Developer builds ESP32 desk monitor to track remote server stats without VPN or port forwarding

A developer in Dhaka created PeekESP, a compact hardware dashboard that displays real-time system metrics — including CPU, RAM, storage, and temperature — from a remote Linux or Windows machine located hours away. The project was motivated by the home server being behind CGNAT, which blocks traditional inbound connections, ruling out both port forwarding and standard VPN solutions for the microcontroller. The system works by having both the server agent and the ESP32 device dial out to a Cloudflare Worker acting as a relay, so neither end requires an open inbound port. Pairing is handled via a 10-character code shown on the device's display, with no accounts or external services needed beyond the free-tier Cloudflare relay. The project is open-source under the MIT license and supports monitoring multiple machines on a single display, with source code and setup guides available on GitHub.