Background
I saw some people talking on discord about using the word self-hosting to describe their hobby over homelab.
In the online spaces I follow, I do see these words used interchangeably but they hold different meanings. I want to describe what I want to accomplish with this site and how it relates to both of these words.
That being said, I’m not trying to cause division between those that relate more to one over the other. Often times people do end up doing a little bit of both for whatever goals they have.
Self-Host
I see self-hosting as someone who cares about owning and taking back control of their own data. For “hosting”, I refer to having your own computer that:
- Stores your data
- Runs applications that you choose to interact with your data
The data and applications you host can then be made available to only yourself or your family and friends as well.
There are various reasons one might come to taking on this responsibility. One person might care about self-hosting to make sure they never lose access to their data. Another might self-host because they don’t trust big corporations with what are doing with user data.
For others, taking on this responsibility is worth the time spent learning different technologies and managing everything. Self-hosting is very opinionated and there are various ways to set up and maintain your infrastructure. You also run the risk of losing precious data.
I find self-hosting rewarding. I think we live in a time where self-hosting has become a viable option for many people. I am not promising that self-hosting is easy, but it is approachable for those willing to put some effort. There are lots of resources and advances in the technology that I think people will be surprised at what they can accomplish themselves.
In the wiki section of this site, I have information about the applications that I choose to self-host. I am still experimenting with different types of applications so expect a couple of changes over time. If you are interested in exploring different applications that are available to self-host, I recommend checking out selfh.st.
Homelab
Homelab on the other hand takes self-hosting a step further. You still care about hosting your own data and applications but with a homelab you start to care about building out your own I.T infrastructure for testing and development.
For example, with a homelab you might be curious about tinkering with different hardware, figuring out what they can do, and understanding their limits. On the software side, you might also be interested in virtualizing your computers or testing trending software. Another important aspect to homelabs is learning about networking and security. As your homelab grows you’ll accumilate more devices and will want to make sure your devices are communicating with each other (if they are meant to be).
There are many different topics to explore within a homelab which is another reason for building out this site. The wiki is the place where I’ll be documenting what I find to be important and helpful as it relates to homelabs.
Takeaway
Whether you care about self-hosting, homelabs, or both, this site is for you. However, the content will skew toward homelabs.
I want to learn as much as I can about everything without a goal in mind. Along the way I’ll share what I learn.
Some weeks might focus on the self-hosted applications I’m testing. Other times I will focus on what I can automate in my infrastructure.
In the end, I hope to just look back and enjoy the progress I’ve made.