What is Self-Hosting? What Can You Host on Your Own Server?

Self-hosting means running applications on your own server that you normally use through cloud services (Google Drive, Dropbox, Netflix, GitHub, etc.). You have full control over your data, get rid of monthly subscription fees, and protect your privacy.

Why Should You Self-Host?

1. Privacy and Data Control

Cloud services analyze your data, create advertising profiles, and may share with third parties. With self-hosting, your data stays only on your server.

2. Cost Savings

In the long run, self-hosting can be much more economical than cloud subscriptions.

Monthly Cost Comparison (approximate):

Cloud Services:
- Google One 2TB:     ~$10/month
- Dropbox Plus:       ~$12/month
- Netflix Standard:   ~$15/month
- GitHub Pro:         ~$4/month
- Notion Plus:        ~$8/month
Total:                ~$49/month

Self-Hosted (REXE VDS):
- Server cost:        ~$15-30/month
- All services included
Savings:              ~$20-35/month

3. Customization and Control

Cloud services offer you limited customization options. With self-hosting, you can configure the application however you want.

4. Independence

Cloud services can shut down, raise prices, or remove features. With self-hosting, you're independent from these risks.

Popular Self-Hosted Applications

File Storage and Sync

Nextcloud — Google Drive Alternative

hljs bash

docker run -d \
  --name nextcloud \
  -p 8080:80 \
  -v nextcloud_data:/var/www/html \
  -e MYSQL_HOST=db \
  -e MYSQL_DATABASE=nextcloud \
  -e MYSQL_USER=nextcloud \
  -e MYSQL_PASSWORD=password \
  nextcloud:latest

Nextcloud features:

File storage and sync
Calendar and contacts (CalDAV/CardDAV)
Video conferencing (Talk)
Office document editing (Collabora/OnlyOffice)
Photo gallery

Password Manager

Vaultwarden — Bitwarden Alternative

hljs bash

docker run -d \
  --name vaultwarden \
  -p 8080:80 \
  -v vaultwarden_data:/data \
  -e DOMAIN=https://vault.example.com \
  -e SIGNUPS_ALLOWED=false \
  vaultwarden/server:latest

Vaultwarden features:

Password management
2FA support
Secure note storage
Organization and sharing
Compatible with all Bitwarden clients

Media Server

Jellyfin — Netflix/Plex Alternative

hljs bash

docker run -d \
  --name jellyfin \
  -p 8096:8096 \
  -v /path/to/media:/media \
  -v jellyfin_config:/config \
  jellyfin/jellyfin:latest

Jellyfin features:

Movie and series streaming
Music library
Live TV and DVR
Multi-user support
Mobile and TV apps

Code Repository

Gitea/Forgejo — GitHub Alternative

hljs bash

docker run -d \
  --name gitea \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -p 222:22 \
  -v gitea_data:/data \
  gitea/gitea:latest

Uptime Monitoring

Uptime Kuma — Uptime Robot Alternative

hljs bash

docker run -d \
  --name uptime-kuma \
  -p 3001:3001 \
  -v uptime_kuma_data:/app/data \
  louislam/uptime-kuma:latest

Automation

n8n — Zapier/Make Alternative

hljs bash

docker run -d \
  --name n8n \
  -p 5678:5678 \
  -v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n \
  -e N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true \
  -e N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin \
  -e N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=password \
  n8nio/n8n:latest

Blog/CMS

Ghost — Medium/WordPress Alternative

hljs bash

docker run -d \
  --name ghost \
  -p 2368:2368 \
  -v ghost_content:/var/lib/ghost/content \
  -e url=https://blog.example.com \
  ghost:latest

Full Self-Hosting Stack with Docker Compose

hljs yaml

version: '3.8'

services:
  nextcloud:
    image: nextcloud:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    volumes:
      - nextcloud_data:/var/www/html
    environment:
      - MYSQL_HOST=db
      - MYSQL_DATABASE=nextcloud
      - MYSQL_USER=nextcloud
      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}
    depends_on:
      - db

  vaultwarden:
    image: vaultwarden/server:latest
    ports:
      - "8081:80"
    volumes:
      - vaultwarden_data:/data
    environment:
      - DOMAIN=https://vault.example.com
      - SIGNUPS_ALLOWED=false

  jellyfin:
    image: jellyfin/jellyfin:latest
    ports:
      - "8096:8096"
    volumes:
      - /media:/media:ro
      - jellyfin_config:/config

  uptime-kuma:
    image: louislam/uptime-kuma:latest
    ports:
      - "3001:3001"
    volumes:
      - uptime_kuma_data:/app/data

  db:
    image: mariadb:latest
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql
    environment:
      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=${DB_ROOT_PASSWORD}
      - MYSQL_DATABASE=nextcloud
      - MYSQL_USER=nextcloud
      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}

volumes:
  nextcloud_data:
  vaultwarden_data:
  jellyfin_config:
  uptime_kuma_data:
  db_data:

Hardware Requirements

Use Case	CPU	RAM	Storage
Basic (Vaultwarden + Uptime Kuma)	1 vCPU	1 GB	10 GB
Medium (+ Nextcloud + Gitea)	2 vCPU	2-4 GB	50+ GB
Full Stack (+ Jellyfin + n8n)	4 vCPU	4-8 GB	100+ GB
Media-Heavy (4K streaming)	4+ vCPU	8+ GB	500+ GB

REXE's VDS plans are ideal for getting started with self-hosting. With 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM, you can comfortably run Nextcloud, Vaultwarden, Gitea, and Uptime Kuma.

Self-Hosting Pros and Cons

Pros

Full data control and privacy
Long-term cost savings
Unlimited customization
No dependency on cloud services
Learning opportunity

Cons

Requires technical knowledge
Maintenance and update responsibility
Initial setup time
Backup responsibility
No uptime guarantee (your responsibility)

What is Self-Hosting? What Can You Host on Your Own Server?

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