P4 basic Data

Server Power Protection

Replaces: No UPS, data loss on power outage

Use a laptop battery or UPS to prevent data corruption from sudden power loss on your self-hosted server.

data-breachinfrastructure-dependency

Phase

First Self-Hosting — needs server/hardware, 2-4h

General

Protect your server from sudden power loss:

1. Laptop as server: battery is a built-in UPS — no additional hardware needed. Configure graceful shutdown at low battery (e.g. 15%).
2. Desktop/server: UPS with USB cable + NUT (Network UPS Tools) for graceful shutdown.
3. Configure: on power loss, send alert + initiate graceful shutdown after 2-3 minutes.
4. Test: pull the plug and verify the server shuts down cleanly, not hard-crashes.

Data corruption from sudden power loss is the #1 cause of Docker volume and database corruption. A $40 UPS or a laptop battery prevents this entirely.