Articles

Kubernetes provides an abstraction layer for persistent data storage. Volumes can be of various storage classes depending on user requirements. Those requirements can evolve with time, meaning that volumes sometimes need to be migrated from one storage class to another. This article introduces a method to do so.

GitLab provides Kubernetes integration out of the box, which means that GitLab CI/CD Pipelines can be used to deploy applications in Kubernetes easily. This guide presents how to integrate a Kubernetes cluster in a GitLab Project and follows Gitlab documentation. For this particular case, the cluster will be that of a Microk8s Kubernetes distribution.

Wifi controlled smart light bulbs can now be purchased from less than USD 10. However, those can often only be used by a specific application provided by the vendor and can involve exchanging data with a third party server. I wanted a solution to use my own software while benefiting from the cheap hardware so I replaced the wifi module of a a cheap Wifi light bulb my own electronics.

Mosquitto is usually the first candidate to come to mind when looking for an MQTT broker. However, by default, Mosquitto manages users using a password file. This makes it difficult to easily add or remove users, especially when the broker is deployed in Kubernetes.

Previously, when creating a Vue project using the Vue CLI, the Vue Router could be installed easily by running vue add router. However, with Vue 3 and Vite, the router is installed manually. This article presents how to do so.

Air conditioners consume a fair amount of electricity. As such, forgetting to turn one off before leaving one's home can result in an expensive electricity bill. This is a Wi-Fi enabled controller for air condtioners, which can turn the unit on or off according to MQTT messages. It is built around an Wemos D1 mini and interfaces with the AC using an IR LED.

Smartwatches can be rather expensive and tend to be known for their poor battery life. On the other hand, Xiaomi's Mi band 2 is cheap and its battery lasts for up to 20 days. However, the Mi band 2 is mainly limited to fitness tracking functions, at least without the appropriate apps.

Aruba IAP can use custom certificates when serving the Web UI over HTTPS. Those certificates can be generated, among others, using pfSense. This can be useful when trying to get rid of browser warnings regarding untrusted HTTPS connections

Modules like the Wemos D1 mini are a relatively cheap and easy way to integrate an ESP8266 in a project. However, one would sometimes require to have more freedom over the electronics, especially when it comes to PCB layout. For this purpose, the ESP8266 can be used in a form factor closer to its raw form, the ESP12-F module.