Blog ran on Ubuntu 16.04 for 10 years. I migrated it to FreeBSD (crocidb.com)

Article summary

The author migrated their blog from an outdated Ubuntu 16.04 server to a new FreeBSD server on Hetzner, motivated by the need for security updates and a desire to try something new. The old server had been running for 10 years and was no longer supported. The author set up a new stack using FreeBSD, Jails, and Caddy, and migrated their sites to the new server. The process involved creating Jails for each site and configuring an internal virtual network.

Main themes

• Server migration
• FreeBSD vs Linux
• Jails and containerization
• Server security
• Long-term support
• Linux distributions

What commenters say

• Some users prefer Linux distributions with long support cycles to minimize maintenance and reduce the risk of breaking changes.
• Others argue that upgrading regularly is not a significant issue and can be done with minimal disruption.
• There are different opinions on the best Linux distribution for long-term support, with some recommending Alma, Rocky, or Debian.
• A few users have had negative experiences with Ubuntu upgrades and prefer alternative distributions.
• Some users value the stability and security of immutable or rolling release distributions, such as Fedora CoreOS or Arch.
• Others prioritize ease of maintenance and minimal changes over frequent updates and potential breakage.
• The trade-off between security updates and potential breakage is a concern for users with long-running servers or critical infrastructure.
• Automated updates can be beneficial, but may also introduce unexpected issues or breakage.