User:Aeong/Home Servers

The following is a partial knowledge dump of self hosting, that I hope to tie into future articles about open source software that will allow people to take full advantage of what's available to them.

The Raspberry Pi 4B, a card-sized, energy-efficient computer that can be powered by a phone charger.

When one imagines an electronic server, they often imagine a large, power hungry device that runs in a data center. This is far from reality. A server can be a computer with network connectivity of any shape or size. It can be a small computer like the one pictured on the right, it can be an old desktop or laptop in your house that has been collecting dust, it can even be your old smartphone. All you need is the right software. This article has been written to make basic knowledge on how to run a home server as accessible and easy to follow as possible.

Why Would I Want A Home Server?

As time goes by, we are increasingly reliant on cloud services to sync up our files. The internet is also becoming increasingly more closed off and censored. Nothing stays up on the internet forever, and the services you use could close at any time. If you want to become less reliant on corporations who profiteer off your data, but be able to access it from anywhere you want, a home server is a great choice. But home servers do not relate to Solarpunk in personal ownership only, a home server operator with a bit more knowledge in cybersecurity can allow others in their community to connect to their computers. Home Servers are all about decentralization.

Useful Home Cloud software

• Bird app - <insert stuff here>
• Bookscale - Acts as a home wiki.
• Calibre - Stores ebooks that you can read over the internet
• FireFly III - Money management software
• Grocy - An app that manages kitchen inventory, stores recipes, and can also be a meal planner. You can scan items to your home inventory by scanning product barcodes from anywhere, be it at home or while shopping in store.
• Joplin - A notebook app that can manage notes, transcribe audio, and draw. It syncs all these things between devices.
• Monica - A personal relationship manager

Method 1 (Easiest): Use Home Assistant

Home Assistant is a piece of Open-source software that acts as control panel that can manage and install a wide plethora of useful programs you can run from your home and connect to from anywhere. It can also monitor your home while you are gone without violating your privacy. It partially removes a lot of the overhead that usually comes with installing and managing a home server, and is made with security in mind.