Self-hosting: Difference between revisions
Rewrote the introduction, incorporating common reasons to do this and referred to a basic explainer by Yunohost |
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'''Self-hosting''' is the practice of implementing digital services with server applications under one's own control. This is opposed to relying on large public services or [[Cloud (service)|cloud services]], compared to which it provides significantly more control over how the services are provided at the cost of responsibility for setting them up and keeping them operational over time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About self-hosting |url=https://doc.yunohost.org/en/admin/about_self_hosting/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=Yunohost}}</ref> | '''Self-hosting''' is the practice of implementing digital services with server applications under one's own control. This is opposed to relying on large public services or [[Cloud (service)|cloud services]], compared to which it provides significantly more control over how the services are provided at the cost of responsibility for setting them up and keeping them operational over time.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=About self-hosting |url=https://doc.yunohost.org/en/admin/about_self_hosting/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=Yunohost}}</ref> | ||
It is typically taken up as a hobby, but enthusiasts report practical benefits as reasons to do this too, such as lower costs, less privacy concerns and greater flexibility.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sholly |first=Ethan |date=2025-11-21 |title=2025 Self-Host User Survey Results |url=https://selfh.st/survey/2025-results/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251121125437/https://selfh.st/survey/2025-results/ |archive-date=21 Nov 2025 |website=selfh.st}}</ref> Some enjoy the feeling of independence and a sense of autonomy it brings, for some it's an alternative to digital services offered on worse terms than self-hosting can provide, and sometimes it's a viable alternative when commercial service providers make sudden significant changes detrimental to their users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kehayias |first=John |date=2021-09-02 |title=Meet the Self-Hosters, Taking Back the Internet One Server at a Time |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/meet-the-self-hosters-taking-back-the-internet-one-server-at-a-time/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816174958/https://www.vice.com/en/article/meet-the-self-hosters-taking-back-the-internet-one-server-at-a-time/ |archive-date=16 Aug 2024 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=VICE}}</ref> | It is typically taken up as a hobby, but enthusiasts report practical benefits as reasons to do this too, such as lower costs, less privacy concerns and greater flexibility.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Sholly |first=Ethan |date=2025-11-21 |title=2025 Self-Host User Survey Results |url=https://selfh.st/survey/2025-results/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251121125437/https://selfh.st/survey/2025-results/ |archive-date=21 Nov 2025 |website=selfh.st}}</ref> Some enjoy the feeling of independence and a sense of autonomy it brings, for some it's an alternative to digital services offered on worse terms than self-hosting can provide, and sometimes it's a viable alternative when commercial service providers make sudden significant changes detrimental to their users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kehayias |first=John |date=2021-09-02 |title=Meet the Self-Hosters, Taking Back the Internet One Server at a Time |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/meet-the-self-hosters-taking-back-the-internet-one-server-at-a-time/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816174958/https://www.vice.com/en/article/meet-the-self-hosters-taking-back-the-internet-one-server-at-a-time/ |archive-date=16 Aug 2024 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=VICE}}</ref> | ||
==Origin of the practice== | ==Origin of the practice== | ||
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===Digital services for "connected" products=== | ===Digital services for "connected" products=== | ||
Various products in addition to (or instead of) autonomous functioning are increasingly relying on a service elsewhere for some of their features, often marketed as "smart" or "connected" | Various products in addition to (or instead of) autonomous functioning are increasingly relying on a service elsewhere for some of their features, often marketed as "smart" or "connected". | ||
Most of the time, product manufacturers do not | Most of the time, product manufacturers do not allow users to specify their own servers for these services. In such cases manufacturers' infrastructure becomes integral to the product and often gives manufacturer complete access to the product post-purchase through software updates, allowing for a number of anti-consumer actions such as [[retroactively amended purchase]] (manufacturer changing the way the product functions) and [[discontinuation bricking]] (manufacturer shutting down their server, reducing functionality of the product or rendering it entirely inoperable). When using a self-hosted server these such actions can be prevented but cutting access to manufacturer's servers while preserving product functionality; however, most of the time it's not officially supported. | ||
This isn't limited to just physical products, it affects software as well. For instance, [[games as a service]] typically require a server to fully function, and server software for such games is not made available to users, making self-hosting for such games impossible and requiring manufacturer's active involvement in order to maintain full game functionality. There are, however, many multiplayer games, especially older ones, that do support self-hosting of servers through dedicated server software<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dedicated Servers List |url=https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Dedicated_Servers_List |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260116200846/https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Dedicated_Servers_List |archive-date=16 Jan 2026 |access-date=2025-10-12 |website=Valve Developer Community}}</ref> | This isn't limited to just physical products, it affects software as well. For instance, [[games as a service]] typically require a server to fully function, and server software for such games is not made available to users, making self-hosting for such games impossible and requiring manufacturer's active involvement in order to maintain full game functionality. There are, however, many multiplayer games, especially older ones, that do support self-hosting of servers through dedicated server software<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dedicated Servers List |url=https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Dedicated_Servers_List |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260116200846/https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Dedicated_Servers_List |archive-date=16 Jan 2026 |access-date=2025-10-12 |website=Valve Developer Community}}</ref>. | ||
==Typical arrangements== | ==Typical arrangements== | ||
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A lot of server software is capable of running on "normal" (consumer-grade) computers as well. So it is common to start self-hosting by installing server software on an unused computer that can be run continuously or whenever access to its services may be needed. | A lot of server software is capable of running on "normal" (consumer-grade) computers as well. So it is common to start self-hosting by installing server software on an unused computer that can be run continuously or whenever access to its services may be needed. | ||
Because | Because most self-hosted servers are typically used by only a few users in practice<ref name=":1" />, hardware requirements for some of the most popular services can be meager<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=System Requirements |url=https://docs.nextcloud.com/server/stable/admin_manual/installation/system_requirements.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251115134906/https://docs.nextcloud.com/server/stable/admin_manual/installation/system_requirements.html |archive-date=15 Nov 2025 |access-date=2025-10-12 |website=Nextcloud Administration Manual}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=FAQ - Docker Mailserver |url=https://docker-mailserver.github.io/docker-mailserver/latest/faq/#what-are-the-system-requirements |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251014171111/https://docker-mailserver.github.io/docker-mailserver/latest/faq/#what-are-the-system-requirements |archive-date=14 Oct 2025 |access-date=2025-10-12 |website=Docker-mailserver}}</ref> and can be satisfied by very old or cheap computers, which can be seen as a step towards [[circular economy]]. | ||
Software-wise, depending on requirements and the level of technical expertise, one might opt for a generic server OS such as [https://www.debian.org/ Debian] or [https://ubuntu.com/server Ubuntu Server] for a more do-it-yourself experience, or an OS purpose-built for self-hosting such as [https://yunohost.org/ YunoHost] which guides its users through some of the complexities of the process. | Software-wise, depending on requirements and the level of technical expertise, one might opt for a generic server OS such as [https://www.debian.org/ Debian] or [https://ubuntu.com/server Ubuntu Server] for a more do-it-yourself experience, or an OS purpose-built for self-hosting such as [https://yunohost.org/ YunoHost] which guides its users through some of the complexities of the process. | ||