How Self-Hosting Works

Self-hosting involves solving four distinct problems:

1. Hosting

Where do you actually run the software? You need a VPS from a hosting provider — a virtual machine you control. The choice of provider affects cost, data jurisdiction, and values alignment.

See the Hosting section for how we approach this.

2. Maintenance

How do you keep everything running? A bare VPS requires manually installing software, managing updates, handling SSL certificates, and configuring networking for every service you deploy. Fortunately, many FOSS tools have been developed to make this significantly easier — handling deployment, SSL, reverse proxying, and updates from a single interface.

See the Maintenance section for how we approach this.

3. App selection

Which apps are actually worth running? Not all open source software is equal. Some projects are fully FOSS, others use an open core model that locks important features behind a paid plan. Each app in this documentation includes an evaluation covering licensing, features, and suitability.

4. Adoption

If the new tool creates enough value at low enough friction, people will want to move. If it doesn't, the migration will feel like a disruption and fail. Adoption is about making sure the value is real and visible before asking anyone to change their habits.