# TerminalBytes

> Tech blog covering mini PCs, homelab, self-hosting, gaming servers, and DevOps experiments.

## Posts

- [My mini PC costs $3 a month. The VPS math for 2026](https://terminalbytes.com/vps-vs-mini-pc-at-home-cost-2026): Two months of smart-plug data from my home mini PC: 22 kWh and CA$3.08 in August, priced against DigitalOcean, Hetzner and Oracle's free tier in 2026.
- [Ollama vs llama.cpp vs MLX on a Mac Studio, measured](https://terminalbytes.com/ollama-vs-llama-cpp-vs-mlx-mac-2026): Qwen3.5 9B through Ollama (GGUF and MLX), llama-bench, mlx-lm and rapid-mlx on an M3 Ultra. Measured tokens per second, memory, and what MTP changes.
- [Mac mini alternatives for local LLMs: M6, M5 and Strix Halo](https://terminalbytes.com/mac-mini-alternatives-local-llm-2026): Apple's M6 Mac mini and M5 Ultra Mac Studio versus 128GB Strix Halo mini PCs for local LLMs, from a 256GB M3 Ultra owner. Bandwidth, price, measured t/s.
- [SpiderCat: jailbreak a Kindle on firmware 5.19.5](https://terminalbytes.com/spidercat-kindle-jailbreak-2026): SpiderCat jailbreaks almost any Kindle on firmware 5.16.3 to 5.19.5 by opening a book. Patched in 5.19.6. Which tool fits your firmware, and how to run it.
- [Jellyfin 12 on a mini PC: the spy-free TV setup for 2026](https://terminalbytes.com/jellyfin-12-mini-pc-htpc-2026): LG TVs got caught logging audio and scanning your LAN. How I run Jellyfin 12 on a $280 N150 mini PC as an offline-TV media box, with real upgrade numbers.
- [Run Qwen3.8 27B locally: real numbers from my Mac Studio](https://terminalbytes.com/run-qwen-3-8-27b-locally): Qwen3.8 27B benchmarked on a Mac Studio M3 Ultra: Ollama and llama.cpp numbers, the 1-bit quant tested, RAM math, and the hardware that actually fits.
- [How to run DeepSeek V4 Flash locally (Mac, Linux, Windows)](https://terminalbytes.com/run-deepseek-v4-flash-at-home): How to run DeepSeek V4 Flash locally on Mac, Linux, or Windows: hardware that fits 167GB, llama.cpp setup, and realistic speed expectations.
- [RomM 5: self-host your retro game library on a mini PC](https://terminalbytes.com/romm-self-hosted-game-library-mini-pc): RomM 5 turns a mini PC into a self-hosted retro game library with browser play and save sync. Setup guide plus the hardware tiers that make sense.
- [Kimi K3 torrent: download the 2.8T open weights](https://terminalbytes.com/kimi-k3-torrent): Direct torrent and magnet link for Moonshot AI's Kimi K3 open weights, plus what's actually inside the 1.56 TB and why you can't run it at home.
- [Best Frigate NVR hardware in 2026 (post-Coral edition)](https://terminalbytes.com/best-hardware-for-frigate-nvr-2026): Coral is unsupported and cloud cameras keep leaking data. The Frigate NVR hardware I'd buy in 2026 - N100 mini PC, Pi 5 with Hailo, PoE cameras.
- [Reverse Engineering the iPod Classic's Undocumented Mikey Chip](https://terminalbytes.com/reverse-engineering-ipod-classic-mikey-chip): How I reverse engineered the iPod Classic's undocumented Mikey chip to get Apple's inline earphone remote working in Rockbox, 15 years into the port.
- [Sanctuary: the browser-based Kindle jailbreak](https://terminalbytes.com/sanctuary-kindle-jailbreak-koreader-2026): Sanctuary jailbreaks a Kindle from the device browser, no computer needed. Firmware 5.16.4 to 5.18.3, how it works, and installing KOReader.
- [Steam Machine alternatives: mini PCs that game for less](https://terminalbytes.com/steam-machine-alternatives-mini-pc-2026): Valve's Steam Machine is $1,049. Here are the mini PC alternatives that play the same games for less, and when the Steam Machine still wins.
