What I Use

A living document of the tools and tech stack that powers my work and play.

Inspired by uses.tech, this page details the hardware, software, and services I rely on daily. As a security engineer who loves tinkering, this list changes frequently as I discover new tools or optimize my workflow.

🖥️ Hardware

Primary Workstation

Desktop: Custom-built PC (because it's fun)
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X (12 cores for all those VMs)
- RAM: 64GB DDR4 (Chrome tabs are hungry)
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3090 (for AI experiments and gaming)
- Storage: 2TB NVMe for OS, 4TB NVMe for VMs, 8TB HDD for backups
- Monitors: 34" Ultrawide 4k display (security dashboards need space)

Laptop

Primary: Framework Laptop
- Ubuntu 24.04LTS (Great for security tools)
- Perfect for coffee shop coding and sshing into my other machines

Homelab

Firewall: Protectli Vault FW4B running pfSense
Virtualization: 1x Dell R940
- Proxmox cluster
- 256GB RAM total (VMs for days)
Storage: TrueNAS server with 40TB raw storage
Networking: Ubiquiti switches and APs (VLANs everywhere)

Accessories

Keyboard: Zinc Wooting 80HE
Mouse: Glorious Gaming Model O
Headset: SteelSeries Arctis 7X+ (wireless for pacing during calls)
Coffee: 10 Cup Classic Chemex (critical infrastructure)

💻 Desktop Software

Development

Editor: VS Code (sorry Vim, it's not you, it's me)
- Extensions: Python, Go, Terraform, Docker, GitLens
- Theme: Tokyo Night (easy on the eyes during late-night incidents)
Terminal: Ghostty
Shell: Zsh with Oh My Zsh
- Plugins: git, docker, kubectl, aws

Security Tools

Network Analysis: Wireshark, tcpdump, nmap
Vulnerability Scanning: Nessus, OSV, Grype
SIEM: Local Wazuh instance for learning
Password Manager: Bitwarden (self-hosted)
2FA: YubiKey 5C NFC (two of them, because redundancy)

Virtualization & Containers

Hypervisor: Proxmox (homelab)
Containers: Docker Desktop, Podman
Orchestration: K3s for learning Kubernetes
IaC: Terraform, Ansible

🛠️ Command Line Tools

My most-used CLI tools:

# Security
nmap            # Network discovery
zap           # Web server scanner
gobuster        # Directory/file enumeration
john            # Password cracking (legally!)
hashcat         # GPU-accelerated password recovery

# Development
git             # Version control
gh              # GitHub CLI
python3         # Scripting and automation
go              # For performance-critical tools
rust            # Learning for memory-safe tools

# Infrastructure
terraform       # Infrastructure as Code
ansible         # Configuration management
docker          # Containerization
kubectl         # Kubernetes management

# Utilities
tmux            # Terminal multiplexer
fzf             # Fuzzy finder
ripgrep         # Fast searching
bat             # Better cat
htop            # System monitoring
ncdu            # Disk usage analyzer

☁️ Services & SaaS

Development

Code Hosting: GitHub (public), GitLab (private)
CI/CD: GitHub Actions, self-hosted Jenkins
Monitoring: Netdata (self-hosted), UptimeRobot

Security

Threat Intel: AlienVault OTX, abuse.ch feeds
DNS: Cloudflare (1.1.1.1), Pi-hole (local)
VPN: WireGuard (self-hosted), ProtonVPN (backup)

Learning

Courses: Pluralsight, Linux Academy, YouTube University
Labs: HackTheBox, TryHackMe, personal lab
Reading: O'Reilly Learning, research papers

🎮 Homelab Services

Self-hosted services running 24/7:

Monitoring: Wazuh, Grafana, Prometheus
Media: Jellyfin (like Plex but open source)
Automation: Home Assistant (smart home)
Documentation: BookStack wiki
Code: GitLab CE
Secrets: Vault by HashiCorp
Backups: Restic to local NAS + B2

🎯 Philosophy

My tool choices are guided by:

Open Source First: Support the community that taught me
Privacy Conscious: Your data is your data
Automation Friendly: If I do it twice, it gets scripted
Learning Focused: Tools that teach, not just do
Reliability: Boring technology for critical stuff

🔄 Recent Changes

Added (Last 3 Months)

Ollama for local LLM experiments
Tailscale for zero-config VPN
Bruno as Postman alternative

Removed

LastPass (moved to self-hosted Bitwarden)
VMware ESXi (Proxmox does everything I need)
Notion (Obsidian + Git is simpler)

💡 Pro Tips

Version Control Everything: Even my Obsidian notes are in Git
Automate Backups: 3-2-1 rule saved me more than once
Document Your Setup: Future you will thank present you
Test Your Backups: Schrödinger's backup isn't a backup
Keep Learning: The best tool is the one you understand

🤔 Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Windows, Linux, or macOS?
A: Yes. Linux for personal devices and most gaming thanks to proton, macOS and Linux for work, and Windows for the few games that aren't linux compatible.

Q: Favorite programming language?
A: Python for quick scripts, Go for tools, Rust for learning. Bash for gluing it all together.

Q: How do you keep up with all these tools?
A: I like to play with new stuff, but I don't know everything. I learn what I need when I need it. The fundamentals transfer between tools.

Q: What's your backup strategy?
A: Automated hourly snapshots locally, daily to NAS, weekly to cloud. Test restores monthly.

Q: Coffee or tea?
A: Coffee for coding, tea for reading, water for incidents (hydration is key).

*This page is updated regularly as my setup evolves.

Have questions about any of these tools? Want to share your setup? Let's connect!