network
Remote access to my servers
Being able to reach my server from anywhere is essential to me β not really for administration, more for keeping my data available and in sync. Here are the approaches that have worked well for remotely managing my home NAS and web server.
OpenVPN
A proven, widely supported way to securely link remote devices over an encrypted tunnel. Its strength is compatibility with virtually every platform (Windows, Linux, Android, iOS) and full integration into the system network. One possible limitation: ideally your router needs to support the service, and you need a public IP.
OpenVPN is my first choice because it runs directly on my router β the only piece of IT gear at home that's on 24/7. I use it not just for NAS administration but mainly to reach my data whenever I'm away from my home Wi-Fi.
WireGuard
A modern, very lightweight VPN with minimal overhead and high throughput. Compared to OpenVPN it offers simpler configuration and faster connection setup β great for a permanent encrypted link between a laptop, phone, and home server. The downside is again the need for a public IP. In my case, my router doesn't support WireGuard at all β only the NAS does, and since the NAS isn't always on, WireGuard isn't very useful to me right now.
Tailscale
Tailscale is built on WireGuard but significantly simplifies configuration and network management. Just sign in with an account in the app, and all your devices connect automatically over an encrypted link, with no public IP or port forwarding required.
I use Tailscale for cases where I need to reach a NAS behind CGNAT (typically for friends whose OpenMediaVault NAS I set up). It's an ideal solution for remote networks without a public IP β fairly simple configuration and a secure, efficient connection.
Cloudflare Tunnel
Cloudflare Tunnel is another way to expose specific services on your own server without a public IP. I've used it, for example, to serve this very website, while internal access stayed available only over VPN.