What I Use

Complete transparency on the tools and services that power Intelligence Adjacent.

Want to set these up yourself? See the Setup Guide for step-by-step API key generation and tool installation instructions.

Hosting & Infrastructure

Production VPS (Hostinger)

  • Service: Hostinger VPS
  • Plan: KVM 2
  • Cost: $6.29/month ($150.98 for 24 months prepaid)
  • Purpose: Production automation and self-hosted services
  • Services Hosted:
    • n8n automation workflows
    • Vaultwarden (self-hosted password manager)
    • Ollama (local LLM inference)
  • Uptime: 99.9% SLA
  • Location: US datacenter
  • Why: Reliable, affordable, Docker-ready

Security Testing VPS (OVHcloud)

  • Service: OVHcloud VPS
  • Plan: VPS SSD
  • Cost: $4.20/month
  • Purpose: Isolated security testing environment
  • Docker Containers: Multiple containers with security testing tools
  • Tool Categories:
    • Penetration testing: nmap, nuclei, sqlmap, httpx, subfinder, hydra, nikto, etc.
    • Web3 security: slither, mythril, semgrep, echidna, halmos, forge, cast, solc, brownie, caracal, thoth, amarna
    • Mobile security: apktool, jadx, androguard, apksigner, frida, objection
    • REAPER: Traffic analysis, API endpoint discovery
    • Metasploit: Exploitation framework, reverse shell catching
  • Location: US datacenter
  • Why: Budget-friendly, isolated from production, Docker-ready, zero-trust network access via Twingate

Publishing & Content

Blog Platform (Ghost Pro)

  • Service: Ghost (Pro)
  • Plan: Starter
  • Cost: $9/month
  • Domain: notchrisgroves.com
  • Features:
    • Built-in membership management
    • Newsletter system
    • Custom themes
    • API for automation
  • Why: Best platform for membership sites, clean publishing experience

Landing Page (Netlify)

  • Service: Netlify
  • Plan: FREE tier
  • Domain: intelligenceadjacent.com
  • Cost: $0 (domain: $10-15/year)
  • Features:
    • Static site hosting
    • Form handling (100/month free)
    • SSL certificate (automatic)
    • CI/CD from GitHub
  • Why: Free tier is generous, perfect for landing pages

Privacy & Security

Personal Data Removal (Incogni)

  • Service: Incogni
  • Cost: $8/month
  • Purpose: Remove personal data from data brokers
  • Use Case: OSINT defense, privacy protection
  • Why: Automated data removal, saves time vs manual requests

Zero Trust Networking

Remote Access (Twingate)

  • Service: Twingate
  • Plan: FREE tier
  • Cost: $0
  • Purpose: Secure remote access to VPS infrastructure
  • Use Case: Zero trust network architecture
  • Why: Replaces traditional VPN, better security model, easier to manage

Automation & Workflows

n8n (Self-Hosted on Hostinger VPS)

  • Service: n8n (self-hosted)
  • Hosting: Hostinger VPS (Twingate-protected)
  • Cost: $0 (included in VPS hosting)
  • Use Cases:
    • Blog post automation
    • News aggregation
    • Workflow orchestration
    • API integrations
  • Why: Self-hosted means full control, no vendor lock-in

Security Testing Tools

VPS Docker Containers

Kali Pentest Suite:

  • nmap, nuclei, httpx, subfinder, katana
  • naabu, sqlmap, wapiti, wpscan, nikto
  • dirb, hydra, crackmapexec, searchsploit
  • responder, netcat, cvemap

Web3 Security:

  • slither, mythril, semgrep
  • echidna, halmos, forge, cast, solc
  • brownie, amarna, caracal, thoth

Mobile Security:

  • apktool, jadx, androguard
  • apksigner, aapt, apkleaks
  • frida, objection

REAPER:

  • status, get_requests, list_domains, list_endpoints
  • Database-driven traffic analysis platform

Platform: OVHcloud VPS (isolated security testing environment)

Why Docker: Isolated environments, reproducible setups, easy deployment

Development Tools

Knowledge Base & File Review

Obsidian

  • Service: Obsidian
  • Cost: $0 (free for personal use)
  • Purpose: File review and knowledge management (replaces traditional IDE for file viewing)
  • Vault Location: C:\Users\Chris\.claude\ (unified workspace - both Claude Code root and Obsidian vault)
  • Plugins Used:
  • Why: Unified workspace for code and documentation, seamless integration with Claude Code, file-based knowledge management

Package Managers

  • JavaScript/TypeScript: bun (NOT npm/yarn)
    • Why: 10x faster than npm, modern tooling
  • Python: uv (NOT pip)
    • Why: Faster dependency resolution, better caching

Version Control

  • Git: GitHub for public repos
  • Private Work: Local vaults (Obsidian integration)

Wispr Flow

  • Service: Wispr Flow
  • Plan: Free
  • Cost: $0
  • Purpose: Speak-to-text for writing when typing isn't the best interface
  • Use Case: Drafting blog posts, documentation, and notes during voice-only sessions
  • Why: Sometimes typing isn't the best interface. Wispr Flow lets me capture thoughts through speech without context-switching out of my workflow.

AI & LLM Infrastructure

Claude Code

  • Service: Claude
  • Cost: $20-$100/month (variable based on usage - basic plan to higher tier for heavy months, then downgrade)
  • Purpose: Primary development environment
  • Integration: Obsidian vault sync
  • Skills: Specialized skills across security, writing, advisory, legal, and infrastructure domains
  • Why: Skills-based architecture, file-based context, best AI coding assistant

Perplexity AI

  • Service: Perplexity
  • Cost: $200/year (currently free for 12 months via PayPal promotion)
  • Purpose: Research and deep analysis with citations
  • Why: Excellent for research with automatic citations, MCP integration

OpenRouter (Multi-Model AI)

  • Service: OpenRouter
  • Cost: <$5/month
  • Purpose: Multi-model AI access for QA review, image generation, and verification
  • Models Used:
    • Grok-2, Grok-vision (QA review, multi-model verification)
    • FLUX.1-schnell (blog hero image generation)
  • Why: Single API for multiple AI providers, cost-effective, fresh perspectives

X Premium

  • Service: X (Twitter)
  • Cost: $7/month
  • Purpose: Grok image generation, ad-hoc AI requests
  • Why: Access to Grok for image generation and quick queries

Monthly Infrastructure Cost

Total: ~$54-$134/month (depending on Claude usage tier)

Infrastructure:

  • Hostinger VPS: $6.29/month (KVM 2 plan)
  • Ghost Pro: $9/month
  • OVHcloud VPS: $4.20/month
  • Incogni: $8/month
  • Netlify: $0 (free tier)
  • n8n: $0 (self-hosted)
  • Twingate: $0 (free tier)

AI Services:

  • Claude: $20-$100/month (variable - basic to higher tier based on usage)
  • Perplexity: $0/month (free via PayPal promo, normally $16.67/month)
  • OpenRouter (Grok): <$5/month
  • X Premium: $7/month

Why I Share This: Complete transparency builds trust. You should know what it actually costs to run an Intelligence Adjacent infrastructure, including the AI services that power it.

Questions?

Curious about how I use any of these tools or why I chose them?

  • Ask in blog post comments - I respond to all questions
  • Email me - chris@notchrisgroves.com
  • Join Discord - Get direct help (Contributor and Fellowship tiers)

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Transparency Commitment: This page reflects my actual infrastructure. If I stop using something, I remove it. No recommendations for tools I don't use. Everything here is actively powering Intelligence Adjacent right now.