Self-Hosting in the Philippines: Let’s Connect!

Hey there, fellow tech enthusiasts! I recently stumbled across a Reddit post from someone in the Philippines looking to connect with other self-hosting fans, and I thought, “Hey, that’s me!” I’ve been diving into self-hosting for a while now, and it’s been a surprisingly rewarding journey. I wanted to share my experiences and, more importantly, connect with others who are doing similar things. Let’s build a community!

What’s Self-Hosting Anyway?

Okay, so what *is* self-hosting? Basically, instead of relying on a company like Google or Dropbox to store your stuff, you run your own servers. You’re in control of everything – the software, the data, the security. It sounds complicated, and it can be, but it’s becoming much more accessible than it used to be. It’s about taking back control of your digital life.

My Self-Hosting Adventure

I started down this path mostly out of curiosity. I was getting a bit fed up with the way cloud services handle my data – the privacy concerns, the limitations, the constant changes in pricing. I wanted something I could truly understand and control. I’m based here in the Philippines, and I wanted a solution that was reliable, relatively affordable, and, honestly, just a little more independent.

Initially, I was messing around with Docker Desktop on Windows. It was a good starting point, but I quickly realized I wanted more control and a deeper understanding of the underlying technologies. I started using Docker Compose to define and manage my containers. Switching to Docker Compose was a huge step forward – it made things much more organized and predictable.

What I’m Running

So, what have I been setting up? Well, I’ve built a little ecosystem of self-hosted apps. It started small, but it’s grown as I’ve learned more. Here’s a snapshot:

• Portainer: This is my central dashboard. It lets me manage all my Docker containers in one place. Seriously, it’s a lifesaver.
• Watchtower: Keeps my containers running smoothly by automatically restarting them if they crash.
• File Browser: A simple web interface for browsing files stored in my containers.
• Vaultwarden: For self-hosted SSH key authentication. Security is a big deal to me.
• Jellyfin: My own media server! Streaming movies and TV shows without relying on Netflix or other streaming services.
• qBittorrent: A fantastic BitTorrent client, self-hosted, of course.
• Navidrome: Another media server, but this one focuses on music.
• Kavita: A podcast player.
• Speedtest Tracker: Automatically checks my internet speed.

I’ve also dabbled with some more work-related tools – ITFlow for documentation, BookStack for knowledge bases, and Invoice Ninja for invoicing. I’m always looking for free, open-source self-hosted apps that catch my interest.

Challenges and What I’ve Learned

Let’s be honest, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. I definitely had some frustrating moments. I tried to host things on Oracle Cloud, but it was a nightmare. They wouldn’t accept my debit card, and I quickly got paranoid about surprise charges. That’s when I decided to go with local hosting – it felt more secure and in control.

The biggest challenge has been keeping up with the terminal. I’m still learning a lot about networking and security. But I’m finding that spending time in the terminal is worth it—it’s the key to understanding what’s happening under the hood.

Let’s Connect!

That’s a quick overview of my self-hosting journey. I’d love to hear from anyone else in the Philippines who’s into this. Are you running any cool self-hosted apps? What challenges have you faced? Do you have any recommendations? Let’s build a community of Pinoy self-hosters!

You can find me on Reddit here: /u/itinkerstuff