Changing Docker container timezones
By default, most Docker containers seem to use UTC as the timezone. This is generally sensible for servers, however some of the web applications I maintain assume that the system…
Force SSH to prompt for password
I've long used public/private keys as my default way of authenticating via SSH, for the following reasons: I don't need to share my credentials with whoever creates the account.I can…
Exclude files from searches in Visual Studio Code
For several years now I've been using Visual Studio Code as my main editor, and one bugbear of mine was that by default a search in a project would find…
Docker helper scripts
I recently took on some new clients who were already using Docker, and I found it so useful that I now use it in nearly every project. As with any…
Enabling copy and paste on sites which block it
If I had to make a list of website habits which annoy me the most, sites which prevent me from pasting values into forms would be high on the list…
Web application backups
If you have a web application, you need to ensure that every component (code, files, database etc.) is backed up on a regular basis. Backups need to be: Automated: So…
Split a PDF into one file per page
Recently I had to upload a PDF via a mobile app which required each page to be uploaded as a separate file - potentially an enormous amount of work. pdftk…
2021 review of the year
2021 has been another year of general chaos, but fortunately my business hasn't been too badly affected. I've also spent some time improving my business, which I think will stand…
Using Office 365 as a mail relay with Exim on Debian
Recently I had to setup a web server to relay all outbound email (e.g. password resets) through Office 365. The options are listed in How to set up a multifunction…
IPv6 adoption for web applications
Over the past decade, ISPs and hosting companies have been gradually rolling out IPv6, the headline benefit of which is to extend the number of available IP addresses (IPv4 allows…