Thursday, 06 April 2023 20:17

Decentralized Web & App Self-Hosting

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What to do with that spare computer laying around? What to do with that spare computer laying around?

The following video discusses several common ways of self hosting apps and websites on your own hardware.  This provides helpful cost saving information for business owners and non profits, which varies based on how much CPU and RAM are required vs. storage space (GB/TB).  For users that require more than roughly 10gb of storage space, moving your VPS out of the cloud and using a reverse proxy to self-host your apps (on premises) is an easy way to save money, while keeping 100% control of your apps and data.

When properly configured, the reverse proxy will work from any internet connection.  What happens if you lose power at home, or your ISP goes down?

For example, when it comes to system redundancy and backups, you can:

  • Boot up your cell phone's hot spot and use a generator to keep your system online.  
  • Set up a mini network of home servers that share and sync the app's data between them
  • Perform daily / hourly / weekly automated backups of all your apps & data

For anything "mission critical" I'd always suggest hosting the app in a real data center, where they worry about things like backup generators, redundant internet connections, etc.  The following information might be better for home hobbyists, community groups and organizations.

I've been building websites professionally for over 20 years.  Part of my sales pitch has always been that my client owns the product, not me.  They can choose what to do with it, they're in control, and I've told clients numerous times that my solutions are so versatile, you can run them on a server in your basement, if you really wanted.  This video serves to put my money where my mouth is.  Now, let's actually do it!

Port Forwarding vs. YunoHost vs. Selfhosted Gateway vs. Boring Proxy

Video outline:

Last modified on Monday, 08 May 2023 18:02
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