running your own server because the cloud is just someone else's computer, and you'd rather trust yours.
means hosting your own software, files, or services on hardware you control instead of renting space from a company like google or amazon.
from emerged from the free software and homelab movements of the 2000s-2010s, when developers tired of platform lock-in started running their own email, photo, and media servers on spare hardware in closets and garages.
nextcloud — self-hosted dropbox alternative, used by governments and paranoids alike
plex vs jellyfin — jellyfin is the fully open-source, no-account-required media server rival
home assistant — open-source smart home hub that keeps your lightbulbs off the internet
mastodon instances — anyone can run their own slice of the fediverse on a $5 vps