Independent publisher & homelab operator
Ben Liu
I independently publish Orivana at orivana.xyz. My background is practical systems work: containers, backups, reverse proxies, and keeping small services online. I write so readers can make safer install decisions — guides and lab notes come first.
Review benches run on a mini-PC Proxmox lab (Debian guests, Docker Compose) plus a spare VPS for public TLS drills. Notes record Compose pins, restore drills, and exposure mistakes — not marketing blurbs.
- Primary: mini-PC class host under Proxmox VE with Debian LXC/VM guests
- Workloads: Docker Compose stacks (Caddy/Traefik edge, Vaultwarden, Immich samples, Ollama experiments)
- Secondary: small VPS for ACME/TLS and remote-access drills only
- Backups: local snapshots + encrypted offsite object storage; quarterly restore drills
For accountability, corrections and privacy requests go to support@orivana.xyz, typically within 2–3 business days. Guides and featured reviews are published under my byline so readers can separate Orivana guidance from upstream project documentation.
Publishing footprint
Original operator guides, topic playbooks, curated collections, and lab-noted featured reviews under this byline. Methodology: How we review.
Research
Map categories, upstream docs, and operational constraints before drafting.
Writing
Produce guides, comparisons, collections, and project editorial notes.
Review
Check accuracy, licensing caveats, and clear separation from advertising.
Contact
Tips, corrections, and interview requests: support@orivana.xyz
Read the editorial policy, review methodology, and about page.
Recent articles
- Self-Hosted Wiki for Households and Tiny Teams2026-08-26
- Self-Hosted RSS: Feed Readers, Sync, and OPML Hygiene2026-08-26
- Ollama on a Homelab: Local LLMs Without Melting the Rack2026-07-30
- Reverse Proxy and Automatic TLS for Homelabs2026-07-23
- Family Handoff Docs: Keep the Homelab Alive Without You2026-07-22
- Restore Drill Playbook: Prove Backups Before You Trust Them2026-07-20
- VPS vs Home Lab: Which Host Belongs Where?2026-07-18
- Open-Source Licenses: Concepts Operators Need2026-07-15
- Media Server Bandwidth, Clients, and Stack Choices2026-07-12
- Plausible-style vs Umami vs Matomo: Analytics Trade-offs2026-07-12