Guides
GuidesMoving a WordPress site without losing Google rankings: the checklist
Practical checklist for migrating WordPress hosting or domain: what to copy, DNS TTL, 301 redirects and Search Console's Address Change tool.
GuidesDown and out: SSH 'Connection refused' and 'Permission denied', step-by-step guide
The causes in order of frequency, the commands for each check, and how to recover from the emergency console when SSH doesn't respond or rejects your key.
GuidesEnable HTTP/3 on NGINX and Ubuntu 24.04: packages, config and verification with curl
How to activate QUIC/HTTP/3 on NGINX using official nginx.org packages, server block directives, UDP firewall rules and testing with curl --http3.
GuidesKubernetes readiness and liveness probes: dangerous defaults on PHP-FPM pods
Why Kubernetes probe defaults cause restart loops on PHP-FPM, and how to configure them in YAML with kubectl commands to verify pod status after deployment.
GuidesHTTP 429 Too Many Requests: Identifying the Source and Resolving It
A 429 error can originate from your server, the CDN in front, or an external API. Learn to distinguish between them using response headers and implement a client that waits intelligently instead of hammering the endpoint.
GuidesSSL certificates in 2026: free with Let's Encrypt or paid EV, real costs
Let's Encrypt is free but DV only. EV certificates cost from £60 to over £970 per year: pricing from DigiCert and Sectigo and when it's worth spending.
Guides502 Bad Gateway Error: What It Means and How to Fix It, Step by Step
What triggers a 502, what to check yourself, what to tell your hosting provider and commands for Ubuntu 24.04 with Nginx and PHP-FPM.
Guides3-2-1 backups for a web server: how to implement it properly with restic and Borg
Practical guide to the 3-2-1 rule on Ubuntu: restic and Borg commands, cron scheduling, retention policies and—crucially—how to verify that restore actually works.
GuidesBots and crawlers eating your server: reading logs and rate-limiting
How to count bot requests in Nginx logs, distinguish real Googlebot from imposters, and limit traffic without disappearing from search engines.
GuidesHow much RAM does your website need: landing page, blog, shop and business app
Simple guide for non-technical users: how much RAM to choose for a landing page, blog, WooCommerce shop and web-based business application.
Guides99.9% uptime: how many minutes of downtime are actually allowed?
How to read an uptime report: permitted downtime minutes/hours for each SLA threshold (99% – 99.999%), calculation formula and what to ask if the numbers don't add up.
GuidesHigh load average: understand CPU usage before upgrading your server
A practical guide to reading load average, distinguishing between CPU saturation and disk I/O waits, and knowing when you actually need more power.
GuidesWhy your website is slow: a guide for non-administrators
The six most common causes of slow websites, how to identify them with free tools, and what to ask your hosting provider.
GuidesFull VPS disk: find what's taking up space and free it safely
No space left on device: commands to find what's filling the disk, the most common culprits and how to prevent it happening again with logrotate.
GuidesPostgreSQL on a VPS: how much RAM you actually need and which parameters to change immediately
Practical guide for Ubuntu 24.04: shared_buffers, work_mem, maintenance_work_mem and max_connections for VPSs with 2, 4 and 8 GB, plus final verification command.
GuidesPHP 8.6: What's New and How to Test It Before 19 November 2026
PHP 8.6 is in Release Candidate, GA on 19 November 2026. New features, deprecations to check, and how to install the RC on Ubuntu without touching production.
GuidesWhite screen: how to debug a site that says nothing
Practical guide to the white screen of death (WSOD): how to enable logging without exposing it to visitors and isolate the cause even without control panel access.
GuidesPHP 8.1 reached end-of-life in January: how to detect it and migrate to 8.3 safely
PHP 8.1 stopped receiving security patches on 31 December 2025. A guide to finding it on your servers and upgrading to PHP 8.3 on Ubuntu without downtime.
Guides10 WordPress checks to complete before October's end
Ten verification tasks for WordPress-managed sites, with the command or path for each one, during the ENISA-designated cybersecurity month.
GuidesSlow website: 7 common causes and how to spot them without IT skills
Practical guide to slow website issues: 7 causes from hosting to DNS, with PageSpeed Insights thresholds and free tools to diagnose them yourself.