The Digital Press

A self-hosting enthusiast shares their journey to building a stable, secure, and manageable home server setup using NixOS, ZFS, and Tailscale, focusing on data control, privacy, and ease of use for family and friends.

Why it matters: Self-hosting gives individuals control over their data and services, improving privacy and reducing dependency on third parties.

The big picture: The setup balances security, usability, and complexity, using open source tools while selectively incorporating proprietary services like ProtonMail.

Specific solution highlights: NixOS simplifies configuration management; ZFS provides robust data protection; Tailscale secures network access with a self-hosted VPN backend.

Commenters say: Many appreciate the practical "good enough" approach and detailed tech choices, while some seek simpler setups or debate VPN and auth trade-offs.