- [Oracle Cloud free tier 2026: 4 OCPU/24GB cut to 2 OCPU/12GB](https://terminalbytes.com/oracle-cloud-free-tier-changes-2026): Oracle quietly halved its Always Free Ampere A1 tier to 2 OCPU and 12GB RAM. What changed, whether you'll be billed, and how to resize your instance.
- [Run Gemma 4 on a mini PC, no GPU required](https://terminalbytes.com/run-gemma-4-mini-pc-without-gpu): Gemma 4 26B-A4B runs at usable speeds on CPU-only mini PCs. The RAM math, real community benchmarks, and which mini PC tier fits each model size.
- [My Arduino spins faster when Claude burns more tokens](https://terminalbytes.com/arduino-claude-code-activity-meter): Repurposed a broken Stirling-engine chassis as a desk toy that spins when Claude Code is busy and dies when I lock my Mac. Arduino + Kasa + Python.
- [Kindle dashboard: 3 ways to build one in 2026](https://terminalbytes.com/kindle-dashboard-eink-display-2026): Turn an old Kindle into a low-power e-ink dashboard. Compare DIY jailbreak, TRMNL, and Home Assistant approaches with real hardware picks.
- [Best mini PC for local LLMs in 2026 (Strix Halo era)](https://terminalbytes.com/best-mini-pc-for-local-llm-2026): Strix Halo mini PCs doubled in price in six months. Here's what's worth buying for local LLMs in 2026, what to skip, and the 120W gotcha nobody mentions.
- [You Don't Need a Mac Mini to Run OpenClaw](https://terminalbytes.com/openclaw-mini-pc-alternatives-mac-mini): Skip the Mac Mini. Here are 4 mini PCs that run OpenClaw better, cheaper, and with upgradeable RAM — from $749 to $1,660. Verified specs and real review data.
- [The Self-Hosting Revolution Powered by Mini PCs](https://terminalbytes.com/self-hosting-revolution-mini-pcs): How mini PCs are enabling a quiet revolution in self-hosting, making it practical and affordable to own your digital life
- [SoundLeaf: Beautiful iOS Client App for Audiobookshelf](https://terminalbytes.com/soundleaf-ios-client-audiobookshelf-launch): SoundLeaf is a native iOS client for Audiobookshelf. iPhone & iPad app with offline listening, smart downloads, and customizable themes.
- [My iPhone 8 Refuses to Die: Now It's a Solar-Powered Vision OCR Server](https://terminalbytes.com/iphone-8-solar-powered-vision-ocr-server): How I turned an old iPhone 8 into a solar-powered OCR server using Apple's Vision framework. Running 24/7 off-grid, processing thousands of images.
- [Homelab: Hosting multiple Game Servers on a Single Mini PC](https://terminalbytes.com/running-multiple-game-servers-on-a-mini-pc): Build a power-efficient homelab that runs DayZ, Project Zomboid, Valheim and more on a single mini PC without inflating your electricity bill.
- [Reviving an Old Kindle Paperwhite 7th Gen](https://terminalbytes.com/reviving-kindle-paperwhite-7th-gen): Jailbreaking my old Kindle Paperwhite 7th Gen into a minimalist e-ink dashboard. How to repurpose outdated e-readers into low-power displays.
- [The Ultimate Guide to Running a Minecraft Server on a Mini PC](https://terminalbytes.com/ultimate-guide-running-minecraft-server-mini-pc): Everything you need to run a Minecraft server on a mini PC in 2025: hardware picks, performance tuning, and the cheap-electricity setup that works.
- [Best Mini PCs for Home Lab 2025: NUC vs Beelink vs ThinkCentre](https://terminalbytes.com/best-mini-pcs-for-home-lab-2025): A comprehensive comparison of the best mini PCs for home labs in
- [Setting Up a Robust PostgreSQL High-Availability Cluster on Azure](https://terminalbytes.com/setting-up-robust-postgresql-cluster-azure): A comprehensive guide to setting up a high-availability PostgreSQL
- [How to Create Your Own Free VPN Server Using Oracle Cloud (2025 Guide)](https://terminalbytes.com/create-free-vpn-server-oracle-cloud): Learn how to create your own free VPN server using Oracle Cloud's
- [Set Up a Free Minecraft PE Server Using Oracle Cloud in 2025](https://terminalbytes.com/how-to-set-up-free-minecraft-pe-server-using-oracle-cloud-2025): Learn how to set up a free Minecraft PE server using Oracle Cloud's
- [Kubernetes at Home - From Docker Compose to K3s](https://terminalbytes.com/kubernetes-at-home-from-docker-compose-to-k3s): A guide to migrating from Docker Compose to K3s for home labs.
