Back in 2011, I already wrote a colophon post. Nothing much changed in it in terms of underlying technologies used such as Nginx web server. However, a few things aren’t mentioned in it, but will have a mention here. Basically, I am running most of the services using Google services for this domain (tinywp.in). Even though, I’ve been trying to de-google myself for years, I still use Google services with this domain (and with tinywp.com), mainly to collaborate with those who uses Google services too. Here’s the list of (Google) services that I use for tinywp.in…
Server for site hosting
The server is hosted in Google Cloud (Compute Engine). I’ve been running this under the free tier for years. I still use some paid services for the sack of remembering to use Cloud Engine and other Google services. It’s pretty limited. However, for the kind of traffic this site gets, the free limits are more than enough. :)
Email Hosting
As you may have guessed, I use Google Workspace. It’s been used since its inception too. However, most of my communication has moved to Proton Mail, mainly to improve privacy. Please note that most features that are free with Google are paid in Proton Mail (or are severely limited). To send mass emails, I use Amazon SES, though.
Domain Registry
Domain registrar for tinywp.in is Google Domains. It has changed hands multiple times. Works great most of the time. Offers automated provisioning of SSL / HTTPS for any sub-domain (or root domain). It also offers redirects. I still use redirect.pizza for redirects and for automated SSL, though. Redirect pizza offers analytics that is not offered by Google Domains. I also use redirect.pizza only for the root domain (tinywp.in) to redirect it to www.tinywp.in .
SSL Certificate Authority
Google Trust Services provides SSL for this domain since 2023. Earlier, I used LetsEncrypt and BuyPass.no for SSL certificates. Since, Google’s root certificates have wider compatibility than the rest, I switch to Google’s free SSL.
Backups
Again, I use Google Storage that offers up to 5GB free storage. This is the only service that I use beyond the free limit as my storage requirements are much higher than the free limit. I use one-way backups that helps to improve security.
Version Control
I use Google Source Repositories to keep most of the private repos. I don’t want to keep everything in a single basket (Github). So, using Googe’s only as an alternative. Google doesn’t offer any public repositories. So, it’s just for private repos.
Future course of action
As mentioned earlier, I plan to de-google myself to improve privacy. If any of the above changes in the future, I will update this post accordingly. If I use any additional services too, I will update this post.
But why do I use only free resources?!
You may wondering why I use only free resources (in Google, Amazon SES, etc). Actually, I do pay them. However, it is true that I use mostly free resources on the internet for a specific reason. But, that’s for another post. Stay tuned!
