Self-hosting: Difference between revisions

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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 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>

'''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 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251217054550/https://doc.yunohost.org/en/admin/about_self_hosting/ |archive-date=2025-12-17 |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 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>

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In numerous alternatives, particularly among mobile apps, similar functions are only provided by the app's developer or affiliated parties, and often for a fee, with no alternatives,{{Citation needed|reason=needs examples}} resulting in a [[vendor lock-in]].

===Network-wide ad blockers===

Software suites that block access to advertising platforms to devices on the local network.

While limited in what kinds of ads they are capable of blocking, they work where installing a more advanced ad blocker is more difficult or impossible, such as on devices with heavily locked down software or within individual applications.

Examples: [https://pi-hole.net/ PiHole], [https://adguard.com/en/adguard-home/overview.html AdGuard Home].

===Other useful tools===

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*[https://casaos.io/ CasaOS], [https://umbrel.com/umbrelos Umbrel], [https://yunohost.org/ YunoHost]: Systems that aim to make it easy for non-technical users to run their own server and install services on it using a familiar app store paradigm

*[https://www.proxmox.com/ Proxmox VE]: Allows users to host multiple services isolated from each other on one server

*[https://mailcow.email/ Mailcow], [https://mailu.io/2024.06/# Mailu], [https://modoboa.org/en/ Modoboa]: Email servers that allow users to send and receive emails without the data collection of free mail services or the price of paid mail services

*[https://jitsi.org/jitsi-meet/ Jitsi Meet], [https://bigbluebutton.org/ BigBlueButton]: Video conferencing without relying on third party servers

*[https://matrix.org/ Matrix], [https://xmpp.org/ XMPP]: Federated messaging platforms

*[https://jellyfin.org/ Jellyfin]: Allows for media hosting with various clients for different devices to access the server

*[https://pi-hole.net/ PiHole], [https://adguard.com/en/adguard-home/overview.html AdGuard Home]: Ad blocking for devices on the network level

==Further reading==

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*[[Local Area Network]]

*[[Right to own]]

*[[Software as a service]]

==References==

[[Category:Common terms]]

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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 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>
+'''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 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251217054550/https://doc.yunohost.org/en/admin/about_self_hosting/ |archive-date=2025-12-17 |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 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>
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 In numerous alternatives, particularly among mobile apps, similar functions are only provided by the app's developer or affiliated parties, and often for a fee, with no alternatives,{{Citation needed|reason=needs examples}} resulting in a [[vendor lock-in]].
+===Network-wide ad blockers===
+{{Main|Ad block}}
+Software suites that block access to advertising platforms to devices on the local network.
+While limited in what kinds of ads they are capable of blocking, they work where installing a more advanced ad blocker is more difficult or impossible, such as on devices with heavily locked down software or within individual applications.
+Examples: [https://pi-hole.net/ PiHole], [https://adguard.com/en/adguard-home/overview.html AdGuard Home].
 ===Other useful tools===
@@ Line 82: / Line 90: @@
 *[https://casaos.io/ CasaOS], [https://umbrel.com/umbrelos Umbrel], [https://yunohost.org/ YunoHost]: Systems that aim to make it easy for non-technical users to run their own server and install services on it using a familiar app store paradigm
 *[https://www.proxmox.com/ Proxmox VE]: Allows users to host multiple services isolated from each other on one server
+*[https://mailcow.email/ Mailcow], [https://mailu.io/2024.06/# Mailu], [https://modoboa.org/en/ Modoboa]: Email servers that allow users to send and receive emails without the data collection of free mail services or the price of paid mail services
 *[https://jitsi.org/jitsi-meet/ Jitsi Meet], [https://bigbluebutton.org/ BigBlueButton]: Video conferencing without relying on third party servers
 *[https://matrix.org/ Matrix], [https://xmpp.org/ XMPP]: Federated messaging platforms
 *[https://jellyfin.org/ Jellyfin]: Allows for media hosting with various clients for different devices to access the server
-*[https://pi-hole.net/ PiHole], [https://adguard.com/en/adguard-home/overview.html AdGuard Home]: Ad blocking for devices on the network level
 ==Further reading==
@@ Line 92: / Line 100: @@
 *[[Local Area Network]]
 *[[Right to own]]
+*[[Software as a service]]
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
 [[Category:Common terms]]