- [Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT and GPT-4 (Practical Guide)](https://terminalbytes.com/prompt-engineering-guide-chatgpt-gpt4): A practical prompt engineering guide for developers using ChatGPT, GPT-4, and Claude. Real patterns, what works, what doesn't, and what changed by 2025.
- [Create Your Own Minecraft PE Server for Free](https://terminalbytes.com/create-your-own-minecraft-pe-server-for-free): Three ways to host a free Minecraft Pocket Edition (Bedrock) server, on a cloud VPS, a Raspberry Pi, or Aternos, with port-forwarding and PocketMine-MP setup.
- [Scalable Node.js Backend Without Express, Koa, or Hapi](https://terminalbytes.com/typescript-nodejs-dockerized-app-without-express): Build a fast Node.js + TypeScript REST API with no web framework, using find-my-way, Sequelize, PostgreSQL, and nginx as a reverse proxy. Full repo included.
- [How to Use GeForce Now in India (VPN and Cloud Workarounds)](https://terminalbytes.com/geforce-now-in-india): Step-by-step guide to accessing Nvidia GeForce Now from India using a VPN or a self-hosted EU server with sshuttle, plus latency and cost trade-offs.
- [Azure AD as an Identity Provider for AWS Cognito](https://terminalbytes.com/azure-ad-integration-as-an-idp-with-aws-cognito): Step-by-step guide to integrating Azure AD with AWS Cognito as an external IDP, covering both SAML 2.0 and OpenID Connect with attribute mappings.
- [Free WordPress Blog with Custom Domain on Google Cloud](https://terminalbytes.com/forever-free-wordpress-blog-with-your-own-domain-on-google-cloud): Set up a self-hosted WordPress blog on Google Cloud's free e2-micro instance with Cloudflare DNS, nginx, MySQL, and PHP. Costs $0/month forever.
- [sshuttle - A Free VPN Over SSH for Cheap, Private Browsing](https://terminalbytes.com/sshuttle-vpn-over-ssh-vpn-alternative): How to use sshuttle to turn any SSH server into a poor man's VPN, with install steps for Linux/macOS, real-world usage, and DNS-over-tunnel setup.
- [Raspberry Pi Temperature and Humidity Monitor with Grafana](https://terminalbytes.com/temperature-using-raspberry-pi-grafana): Wire a DHT22 to a Raspberry Pi, log readings to InfluxDB via Telegraf, and graph room temperature and humidity in real time on a Grafana dashboard.
- [Raspberry Pi Setup Without a Monitor, Keyboard, or Mouse](https://terminalbytes.com/raspberry-pi-without-monitor-keyboard): Headless Raspberry Pi setup in five steps with Raspberry Pi Imager, SSH, Wi-Fi pre-configured, and four ways to find the Pi's IP on your network.
- [6 Common Linux Commands for System Monitoring](https://terminalbytes.com/common-linux-commands-system-monitoring): The six Linux commands I run when something feels slow on a server, with htop, top, ps, free, df, and nethogs examples and the flags I actually use.
- [Basic Linux Commands for File Manipulation and Compression](https://terminalbytes.com/basic-linux-commands-file-manipulation): The Linux file commands I use every day, from cp and mv to chmod, find, tar, and zip, with copy-pasteable examples and the pitfalls I've hit personally.
- [Basic Linux Commands For Text Manipulation](https://terminalbytes.com/basic-linux-commands-text-manipulation): The seven Linux text-manipulation commands I actually use daily, with copy-pasteable examples for cat, less, diff, sort, head, tail, grep, sed, and vim.
- [Top 10 Linux Commands Of All Time](https://terminalbytes.com/top-10-linux-commands-of-all-time): The ten Linux commands I actually use every single day, with real examples, gotchas, and the small habits that made me fast at the terminal.

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