Self-Hosted

Every time you need to merge two PDFs, compress a large file, or convert a document, you probably end up on some random website. You upload your file, wait for processing, hope they’re not reading your tax returns, and download the result. There’s a better way. Stirling PDF is a self-hosted, open-source PDF toolkit that handles virtually everything you’d ever need to do with a PDF — merge, split, rotate, compress, convert, OCR, add watermarks, extract images, and dozens more operations. It runs entirely on your own server, so your documents never leave your network. ...

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: ...

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. ...

When you’re self-hosting critical services, you need to know immediately when something goes down. Uptime Kuma is a beautiful, self-hosted monitoring tool that watches your services 24/7. This guide shows you how to set up Uptime Kuma to monitor everything from websites to Docker containers to API endpoints. What is Uptime Kuma? Uptime Kuma is an open-source uptime monitoring and status page tool. Think of it as your personal UptimeRobot or Pingdom, but self-hosted. ...

Getting Started with Home Assistant: Complete Beginner’s Guide Home Assistant is the ultimate open-source smart home platform. It lets you control all your smart devices from one dashboard, create powerful automations, and keep your data private. This guide will take you from zero to a fully functional Home Assistant installation. What is Home Assistant? Home Assistant is a free, open-source home automation platform that runs on your local network. Unlike cloud-based solutions like Google Home or Amazon Alexa, Home Assistant: ...

How to Set Up Plex Media Server at Home Want to stream your personal media collection to any device? Plex Media Server turns your home server into a powerful streaming platform. This guide walks you through everything from installation to optimization. What is Plex? Plex is a client-server media player system that organizes your video, music, and photos. It streams content to various devices including smart TVs, phones, tablets, and web browsers. Think of it as your personal Netflix. ...