Self-Hosting Dozens of Web Applications and Services on a Single Server (cprimozic.net)

Article summary

The author describes their setup for self-hosting dozens of web applications and services on a single server, using a dedicated server from OVH, Docker, and NGINX reverse proxy. The server has a Intel Xeon E5-1650 v4 CPU, 64GB of memory, and 2x 420GB NVME in RAID 1. The author uses Docker to containerize services, and NGINX to route traffic to the correct container. The setup also includes a CDN, databases, and self-hosted analytics and error reporting tools.

Main themes

• self-hosting
• server setup
• containerization
• security
• backup and recovery
• alternative platforms
• system services
• automation

What commenters say

• Using one VM per service can be more secure and easier to manage than hosting multiple services on a single server.
• Docker can introduce unnecessary overhead and complexity, especially for small services or low-traffic applications.
• Some commenters prefer using alternative tools and platforms, such as Yunohost or Freedombox, for self-hosting services.
• Regular backups and automated certificate renewal are crucial for ensuring availability and security.
• RAID-1 may not provide sufficient protection against simultaneous drive failure, and regular backups or alternative storage solutions may be necessary.
• Containerization can make it easier to manage and deploy services, but may not be suitable for all use cases.
• Some commenters prefer using system services and native installation instead of containerization for certain applications.
• Automating tasks and using cron jobs can help ensure reliability and reduce maintenance efforts.