this post was submitted on 14 May 2026
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Selfhosted

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How/what to start self-hosting? (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 months ago by TotallyWorthLife@lemmy.world to c/selfhosted@lemmy.world
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Do you have any advice or suggestions about it?

  • Hardware (what should be enough for a local PC, or VPS...)
  • Software (OS [Debian, Yunohost, other...], "containerization" (Docker, virtual machines?), dashboard, management, backups, VPN tunneling...)
  • "Utilities" to host (Lemmy, Peertube, Matrix, Mastodon, Actual Budget, Jellyfin, Forgejo, Invidious/Piped, local Pi-Hole, email, dedicated videogame servers like for Minecraft, SearXNG, personal file storage like Drive, AI [in the future, when I can afford a rig that can run a local model decently]...)

I'm aware it's a lot of stuff to take on, so, do you have any advice on where to start? (how to find a cheap PC to experiment with, if not get a VPS, what to test on it, what "utilities" to try self-hosting first...)

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[–] irmadlad@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

My first question would be, how familiar are you with the Linux cli? How much experience do you have with Docker containers? You are right, your list is quite extensive. and there is nothing wrong with goals, but I would caution to start small and slow. I would learn how to:

  • Drive the Linux bus fairly well. I'm using Ubuntu Jammy for my servers, but there are other options. NixOS seems popular.
  • Understand what reverse proxies are and how to deploy one. Caddy is pretty much dead simple with a small learning curve. There are many of them to choose from tho.
  • Learn about various security implementations. Security is paramount. Fail2ban is a good start, but I would also explore Crowdsec, Wazuh, etc.
  • Learn about Docker and how to set up Docker containers so that they are secure.
  • Instead of mass deploying apps and containers, choose one. Get to know it on a personal basis. The installation process, the security aspect, etc. Things are easier when there is only one container to mother hen. Then as your knowledge base grows, add another......and so on.
  • Document everything you do. Seriously. You can't write too many notes. When you've successfully deployed your first app while documenting, go back and clean up your notes and make them a part of your 3,2,1 back up policy. I can almost guarentee you that 6 months down the road, you won't be able to remember every command you typed in or what you've done. Documentation makes troubleshooting much easier.
  • Speaking of backups, you'll need a reliable way to make backups of your server. Borg seems to be quite popular, but there are others.
  • Have fun!