I don’t have a home server yet but I’m exploring and sometimes I get confused about some posts here.

For example I saw a post asking for recommendation for a “self hosted budget management app”. Can’t you just install this type of app to your phone or pc? What’s the purpose here, will you host it and access it from a browser? Or do you only want to backup its data to your server?

I hope I don’t sound stupid please enlighten me.

  • Simon-RedditAccount@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    Can’t you just install this type of app to your phone or pc?

    For one instance of app, it’s possible to install it onto a single machine.

    Things get tricky when you want to access the data from multiple devices. Even trickier, when several people want to access it. After a certain point, it’s easier to have a “cloud” solution. And since “cloud” is just somebody’s else computer, why not make this a computer YOU own?

    • IsPhil@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      I think for a lot of people as well, a big factor is when you share that data between multiple devices, if you use your own solution, then you don’t have to trust other companies with your data.

      • PuckSR@alien.topB
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        1 year ago

        No, but now you have to trust yourself with security.

        It seems to me to be a bit of the fly vs drive debate. Flying is objectively safer, but lots of people get more freaked out by it because they have zero control over the outcome.

        • neonintubation@alien.topB
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          1 year ago

          I think the threat model is sufficiently different enough for self hosters versus commercial offerings that it is possible to maintain a comparable level of security to what you’d enjoy elsewhere with significantly less technical training. E.g., I run a home server using a point-to-point Wireguard configuration such that only devices I’ve explicitly set up with Wireguard can access any of its services. My ports are very quiet.

          • maomaocake@alien.topB
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            1 year ago

            actually when a plane runs out of fuel it doesn’t drop out of the sky, a trained pilot can glide the plane down (eg Hudson River landing ) mow if u r on a highway and u run out of fuel the car behind u might hit u

    • craigmontHunter@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      Exactly- I have a desktop and a laptop and want the same experience on both. I do have file sync setup with Nextcloud so that is handled, but for some things a hosted version makes sense. I’ve come a long way from using briefcases on a 3.5 floppy to have my data where I want it.

    • reubenbubu@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      if someone wrote an open source free solution for you to self-host i think its just rude not to use it. so self-hosting is just being polite

    • SpongederpSquarefap@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      This is exactly it - storage is the best example

      Could I run all of my stuff using a cloud service? Of course, but it would be very expensive and only available if my internet works (and there’s a lot of hops between me and my data in the cloud)

      I can buy a 2TB HDD for £64 - most cloud providers charge that much per year for 1TB

      • gallifrey_@alien.topB
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        1 year ago

        ideally youd buy like a 14-20 TB hard drive for less than 200 GBP. economies of scale!