# Project Log: Docker Dreams and YAML Nightmares

A totally serious update on my local lab, featuring unexpected container drama, a misbehaving reverse proxy, and lessons in patience.
November 5, 2025 · 1 min · Kenny Bondelie

> Sometimes the difference between a ‘production-ready stack’ and ‘why is my NAS on fire?’ is one missing space in a YAML file.

It started innocently enough:
a single `docker-compose.yml`, neat and tidy, humming along like a well-trained orchestra. Then I added one new service—my self-hosted note app—and everything fell apart.

### The Symptoms#

- Containers refusing to start with no useful logs
- DNS loops that made my router question its purpose
- My wife asking, “Why is our TV buffering when you touch the server?”

### The Diagnosis#

Turns out, I nested a volume mount under the wrong key.
YAML: 1 — Human: 0.

### The Fix#

A humble indent.
Four spaces, to be precise.
Suddenly the world made sense again, DNS was stable, and my cat stopped judging me.

### Lessons Learned#

1. Version control everything, even your test Compose files.
2. Automate backups before you “just try something real quick.”
3. Celebrate small victories—sometimes the win is just getting your network back online before dinner.

If you read this and thought, “I’ve been there,” then welcome to the club.
Homelabs teach patience, humility, and the thrill of a perfectly clean `docker ps` output.

Stay tuned for next week’s adventure: rebuilding my reverse proxy after a 301 loop ate my weekend.