We should probably talk about some options for how people actually self-host. There’s certainly easier and harder options. The main things I’ll talk about today are Synology, Cloudron, Sandstorm, and chaoticly cramming things in an old computer. Each person has their own needs and preferences, so there is no “best answer” here. I’ll try to speak to what sort of people might like each option too.

(Over on LinkedIn, this post will get broken up into pieces in order to fit into posts)

Synology

People probably know Synology for network storage, or the ability to either sync files with a device on your network, or to move files off your computer to some other device. NAS is great for making sure your data is available even when your main computer goes down, but that’s not all it does. Synology has a “package center”, where you install software that adds more features to your NAS. While most of the apps Synology can install focus on doing something with your data (video streaming to smart TVs, backups, file sync, …), there are a couple apps that do something else entirely. For example, Tailscale is a way to ensure your devices can always connect to each other, even when you’re on the road with your laptop. There’s some utilities around calendars, chat, managing security cameras, even VMs and Docker. VMs and Docker, in turn, let you install any other web applications you might decide you need that Synology doesn’t provide. The value of having Synology solve a ton of these problems for you cannot be understated.

And the “we did it for you” is also the other edge of the sword. If you compare Synology’s video streaming software with Plex, it’s not a contest at all. The two aren’t even in the same league. It’s the same story with most of Synology’s apps. For mainstream users with simple use cases, this probably isn’t much of an issue. I’m not a mainstream user, my use cases aren’t simple, and so the black boxes that don’t do what I want them to just aren’t what I need, but your mileage may vary.

There’s also a lot of Synology variants available, and they’re not all made equal. While the unit I have can be had for a hard-to-beat price of $300, there are ways to beat that price, and the hardware really isn’t anything to write home about at that price point. Don’t expect it to handle transcoding multiple video streams at the same time, unless you’re willing to pay for the sort of hardware that can do that. At a minimum, though, find a unit that supports Docker. Not all units do.

That’s where old computers you might have lying around or a recycler might have come in. By the time you pay for that much Synology hardware, the old computers suddenly start looking pretty competitive on price.

That Old Computer Lying Around

Most computers made within the last 5 years can handle most workloads you’d care to throw at them just fine. Sure, if you’re going to run Plex, you want a video card. Sure, if you’re going to be compiling C# around the clock, you might want more than 4 cores. But that old computer can handle a lot more than you give it credit for, once you reformat it and install some web apps.

The upside here is convenience and capability. You already have that old computer, now put it to use. An old laptop or desktop is as close to a blank slate as you can get, waiting to run exactly the bit of software you need. And if the program you thought was going to solve a problem doesn’t do what you need it to, odds are there’s a different program that will get you closer to what you’re looking for.

This route provides by far the most opportunity for learning things, but there’s only one teacher in this classroom. It’s the School of Hard Knocks, and you will only learn the important lessons The Hard Way. Leaving reliable storage as a half-solved problem might get you a “good enough” solution, or you might discover ten years later that you didn’t do one small step, and now half your data (or more) is corrupted.

You’ll also have to solve every problem yourself. Backups? That’s on you. Remote access? Hope you’ve got some google skills. File sharing? Sure, as soon as you make it happen. Some people find themselves solving everything themselves, because that’s how they can get the software they want to run how they want it. Others might not have enough knowledge (yet) to make good use of the power. Still others spend too much energy in other places to take on solving absolutely everything themselves.

Surely someone has simplified the more powerful/featureful self-hosting has to offer into something easy to use, right?

Sandstorm and cloudron

Sandstorm aims to organize all your data, regardless of which app it’s in. Imagine Google Drive, but it also contains chat rooms, music players, or task boards. Cloudron just hosts your apps and provides a menu for them. Harder to find that document you were working on last week, but maybe conceptually simpler to start with, assuming you’re already familiar with websites and domains.

For most people who don’t like Synology, these last two options are what I’d recommend for getting started. Sandstorm is ready to run in any household, but cloudron expects you to already own your own domain on the web, as it expects to create a different subdomain for each app you install. Both are less work overall than using an old computer lying around. But you still need a certain amount of skill, so I wouldn’t put either of them in the same league as Synology. Your mileage may vary, of course.