In light of the growing concerns surrounding privacy services, I encourage everyone to consider self-hosting as a way to enhance your digital sovereignty. This journey can empower you to take control of your digital presence, and I invite you to share your experiences here.
Currently supporting a diverse array of open-source projects, including public nodes and sharing official essential software such as encryption tools, along with other decentralized services. This initiative utilizes older free DIY hardware and successfully generates approximately 20 TB of monthly traffic for the privacy community without any issues or additional costs.
Self-hosting has become increasingly accessible thanks to a wealth of open-source projects and reliable internet connectivity options. With advancements like fiber-to-the-home and WiMax, many of us now enjoy download and upload speeds comparable to those offered by dedicated server facilities.
Configuring network equipment such as routers, switches, firewalls and fiber modems has never been easier. Modern tools and guides make it straightforward to set up port forwarding, even with a dynamic IP address. This means you can effectively manage your home network to support your self-hosting needs.
You don’t need the latest technology to start your self-hosting journey. Older hardware, such as a laptop or two with an external hard drive for backups, can be quite effective. Using Syncthing for file synchronization and any flavor of Linux as your operating system can significantly enhance your digital sovereignty.
While self-hosting your own email was quite common until around 2010, many faced challenges with email delivery as tech companies and ISPs began blocking outgoing emails from residential IP addresses. However, it is still very feasible to run your own email service today. By using a reputable IP address or an SMTP service for outgoing emails, you can successfully manage your own encrypted email communications.
I look forward to hearing about your self-hosting experiences and the tools you find most effective. Let’s support each other in this journey toward greater digital independence.
Here’s the issue with self hosting for most people:
Lack of technical know how
Lack of resources or hardware necessary
These two are the biggest factors if you ask me. And even if you had the technical know how to set it up, maintaining stuff and keeping things updated, private, secure, etc. and safe from any bad actors is another thing. That more often than not will require you to be an expert in self hosting, networking, etc. at the very least (as I understand it).
So, you say its become easier and better. But not for the average person. Even me, who is tech savvy but not technical enough to set such things up or even a Signal proxy by myself in the best way possible, self hosting may as well be a dream. One does need to be technical enough to understand the now easily accessible FOSS tools out there and how to set it up for yourself for free.
So what we really need is an education in self hosting as an extension of all the privacy and security education Privacy Guides and Techlore do. We don’t have that yet. The privacy space is missing this type of awareness and education - to atleast teach tech savvy users to become technical enough to self host simple things at the very least.
What you’re saying is only true for those in the know.
You raise some valid points, and we will definitely consider creating guides on how to get started with self-hosting.
Are there any specific self-hosting services you’re interested in or have tried in the past without success?
While insufficient experience in self-hosting can introduce vulnerabilities when exposing services, a hybrid approach is still viable. You can utilize active relays for encrypted traffic to enhance security.
For those of us who have been self-hosting since before the rise of cloud services, it often feels like we are returning to a nostalgic era. This shift is driven by growing confusion and concerns surrounding laws and jurisdictions in the digital landscape.
I have not tried self hosting. I don’t know where to begin. I know Docker is or can be used for a lot of things, I just don’t know how to go about it all. I mean, all I can do is set up Jellyfin and Plex on computers, if that counts as self hosting my streaming service.
I’d like to self host Ente, Wallabag (read later service), AliasVault, my own Signal proxy, Delta Chat proxy, XMPP, Mastodon server (or other fediverse tools), SearXNG, etc. You get the idea - whatever I can.
I do not know or understand what you mean here.
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But overall, yes. I do agree we should be self hosting things more. Get even more freedom from those who decide what we can or can’t do with software or how to use software and technologies.
While many open-source projects are available with Docker, the self-hosting journey can often feel overwhelming. Many find themselves spending most of their time in an administrative role, which can lead to fatigue and a tendency to revert to the previous services.
Given the current confusion surrounding the future of privacy services, it’s advisable to start with the essentials, such as your cloud storage. Transitioning towards self-sovereignty can be effectively achieved by implementing the “3-2-1 backup strategy”: keep three copies of your data, store them on two different media types, and keep one copy offsite.
Digital sovereignty and self-hosting do not always require you to install and manage everything on your own. Simple yet effective practices, such as removing unused apps, deleting old accounts, and discontinuing non-essential services, are crucial steps toward achieving digital sovereignty in practice.
Many decentralized services, such as Tor, cryptocurrencies, and storage solutions, depend on volunteers who contribute their resources to support the infrastructure for all users. While it is often ideal to run your own infrastructure locally, you can still leverage community-supported nodes and relay services as a valuable stepping stone in your self-hosting journey. This approach allows you to use the service while gradually transition into self-hosting while benefiting from the collective resources of the community.
Yeah I’m noticing a pattern of very clean language and verbiage in the responses with their newest comment. Doesn’t feel personalized in any way. Even a person who speaks perfect English doesn’t write like they’re writing a term paper, especially on online forums.
