Linux on firstfinger

Fixing xterm-ghostty: unknown terminal type Over SSH

Wed, 27 May 2026 13:10:00 +0000

If you use Ghostty as your terminal on macOS and SSH into remote Linux servers, you’ve probably seen this:

root@server:~# clear
'xterm-ghostty': unknown terminal type.

Or this:

missing or unsuitable terminal: xterm-ghostty

This happens to everyone who uses Ghostty with remote servers. Here’s why it happens and how to fix it properly.

Why this happens

Ghostty ships with its own terminfo entry called xterm-ghostty. When you open a terminal, Ghostty sets TERM=xterm-ghostty in your local shell. When you SSH into a remote server, that TERM value gets forwarded. The remote server then looks up xterm-ghostty in its terminfo database — and finds nothing, because xterm-ghostty is not in any standard Linux distribution yet.

The Userspace Tax Behind Protocols - QUIC(UDP) vs TCP

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 08:24:43 +0000

When you’re building a service that requires inter-node communication, one of the earliest decisions is choosing a transport protocol. Nodes need to talk to each other reliably, consistently, and fast. That means picking a foundation to build on.

At the transport layer, there are really only two foundations: TCP and UDP. Everything else is built on top of one of these two. On top of TCP, we have protocols battle-tested in production for years like HTTPS, gRPC, WebSocket, and other custom protocols. These inherit TCP’s reliability, ordering, and congestion control for free because TCP handles all of that at the kernel level. On top of UDP, the most prominent protocol today is QUIC. Designed by Google, standardized as RFC 9000, and powering HTTP/3, QUIC is the one that keeps coming up when teams discuss transport choices.

Why Your App is Still Slow After Optimization?

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 12:31:22 +0000

You have optimized your database queries, your API responds in under 100ms, and your CDN is correctly configured. Yet users still report slow load times, and performance monitoring shows latency spikes that appear without explanation.

The issue often lies outside your application or infrastructure. Two core network protocols can directly impact performance. TCP congestion control may make inefficient decisions about how data flows under varying conditions, and BGP routing can send traffic along longer, suboptimal paths across the internet.

What is Kernel TLS (kTLS) and Why Offload TLS to the Kernel or NIC?

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 18:34:19 +0000

Most applications today handle TLS encryption in userspace, which creates performance bottlenecks that many developers don’t realize exist. When your web server processes HTTPS requests or your API handles secure connections, every byte of encrypted data requires CPU-intensive cryptographic operations performed by your application process.

This approach works, but it leaves performance on the table. Linux Kernel TLS (kTLS) offers a better way by moving TLS operations closer to the hardware, potentially freeing up significant CPU resources for your actual application logic.

What's Inside My Home Lab?

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 08:45:00 +0000

Picture this: It’s 2 AM, and I’m staring at my AWS bill with a mix of horror and fascination. Another $100 gone, just for experimenting with some Kubernetes deployments and testing a few CI/CD pipelines. As a DevOps engineer, I live and breathe infrastructure, but those cloud costs were eating into my wallet faster than I could learn.

That’s when it hit me – why not bring the cloud home?

Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS vs 22.04 LTS

Sat, 25 May 2024 06:27:00 +0000

Ubuntu has long been a favourite among developers and system administrators for its stability, security, and ease of use. With the release of Ubuntu Server Core 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat), there are several exciting updates and improvements over its predecessor, Ubuntu Server Core 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish).

Let’s see what exciting changes this latest release brings to the table.

Linux Kernel and System Updates

First things first, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS comes with Linux kernel 6.8, which is a major upgrade over the 5.15 kernel used in 22.04 LTS. This new kernel promises better performance, improved hardware support, and stronger security measures.

Bare Metal Servers vs. Dedicated Host

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 05:00:42 +0000

Let’s imagine you’re the owner of a fastest-growing e-commerce business. Your online store is getting more and more traffic every day, and you need to scale up your server infrastructure to handle the increased load. You’ve decided to move your operations to the cloud, but you’re unsure whether to go with bare metal servers or dedicated hosts. How does it impact your growth of business?

What are Bare Metal Servers & Dedicated Hosts, and what is the main difference?

Bare Metal vs. Dedicated Host

Ansible vs Terraform

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 20:00:50 +0000

Imagine, As your business grows bigger, setting up and configuring things like servers, databases, and networks becomes a real pain if you do it by hand. Spinning up new servers one by one, copying and pasting commands, and keeping track of everything is super time-consuming and mistakes happen easily. Keeping all your servers configured the same way, installing updates, and deploying new code versions is a nightmare without help.

That’s where tools like Terraform and Ansible come to the rescue. Terraform is awesome at setting up your infrastructure like servers, networks, and databases. Instead of doing everything manually, you write code that describes what you want, and Terraform handles it for you. Need 10 new servers? Terraform gets it done with just a few commands.

Deploying WordPress with MySQL, Redis, and NGINX on Docker

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 11:53:41 +0000

WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that powers millions of websites worldwide. However, as your website grows, you may experience performance issues. To improve WordPress performance, you can use object caching, which stores frequently accessed data in memory, reducing the number of database queries.

