Self-hosting, without the guesswork
Plain answers for running your own services.
Every page here answers one real question you'd ask before self-hosting something — from someone who actually runs the stack, with the trade-offs stated plainly and the downsides kept in.
New to this? Start here — build a homelab one box at a time →
Getting started
What self-hosting is, what you need, and the first decisions.
- Is self-hosting actually cheaper than paying for cloud subscriptions?
- Do I need Kubernetes for my homelab, or is Docker Compose enough?
- What's the realistic monthly cost of running a home server 24/7?
- Portainer vs Dockge vs the plain Docker Compose CLI — what's the easiest way to manage containers?
- How do I keep my self-hosted Docker containers updated without breaking things?
- What should I self-host first as a complete beginner?
Networking & access
Reaching your services safely — reverse proxies, DNS, remote access.
Storage & backups
Where your data lives and how not to lose it.
Media & apps
The services people actually run, and how to choose between them.
- How do I access my Jellyfin server safely from outside my home network?
- Gitea vs Forgejo: which self-hosted git server should I use?
- Do I need a GPU for Jellyfin/Plex transcoding, or can my mini PC handle it?
- Immich vs Nextcloud: which one should replace Google Photos?
- Jellyfin vs Plex: which should I actually self-host in 2026?
- Uptime Kuma vs Grafana/Prometheus: how much monitoring does a home server need?
Hardware
What to run it on — and what you can skip.
Security & upkeep
Staying patched, staying private, staying online.