My Digital Garden 🌱
As a passionate technologist and creator, my journey in DevOps and Full Stack Engineering has been driven by one thing: I love building cool stuff.
Over the years, I've taken on the challenge of self-hosting various projects—not just because I can, but because I believe in owning your data and learning by doing. My homelab isn't just a personal playground; it's where I experiment, break things, and learn new technologies. Plus, my friends and the community get to use some of these tools too!
Self-hosting is my way of saying: "Why pay for something when I can run it myself?" 😎
It's about control, privacy, and the endless pursuit of knowledge. I manage my own servers, keep my data secure, and tailor solutions to fit my exact needs. Some of these projects are publicly available, while others have exclusive areas for privileged guests. Either way, everything runs on my home lab through a trusty reverse proxy.
Come on in, look around, and feel free to reach out if something catches your eye!
My Digital Garden 🌱
Here's where the magic happens—my collection of live, production-ready applications that run 24/7 on my homelab. These are the projects I'm most proud of, each one solving a real problem or filling a need I couldn't find elsewhere.
1. 📁 FileForge - File Conversion & Compression Tool
A browser-based file conversion and compression tool—convert, compress, and transform files instantly without uploading to any server. All processing happens locally in your browser, keeping your files private and secure. No sign-ups, no cloud, no traces left behind. 🔒
2. 🎙️ VoiceOtaku - Voice-First AI Anime Advisor
A voice-powered AI assistant that recommends anime based on your mood—just call in, describe what you're in the mood for, and get personalized recommendations spoken back to you. No scrolling through endless lists, just talk and discover. Built with React, TypeScript, N8N, Ollama, and Kokoro TTS — powered by AI, no typing required.
Think of it like calling a knowledgeable friend who has watched every anime ever made. 🎌
3. 🎙️ Intervu - Real-Time Interview Assistant
An AI-powered desktop app that helps you during interviews — captures system audio and your microphone simultaneously, transcribes speech in real-time using Whisper, and generates suggested answers via LLM. Built with Electron, React, TypeScript, and Zustand — everything runs locally, no cloud services required.
Think of it as your secret interview wingman: it listens, understands the question, and suggests answers based on your resume. Complete privacy, zero data leaving your machine. 🔒🤖
4. 🚀 Smart Deploy - EVM Chain Deployment Tool
One-click smart contract deployment to any EVM-compatible blockchain. No more wrestling with Remix, Hardhat, or terminal commands. Just deploy, done. This tool makes blockchain accessible to everyone—even your grandma. 🌐
5. 🧑🏫 Quizzical Coders - AI-Powered Developer Quiz Game
An AI-generated quiz platform that serves up fresh coding challenges daily. Think of it as Brain Gym for developers. Perfect for sharpening skills or settling arguments with coworkers. 😄
6. 🔎 ALSearch - Private Search Engine
A powerful private search engine that delivers clean, untracked search results across the web. No Google, no Bing—just fast, private searches that respect your privacy. My data, my business. Deployed on my homelab with a custom frontend for a seamless experience. 🔐
7. 💬 AIChat - Private AI Companion
A personal AI chatbot running locally on my infrastructure—no external API calls, no data leaving my servers. Built with Ollama + OpenWebUI, this is my go-to for AI conversations, coding assistance, and creative brainstorming. Think of it as having a private ChatGPT that only I (and select guests) can access. Completely private, always available. 🤖
The Workshop 🔧
This is where the infrastructure lives—the backbone that powers everything in my Digital Garden. Think of it as the engine room that keeps all my projects running smoothly.
1. 🖥️ HomeLab Server
A self-hosted homelab cluster at my humble abode. This beast has been running for over 3 years now, hosting VMs, containers, and basically everything I throw at it. It's my testing ground for new tech before I deploy it anywhere else.
2. 🌎 ALDRICKB APP Platform
Think Vercel, but make it personal. This private application delivery platform handles all my web app deployments with built-in CI/CD. No vendor lock-in, just pure freedom. 🚀
3. 👨 ALDRICKB COM Platform
My newsletter hub powered by Ghost and private email hosting. No Substack, no Medium—just full control over my content and subscriber data. Privacy first, always.
4. ⚡ TESTCODER - Remote Development Environment
My self-hosted remote development environment. This is where the magic happens—I can code from anywhere (yes, even my iPad ☕) with AI assistance across multiple workspaces running simultaneously on my homelab cluster. Multiple AI agents working in parallel, all reporting back in real-time. It's like having a team of engineers—except they don't need coffee breaks. 💪
5. 🎞️ ALStream - Private Media Server
A media server for all my personal content. Ad-free, customizable, and 100% mine. No subscription fees, no sharing violations—just pure binge-watching freedom.
6. 🏚️ Home Assistant - AI House Automation
My smart home runs on Home Assistant. Lights, fans, sensors, voice commands—everything automation. My house is practically alive at this point. 🏠✨
7. 📹 NVR - Privacy-First Surveillance
A self-hosted network video recorder for my surveillance system with real-time ML object detection using YOLO models. Connected to my Tapo CCTV cameras, but here's the kicker—no video stream ever touches Tapo servers. Everything stays local. Privacy isn't just a feature; it's the foundation. Motion detection, person/vehicle/pet recognition, and custom alerts—all running on my homelab. My home, my cameras, my data. No cloud, no compromises. 🔒📹
8. ⚔️ DNS Server - Privacy-Focused
Blocks ads and trackers at the network level. No more annoying popups, no more creepy tracking. Just clean, fast browsing.
9. 🤖 N8N Automation - AI-Powered Workflow
My personal N8N setup that automates everything—from posting on X (Twitter) to generating content with AI. If I have to do it twice, I let the bots handle it. RPA + AI = magic. ✨
Other Cool Stuff 🎮
1. 🖥️ Pisonet - Unattended Computer Cafe
A fully automated computer kiosk system. No staff needed—users insert coins, boot via PXE, and go. Includes automated ventilation to keep the hardware happy. This was my early foray into IoT and system administration. Pretty ahead of its time, if I say so myself! ⏲️
Archived Projects 📦
These are the projects that started it all—some memories, some experiments, all learning:
- Nico-chan AI Agent – My first AI + blockchain mashup. A virtual assistant that could hop across platforms. Primitive by today's standards, but it opened doors.
- ALDChain – A Layer 3 blockchain on Arbitrum Orbit. Exploring scaling solutions and decentralized architecture.
- Simple ERC20 Minter – DApp for deploying ERC20 tokens with OpenZeppelin. Faucet for beginners, launching pad for dreamers.
- 3D Solitaire (Decentraland) – Solitaire in VR. Because why not? 🎴
- Stigmata Project – A narrative-driven 2D side-scroller with local Bicol themes. Still one of my favorite concepts.
- Chemical Analysis Results Management System – My college thesis! Full-blown system for chemical labs—client profiling, requests, finances, reports. The project that got me to graduation. 🎓
- Energy Meter Mobile App – Android app for visualizing electrical sensor data with user logins. IoT before it was cool.
Skills & Expertise 🛠️
DevOps: Kubernetes, Docker, Proxmox, DigitalOcean, AWS
Full Stack: JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, React, Node.js, Python, Solidity
AI & ML: Ollama, OpenWebUI, Whisper/Speech-to-Text, RAG Pipelines
Blockchain: Ethereum, Solidity, Decentraland, Hardhat, Truffle, Ganache
Automation: Home Assistant, N8N, Shell scripting
Let's Build Something! 🤝
Have a project in mind or want to collaborate? Drop me a message—I'm always down to build something cool! 🚀
