Zapier charges $20/month for 750 tasks. Their business plan? $600/month. Meanwhile, n8n does everything Zapier does — and more — and you can self-host it for free. No task limits. No per-execution fees. Your data stays on your server. This guide walks you through deploying n8n with Docker, PostgreSQL for reliability, a reverse proxy for HTTPS, and building your first real workflow. What is n8n? n8n (pronounced “nodemation”) is an open-source workflow automation platform. Think Zapier or Make.com, but: ...

If you’re running multiple self-hosted services, you’ve probably noticed the login fatigue. Nextcloud has its own login. Portainer has another. Grafana, Gitea, Jellyfin — each with separate credentials. It’s a mess. Authelia solves this by acting as a single sign-on (SSO) gateway with built-in two-factor authentication (2FA). Put it in front of your reverse proxy and every service gets enterprise-grade authentication without touching the service itself. What is Authelia? Authelia is an open-source authentication and authorization server. It works as a companion to your reverse proxy (Nginx Proxy Manager, Traefik, Caddy) and provides: ...

Beszel: Lightweight Server Monitoring Made Simple Monitoring your home server doesn’t need to be complicated. While tools like Prometheus and Grafana offer powerful features, they can be overkill for smaller setups. Enter Beszel—a lightweight, modern server monitoring solution designed specifically for self-hosters who want simplicity without sacrificing functionality. What is Beszel? Beszel is a minimalist server monitoring platform that provides real-time metrics for your infrastructure. Built with Go and featuring a clean web interface, it tracks essential system metrics like CPU usage, memory, disk space, and network activity across multiple servers. ...

Self-Hosted RSS Reader: FreshRSS vs Miniflux RSS isn’t dead—it’s just gone underground. While most people rely on algorithm-driven feeds from social media, power users and privacy-conscious individuals have rediscovered RSS as the ultimate way to curate content without tracking or manipulation. If you’re ready to take control of your reading list, self-hosting an RSS reader is the way to go. The two most popular options are FreshRSS and Miniflux, but which one should you choose? ...

Setting Up BookStack for Documentation Management Good documentation is the backbone of any project, whether it’s a home lab setup, a small business wiki, or technical notes for your team. But where do you store it? Google Docs lacks structure, Notion locks you into their platform, and Confluence is overkill (and expensive) for most self-hosters. Enter BookStack—a free, open-source, self-hosted documentation platform that strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and power. Built with PHP and MySQL, BookStack organizes content into Books, Chapters, and Pages, making it intuitive for both writers and readers. ...

Tired of paying for Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and five other streaming services? Build your own media streaming server and take back control of your content. This guide shows you how to build a complete home media streaming server in 2026—from hardware selection to Docker setup to remote access. Why Build Your Own Media Server? Benefits: Own your content - no disappearing shows when licenses expire Cancel subscriptions - one-time hardware cost vs monthly fees Quality control - keep high-quality files (4K, lossless audio) Custom organization - arrange your library your way Offline access - watch without internet Family sharing - stream to multiple devices simultaneously Choosing Your Media Server Software Two main options: Plex vs Jellyfin ...

Running your own email server is one of the most challenging self-hosting projects. But with Mailcow, it’s actually manageable. This guide shows you how to set up a complete, production-ready email server with Mailcow—handling everything from DNS to spam filtering to webmail. Why Self-Host Email? Pros: Complete control over your data Custom domain email ([email protected]) No storage limits No scanning of your emails Learning experience Cons: Complex setup Requires dedicated server with static IP Deliverability challenges (avoiding spam folders) Ongoing maintenance required Reality Check: Self-hosting email is hard. Gmail and Proton Mail exist for good reasons. Only do this if you understand the commitment. ...

Tired of managing separate logins for every self-hosted service? Authentik gives you enterprise-grade Single Sign-On (SSO) for your home lab—one login for everything. This guide shows you how to set up Authentik with Docker Compose and connect your services in minutes. What is Authentik? Authentik is an open-source identity provider (IdP) that centralizes authentication for all your self-hosted services. It supports OAuth2, SAML, LDAP, and has a built-in proxy for apps without SSO support. ...

When building a home server, choosing between Proxmox VE and TrueNAS is one of the most common dilemmas. Both are powerful, free, and open-source platforms, but they serve different primary purposes. This guide breaks down the key differences, use cases, and helps you decide which platform is best for your home lab. What is Proxmox VE? Proxmox Virtual Environment (Proxmox VE) is a complete virtualization platform that combines two virtualization technologies: ...

Google Analytics is powerful, but it tracks your visitors across the web, shares data with advertisers, and requires cookie consent banners. If you care about privacy (and GDPR compliance), there’s a better way: self-hosted analytics. This guide compares the three best privacy-focused analytics platforms: Plausible, Umami, and Matomo. Why Self-Host Analytics? Benefits: Full data ownership - your analytics data stays on your server Privacy-friendly - no tracking cookies, GDPR compliant by default No data sampling - unlike Google Analytics free tier No external dependencies - works even if third-party services are blocked Ad blocker resistant - more accurate visitor counts Quick Comparison Table Feature Plausible Umami Matomo Setup Difficulty Easy Easy Moderate UI Complexity Simple Simple Complex Resource Usage Low Very Low High Database PostgreSQL PostgreSQL/MySQL MySQL/MariaDB Real-time Yes Yes Yes Open Source Yes (AGPL) Yes (MIT) Yes (GPL) Docker Support ✅ ✅ ✅ E-commerce ❌ ❌ ✅ Heatmaps ❌ ❌ ✅ (plugin) Funnels ✅ ❌ ✅ Custom Events ✅ ✅ ✅ Plausible Analytics Best for: Simplicity and clean UI ...