Malek A.

Aug 3, 2026 · Reshared

Thank you [profile:7d0c73b9-4c89-4954-aba5-9aeebb469cc6:Malek A.]

This was a truly impactful and insightful session.

https://youtu.be/UGCcGVItx9Q?si=gI3lffGojnI3DAgs

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Jul 20, 2026 · Reshared

This is what happens when two people connect on [company:4009e469-1610-4b21-9de1-877199095320:CYBERR] and decide to build something. 🌱

[group:a6d8ae4e-884b-4e19-bedc-96d4c33194c2:CyberShift] began as a small idea on this platform. This weekend, it became a full career training program with over 200 registered professionals taking their first real steps into cybersecurity.

Massive thank you to my partner in defense [profile:7d0c73b9-4c89-4954-aba5-9aeebb469cc6:Malek A.] One conversation here turned into all of this. We're making impact, and this is only the beginning.

Check out the snippet below 🎥 Full video dropping soon!

https://youtube.com/shorts/xiqvmNJCCvM?si=xCyDBkh8xzyi1LxQ

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Apr 2, 2026

🚀 The next evolution of Private Cloud Manager is here!

We’ve rolled out a security news feed, risk insights by severity, enhanced VM tooling, live job & traffic charts.

Plus, OpenClaw (our AI agent) is fully integrated.

Now it automates security checks, VM orchestration, and launches full labs hands-free.

Smarter ops, smarter cloud.

#Automation #CloudManagement #AI

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Mar 31, 2026

🚀 Big update on my **Private Cloud Manager** project.

Over the last iterations, I pushed it far beyond a simple VMware control panel and turned it into something that feels much closer to a real local-first operator console.

What it does now:

- 🖥️ Manage VMware Workstation Pro VMs from a custom web dashboard

- 📡 Show live VM power state and per-VM activity indicators

- 🕓 Track `last online`, `last SSH login`, `last updated`, and reboot-required state

- 🏷️ Manage tags and live SSH connection details directly from the UI

- 💻 Open multiple browser-based SSH sessions, including multiple tabs for the same VM

- 🔄 Start a powered-off VM, wait for SSH readiness, then connect automatically

- 📦 Run managed Ubuntu update jobs from the dashboard instead of ad hoc shell commands

- 🤖 Operate the same backend through **OpenClaw + Ollama** using structured tools

- 🧾 Keep everything on a job + audit path instead of giving AI direct shell access

One of the parts I like the most is the architecture decision behind the AI side:

instead of letting the model directly touch the host, I exposed a controlled tool layer on top of the same backend the web UI uses.

That means:

- better auditability

- safer automation

- cleaner separation of concerns

- a more realistic path toward AI-assisted infrastructure operations

Tech stack behind it:

- ⚛️ React + Vite + TypeScript + Tailwind

- 🧠 OpenClaw + Ollama

- 🟩 Node.js + Express + TypeScript

- 🗃️ Prisma + SQLite

- 🔐 SSH over WebSocket with browser terminals

- 🧰 VMware Workstation Pro via `vmrun`

This project sits at the intersection of things I enjoy the most:

- cybersecurity

- infrastructure and network operations

- platform thinking

- automation

- full-stack product building

- local AI tooling

I’m especially happy with how much the UX improved recently. It now feels less like “some controls on a page” and much more like an actual operator workspace.

Next steps I’m thinking about:

- stronger auth and access management

- richer SSH/job history visualizations

- more OpenClaw operational tools

- broader lifecycle support beyond start/stop/update

If you work on homelabs, internal platforms, security tooling, or local AI-assisted operations, I’d genuinely love to exchange ideas.

#Cybersecurity #PlatformEngineering #DevOps #Homelab #VMware #OpenSource #React #NodeJS #Prisma #Ollama #AI #Automation #Infrastructure #FullStack

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Mar 29, 2026

🚀 Just shipped a new side project: Private Cloud Manager (PCM)

Link to the repo : https://github.com/malek-Malek A./private-cloud-manager

A local VM control plane that turns your VMware Workstation Pro environment into a clean, web-based private cloud.

As my homelab kept growing, managing dozens of VMs through the native VMware GUI, random scripts, and scattered terminals became painful. So instead of writing yet another script, I decided to build a proper control layer around it.

What I built:

Modern React + TypeScript dashboard for VM inventory, job management, and real-time monitoring

Express backend handling orchestration, policies, and execution logic

Robust job engine with full lifecycle states: Pending • Running • Succeeded • Failed • Held

In-browser SSH terminal powered by WebSockets + xterm.js

Native VMware vmrun integration for seamless VM lifecycle operations (start, stop, suspend, etc.)

Prisma + SQLite for local state management and complete audit logging

AI Integration done right:

I connected it with OpenClaw + Ollama via a local plugin that exposes safe, controlled tools such as:

pcm_list_vms

pcm_start_vm

pcm_stop_vm

pcm_ssh_exec

The most important part? Architectural boundaries.

The AI layer doesn’t bypass the system. It uses the exact same APIs, job queue, and execution engine as the web UI. This ensures:

Centralized control ✅

Full auditability ✅

Consistent behavior ✅

Safer operations by design ✅

Private Cloud Manager lives at the intersection of:

🏠 Homelab / Private Cloud

🛠️ Platform Engineering

💾 Local-first Infrastructure

🤖 AI-assisted Operations

This project is a great reminder that cloud management principles aren’t just for hyperscale environments. Even a local VMware Workstation setup benefits massively from proper inventory, APIs, jobs, logging, and a clean operator interface.

And when it comes to AI in infrastructure:

It’s not about bolting a language model onto your system.

It’s about designing the right boundaries for control, safety, and execution.

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Have you built similar tooling for your homelab or local infrastructure?

#Homelab #PrivateCloud #VMware #PlatformEngineering #AI #LocalFirst #DevTools #Infrastructure

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