Prerequisites:

Basic knowledge of Docker and Docker Compose
Docker & Docker Compose installed on your machine
A domain name or IP address pointing to your server

Why do we need better performance in WordPress?

Website performance is crucial for user experience and search engine optimization (SEO). A slow website can lead to a high bounce rate, meaning visitors leave your site without interacting. Additionally, search engines like Google consider website speed as a ranking factor.

Setup Memos Note-Taking App with MySQL on Docker & S3 Storage

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 20:05:09 +0000

What is Memos?

Memos is an open-source, privacy-first, and lightweight note-taking application service that allows you to easily capture and share your thoughts.

Memos features:

Open-source and free forever
Self-hosting with Docker in seconds
Pure text with Markdown support
Customize and share notes effortlessly
RESTful API for third-party integration

Self-Hosting Memos with Docker and MySQL Database

You can self-host Memos quickly using Docker Compose with a MySQL database.

In-Memory Caching vs. In-Memory Data Store

Sat, 13 Jan 2024 15:13:35 +0000

In-memory caching and in-memory data storage are both techniques used to improve the performance of applications by storing frequently accessed data in memory. However, they differ in their approach and purpose.

What is In-Memory Caching?

In-memory caching is a method where data is temporarily stored in the system’s primary memory (RAM). This approach significantly reduces data access time compared to traditional disk-based storage, leading to faster retrieval and improved application performance.

How Companies Are Saving Millions by Migrating Away from AWS to Bare Metal Servers?

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 13:30:46 +0000

These two Companies OneUptime and Prerender are finding that migrating from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to bare metal servers hosted in colocation data centres can lead to substantial cost savings. They have cut costs by over 50% by taking control of their infrastructure while maintaining performance and reliability.

OneUptime was spending $456K+ annually on a 28-node AWS Kubernetes cluster.
Prerender projected over $1M per year on AWS services and data transfer.

📈 The Hidden Costs of Cloud

For many startups and tech companies, AWS seems like an easy choice. It allows you to spin up servers and scale rapidly without investing in your hardware upfront. But as these companies grow, the operating costs on AWS start to add up:

DevOps vs SRE vs Platform Engineering

Sun, 26 Nov 2023 06:30:56 +0000

Originally, DevOps, SRE, and Platform Engineering were just new ways of thinking - cultures and philosophies. But over time, they’ve turned into real roles at companies with specific focuses and responsibilities. This profile of job titles can create confusion - What exactly do these roles for? How do they interact and differ?

Of course, all these new job titles can get confusing. DevOps engineer, SRE, and platform engineer - they sound pretty similar, right? But while they’re related in some ways, the work these roles do is also very different.

DevOps vs SRE vs Platform Engineering - Explained

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 05:52:15 +0000

How to Achieve Zero Downtime Deployments with Blue-Green Deployment in Kubernetes?

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 04:21:06 +0000

Being able to update software without stopping it is really important for keeping customers happy and making sure everything keeps running smoothly. That’s where zero downtime deployment comes in. It helps you switch between different versions of a program without any interruptions. One of the best ways to do this is through Blue-Green Deployment.

<b><strong>What is Zero Downtime Deployment?</strong></b>

Zero downtime deployment, also known as zero-downtime release, refers to a deployment strategy that ensures continuous availability of an application during the deployment process. This means that users can continue to access the application without experiencing any disruptions or service interruptions.

AWS ECR vs Docker Hub

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 18:15:35 +0000

AWS Elastic Container Registry (ECR) and Docker Hub are two popular options for hosting Docker images in the cloud. At a high level, ECR is managed by Amazon as part of their AWS platform while Docker Hub is Docker’s own registry service.

What is AWS ECR?

Elastic Container Registry

AWS ECR is a fully-managed container registry service that makes it easy to store, manage, and deploy Docker container images. ECR eliminates the need to operate your own container repositories or worry about scaling the underlying infrastructure.

What is MicroCloud?

Sat, 07 Oct 2023 21:27:59 +0000

Deploying and managing private clouds has traditionally been complex, time-consuming, and resource-intensive. Setting up all the required components like virtualization, storage, and networking from scratch. It requires deep technical expertise across multiple domains.

Even for experienced infrastructure engineers, building and operating private clouds can be frustrating. The setup process is manual and tedious. Ongoing maintenance is challenging with so many moving parts. Upgrades and security patching turn into headaches.

The result is private cloud environments that are:

How to Run Linux Docker Containers Natively on Mac with OrbStack?

Sun, 24 Sep 2023 08:59:27 +0000

Docker containers are widely used for developing, testing, and deploying applications in Linux environments. However, many developers work on Macs and still need an easy way to run Docker. Fortunately, there are great options available to run Docker containers natively on macOS.

Docker Desktop is the official app but uses lots of resources, Colima is fast and lightweight yet minimal, and UTM utilizes virtual machines that can be slow. A new alternative called **OrbStack -**combines the best of Docker Desktop with unparalleled speed, efficiency, and ease of use by taking a lightweight yet full-featured approach optimized for Mac.

