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A list of software products and services I use both for personal and professional use. I self-host whenever I can, but not always.
When I host, I do so on remote Linux VMs. I don't run anything from home anymore, except for the home automation system (duh!) which runs on a Raspberry Pi.
My database engine of choice is PostgreSQL. My go-to web server/reverse proxy is Nginx. I also host my own DNS servers running ISC BIND9. I backup all my systems and data with Restic, to remote Object Storage with a local replica on a NAS device.
I am naturally drawn toward free and open-source software first, but I recognise the fact that sometimes proprietary/paid software can be more efficient. I'd rather use the software than waste all my time maintaining it.
So here is a list of the main tools and services I use on a daily basis.
I work as part of a small team of independent consultants and I have put in place the following tools for us to use. We use Samba 4 as an Active Directory provider for user authentication and ACLs.
Collabora -- file and document hosting, groupware (an alternative to Google Apps, OneDrive, O365)
Zimbra -- email and calendaring (an alternative to Gmail, Outlook.com, Yahoo mail)
Z-Push -- a companion to Zimbra that allows ActiveSync (mobile connections)
eFa Project -- mail filtering based on MailScanner/SpamAssassin
Zabbix -- monitoring and alerting
Gitea -- Git version control (an alternative to Github)
Zammad -- helpdesk, support tickets (an alternative to Zendesk)
MeshCentral -- remote desktop assistance (an alternative to Bomgar, Teamviewer)
Matrix/Synapse -- secure instant messaging using the Matrix protocol (an alternative to Slack)
Wikipedia page for Active Directory
I have been self-hosting since my first BBS in the early 1990s, and I love the freedom and control. It also helps me understand how things work together. I am a big proponent of the "eat your own dog food" approach: I am a service provider but I can also put myself in my users' shoes.
WriteFreely -- federated blogging
WordPress -- another blog (for family; don't judge)
Mastodon -- federated micro-blogging (an alternative to Twitter)
Peertube-- federated video sharing (an alternative to Youtube)
Funkwhale -- federated music and podcast sharing (an alternative to… Spotify?)
Jitsi Meet -- video-conferencing (an alternative to Zoom)
Collabora -- file and document hosting, groupware
Z-Push -- email and calendaring
Zabbix -- monitoring and alerting
Confluence -- wiki, documentation
Home Assistant -- Home automation
Agate -- a simple Gemini server
These are things I used to self-host but have abandoned for various reasons.
--- Self-hosting, mostly was published on 2020-08-20