What I Use

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

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: 5 containers with 42 tools total
• Tool Categories:
  • Penetration testing (17 tools): nmap, nuclei, sqlmap, httpx, subfinder, hydra, nikto, etc.
  • Web3 security (12 tools): slither, mythril, semgrep, echidna, halmos, forge, cast, solc, brownie, caracal, thoth, amarna
  • Mobile security (8 tools): apktool, jadx, androguard, apksigner, frida, objection
  • REAPER (4 core wrappers): Traffic analysis, API endpoint discovery
  • Metasploit (1 container): 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 (41 tools)

Kali Pentest Suite (17 tools):

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

Web3 Security (12 tools):

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

Mobile Security (8 tools):

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

REAPER (4 tools):

• 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:
  • Data Files Editor - Edit data files directly in Obsidian
  • Local REST API - Enable Claude to make API calls to the vault for programmatic file access
• 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: 18 specialized skills (security, writing, advisory)
• 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 (Grok AI)

• Service: OpenRouter
• Cost: <$5/month
• Purpose: Grok AI access for QA review, multi-model verification
• Models: Grok-2, Grok-vision
• Why: Multi-model verification, fresh perspectives, cost-effective

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.

Update Schedule

Last Updated: 2025-11-13

Update Frequency: Monthly or when infrastructure changes

Changelog:

• 2025-11-13: Initial inventory created
  • Added Twingate for zero trust networking
  • Documented VPS security tool containers
  • Added Incogni for personal data protection

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)

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.