Articles & technical guides
Feedback, tutorials and thoughts on monitoring, Docker and self-hosting.
Single Binary Monitoring: Why It Matters
Why a single-binary monitoring tool changes everything for self-hosters. No dependencies, no config sprawl, no moving parts — just one container that does it …
Docker Monitoring Without Prometheus: A Practical Guide
You don't need Prometheus to monitor Docker containers. Here's how to get full visibility into your Docker stack without PromQL, exporters, or YAML config …
Lightweight Docker Monitoring for Homelab
The best monitoring setup for homelab Docker stacks: lightweight, self-hosted, zero config, and under 20 MB of RAM. No cloud dependencies.
Self-Hosted Monitoring in 2026: The Single Binary Approach
The monitoring landscape has shifted. Self-hosted single-binary tools now rival SaaS platforms for small-to-medium Docker stacks. Here's where we are in 2026.
Why I Built Maintenant
The story behind Maintenant: why I decided to create a unified monitoring tool for Docker and Kubernetes, and the problems I set out to solve.
Monitor Your Docker Stack in 2 Minutes
Quick tutorial to install Maintenant and monitor your entire Docker Compose stack in under 2 minutes.
Monitor Docker Compose Without Writing Config Files
How to monitor your entire Docker Compose stack without prometheus.yml, grafana.ini, or any config file. Just Docker labels and auto-discovery.
Maintenant vs Uptime Kuma: An Honest Comparison
Detailed comparison between Maintenant and Uptime Kuma for self-hosted monitoring. Strengths, weaknesses, and use cases for each tool.
From Prometheus + Grafana to Maintenant: A Migration Story
How I replaced a 5-container Prometheus + Grafana monitoring stack with a single container, freed 500 MB of RAM, and deleted 3 config files.
Maintenant vs Grafana + Prometheus: When Simple Is Better
Why deploying Grafana + Prometheus + cAdvisor is often overkill for small Docker stacks, and how Maintenant simplifies monitoring.
The Complete Docker Compose Monitoring Guide
Everything you need to know to effectively monitor a Docker Compose stack: containers, endpoints, certificates, cron jobs and system resources.
Monitoring Cron Jobs with Maintenant: A Practical Guide
How to monitor your scheduled tasks and cron jobs with Maintenant's heartbeat system. Configuration, best practices and examples.
Container Auto-Discovery: How It Works Under the Hood
Technical deep-dive into Maintenant's auto-discovery mechanism: Docker socket, Kubernetes API, runtime detection and metrics collection.