Top 6 Virtual Machine Software in 2023

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 04:17:03 +0000

Virtual Machine software works as a particular kind of OS on a different OS, so that you can work on different OS simultaneously. This VM software will also help you run different programs as well as transfer different apps between different OS. The best part is, you will be able to make use of all the features provided by all kinds of OS, all at once (something impossible for a single OS to provide to a user!). We have listed 6 such VM software that you can depend upon for an effortless working experience.

9 Best Practices for Developing Microservices

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 23:22:45 +0000

Microservices architecture has gained significant popularity in recent years due to its ability to enhance scalability, agility, and resilience in software development. However, building effective microservices requires careful planning decisions to best practices. We can gain higher agility, scalability, and resilience by splitting down monolithic apps into smaller, independent services.

In this article, we will explore 9 essential best practices for developing microservices, covering topics such as data storage, code maturity, build separation, single responsibility, container deployment, stateless services, domain-driven design, micro frontends, and microservices orchestration.* *Let’s first understand what are Microservices?

What is the Difference Between Git Merge vs Git Rebase?

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 12:57:35 +0000

Git remains the ultimate champion when it comes to the choice of version control systems. Imagine you’re in a bustling kitchen, preparing a grand feast. You’ve got multiple chefs, each working on a different dish, but all the dishes need to come together harmoniously at the end.

In the world of software development, Git is your kitchen, and the chefs are your developers. The dishes? They’re the different branches of your project. Now, how do you bring all these dishes together without causing a catastrophe? To prevent this, you can utilize the help of Git Merge and Git Rebase, who act as sous-chefs in your coding kitchen, to combine all the different branches of your project.

What Makes Load Balancer vs. API Gateway Different and Use Cases ?

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 09:25:15 +0000

Load Balancer vs. API Gateway

If you are developing a web or mobile application, you may need to use some tools to manage the traffic and access to your backend services. Two of these tools are load balancers and API gateways. We’ll explore what makes them unique, how they work together, and which one is best for different use cases.

You’ll learn about their features, advantages, and disadvantages so you can make an informed decision about what works best for your needs. We’ll also discuss their common use cases and how they fit into your overall system architecture.

How to Create & Deploy EC2 Instance Using Terraform?

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 16:36:00 +0000

Create & Deploy EC2 Instance Using Terraform

AWS EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) is a web service that provides secure, resizable compute capacity in the cloud. Terraform, on the other hand, is an open-source infrastructure as code (IaC) tool that allows you to define and provision infrastructure resources using a declarative configuration language. By combining these two powerful tools, you can easily automate the creation and management of your AWS resources. In this article, we will guide you through the process of creating and deploying an AWS EC2 instance using Terraform.

The Periodic Table of Linux!

Sun, 04 Jun 2023 08:52:14 +0000

?? Linux is an open-source operating system that’s not only free but also powerful and versatile. Over the years, it has gained popularity among developers, sysadmins, and tech enthusiasts alike. ?

With its customizable features and open-source nature, Linux has become a go-to choice for those seeking a tailored experience. ?

What makes Linux truly impressive, however, is the vast array of distributions available, each with its unique features and use cases. ? Whether you’re looking for a distribution that emphasizes security, gaming, or multimedia production, there’s a Linux distribution that fits your needs.

How to Use ChatGPT AI in Linux CLI Terminal

Thu, 04 May 2023 17:58:53 +0000

Do you find it tiring to switch back and forth between different applications just to generate text? Are you looking for a way to utilize AI to generate text or command right within your Linux command-line interface (CLI) terminal? If so, then this article might just be the solution you’re looking for. ChatGPT can be used directly within the Linux CLI terminal. Let’s begin.

What is & Why ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an AI language model developed by OpenAI that can generate human-like text. It is based on the GPT-3.5/4 architecture and has been trained on a vast corpus of text, making it capable of generating high-quality text across a wide range of topics.

What is the Difference between Pod and Container?

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 17:31:07 +0000

If you are involved in the world of software development, then you have probably come across the terms “Pod” and “Container”. While these two terms may seem similar, they actually refer to two distinct components that are used in the deployment and management of containerized applications. In this article, we will explore the key differences between pods and containers and how they work together to provide a seamless environment for your applications.

How to Create Kubernetes Clusters on AWS?

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 15:00:45 +0000

Kubernetes is a powerful and widely used container orchestration platform that allows developers to easily manage and scale their applications. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is one of the most popular cloud providers in the world, offering a wide range of services including Kubernetes cluster management. Some of the **tools that can be found **in a Kubernetes environment include Grafana, Prometheus, Istio, and others. In this article, we will show you how to create & set up Kubernetes clusters on AWS, Step-by-Step.

SSH vs SFTP, OpenSSH, VPN & SMTP

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 15:43:11 +0000

When it comes to secure file transfers, two popular options are SSH and SFTP. SSH stands for Secure Shell, which is a protocol for secure remote access to a computer. SFTP, on the other hand, stands for Secure File Transfer Protocol, which is a protocol for secure file transfers over a network.

Both SSH and SFTP provide a high level of security, but they serve different purposes. In this article, we’ll explore the differences between SSH vs SFTP, including their uses, benefits, and drawbacks. First, let’s understand “What is Tunneling?”.