Thoughts on Self-Hosting

I've always been interested in self-hosting. Ever since I started learning about computers, I've wanted to set up apps where I can collect and control my own data. However, I really wasn't good at setting up servers or complex networks which made the whole self-hosting process kind of intimidating. I also, at around the same time, became more interested in building applications than working on networks. Probably because I was better at being an app developer than a network admin.

Luckily, for me, Jay and I met and started a business. He happens to love setting up networks, managing servers, and making sure everything is online. Because of this, at Server Side Up, we end up hosting most of the applications that run our company ourselves. This gives us full control over our data, privacy, and at the end of the day, saves a ton on SaaS subscriptions. I can then focus on my specialty of app development and Jay can make sure our app stay online.

However, as time has gone on, we've become more and more passionate about self-hosting. Privacy concerns, security, unexpected price increases all contribute to our desire to run as much of our infrastructure as possible. It feels good and makes business sense to do it this way. Because of all the attention we've put into self-hosting our own applications, my interest has come full circle back to self-hosting personal apps as well, which has invoked a lot of interesting feelings about how I approach using software.

My Synology Server

Like I mentioned, I'm not a network admin. I needed something easy, so I got a small Synology that Jay set me up with. In the past, I've set up file servers with FreeNAS and other solutions. They were awesome, but I'd always run into something that I couldn't fix. With Synology, you plug it in and turn it on (the more complicated stuff Jay set up). For me this is a perfect entry point. I now have a running file server but also a small machine that can run Docker containers.

I didn't appreciate the fact that I can run a Docker container on my Synology for awhile. It wasn't until Jay helped me set up a Docker container on my Synology that I was like "holy smokes, I can actually do this". Granted, he had my static IP configured and a few other network rules. The first app I set up myself was Readeck, a simple article saver that can save from a browser extension or a link, extract the content, create a beautiful, streamlined way to read on any device. It's amazing. This app was the inspiration for why I'm writing this article since it has really set the tone for how I view software, data and long term vision.

The Feel of Owning Your Data

In the past, I've used other web bookmark tools. Pocket, Reader, etc. But none of them ever really set a tone. Pocket doesn't exist anymore, Reader was beautiful, but just didn't feel right. Honestly, Reader probably has more features than Readeck. However, when I set up Readeck, I felt something different. What I knew was that no matter what, I owned the data. Anything I saved would be there, on my machine for as long as I wanted. Readeck could change or shut down, but as long as it was running on my machine, I owned the data.

This is where my usage of the app really started to change. I started to think long term. I spent more time tagging and organizing my content. Even though there were less features than Reader, I invested more effort into using Readeck. I have my phone set up, my browser extension set up, everything funneling back into one centralized location where I had control of the content. And I have to say, that feeling was amazing. I was hooked.

Future Thoughts

Since I first installed Readeck, I've installed a few other personal apps. All with the same excitement and attention to detail as I took with installing Readeck. Even further, I've even built my own app for managing family recipes and installed on my Synology. This power to design software that solves your specific need and put you in control of the data and hosting is incredible.

Where I see the future going is not only will self-hosted applications be good for business and enterprise, but also for personal use. Both use cases are why we built our SaaS, Self Host Pro in the first place (and yes, you could self-host Self Host Pro if you wanted to). Self Host Pro allows users to design and build their own applications and sell them with the idea of being hosted by the customer on their own infrastructure. Jay wrote a simple script for people like me where you just need to spin up a server instance, paste the script and if you have a valid license, the app installs.

With security vulnerabilities running rampant ini the age of AI, no control over the infrastructure and your data being sniffed and sold without your permission, I believe the future is bright for self-hosters. No privacy invasions, you own the data, it's around for the long term. This makes sense for both personal and business applications.