Why Self-Hosting
Managed vs self-hosted
Most software today is delivered as a managed service — a vendor runs the infrastructure, handles updates, and charges a monthly fee. This is convenient, but it comes with trade-offs:
| Managed (SaaS) | Self-hosted | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Instant | Requires configuration |
| Maintenance | Vendor handles it | You handle it |
| Cost | Per-seat subscription | Infrastructure only |
| Data | On vendor's servers | On your own server |
| Control | Limited to what vendor allows | Full |
| Lock-in | High | Low |
Self-hosting means running the software yourself on your own infrastructure. You own the data, control the configuration, and are not dependent on a vendor's pricing or policy decisions.
The FOSS angle
Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) adds another dimension. With proprietary SaaS, you are dependent on both the vendor's infrastructure and their software. If they change the pricing, discontinue a feature, or shut down, you have no recourse.
FOSS software can be self-hosted, audited, and forked. The source code is public, so you are never locked into a vendor's roadmap. Even if a project is abandoned, the software keeps running.
Not all self-hosted software is fully FOSS. Many projects use an "open core" model — the core is open source, but key features like SSO, API access, or audit logs are locked behind a paid plan. These are evaluated separately in this documentation.
Why it matters for organisations
For an organisation like a union, self-hosting FOSS software means:
- Data sovereignty — member data stays on infrastructure you control, in a jurisdiction you choose. No invisible tax to big tech in the form of data harvesting or profiling.
- No per-seat costs — unions have large numbers of volunteers who need access but are only occasionally active. Per-seat pricing makes this expensive even if most seats see little use. Self-hosted software has no per-seat fees — infrastructure costs stay roughly flat regardless of headcount.
- No vendor dependency — you are not at the mercy of a vendor's pricing changes or acquisition. And because data is yours and formats are open, switching to a different tool is much less painful.