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+title = "A 12-year-old's guide to self-hosting"
+date = 2025-11-05
+extra.image = "/assets/images/post-image/guide-self-hosting.jpg"
++++
+
+Have you ever wanted to self-host your own homelab but didn't know how?
+
+Let me show you how I, a 12-year-old, built my own setup --- and how you can too.
+
+### What even *is* self hosting?
+
+Self-hosting is when you run services on a computer at home that you control instead of using other people/organization's servers such as Google Drive or Discord.
+
+You can use an old laptop, a [Raspberry Pi](https://raspberrypi.com/) (like me), or even a PC to run things like:
+- A website (like this one, which also happens to be self-hosted!)
+- A file server for sharing stuff at home --- good if you have an old SSD or hard drive laying around!
+- A Minecraft server for you and your friends
+- A media server to stream movies, TV shows, and Live TV (as long as you have the media)
+- A YouTube downloader
+- And tons more!
+
+### Why self-host?
+
+The main reasons you'd want to self-host is because:
+- You want to learn Linux, networking, and sysadmin
+- You want full control over your data
+- You don't want Google/other companies tracking you (e.g. self-hosting your own Google Drive alternative to stay away from Google)
+- You can make something *yours* --- no subscriptions, no ads
+
+### What do you need?
+
+- A computer (even an old laptop or [Raspberry Pi](https://raspberrypi.com/) will work fine)
+- An operating system --- preferably Ubuntu for compatibility (or Pi OS if you are using a Pi)
+- A network connection (preferably Ethernet, but Wi-Fi will work fine too)
+- Access to your router settings (ideally, if you want to make things public)
+
+## Getting started
+
+**Warning**: This guide assumes you have some knowledge of computer networking and shell commands.
+If you don't, I recommend learning how to interact with SSH and the Linux terminal before reading this guide.
+
+Alright, enough blabbing --- here comes the actual setup.
+
+### Installing an OS
+
+The first step is to install an operating system on your computer of choice.
+
+If you are using a Raspberry Pi, follow instructions [here](https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/getting-started.html#installing-the-operating-system) to install an OS. Make sure to install Raspberry Pi OS **Lite** if you don't plan to use any GUI apps --- which for this setup, we won't.
+
+If you’re **not** using a Raspberry Pi, you can install [Ubuntu Server](https://ubuntu.com/download/server) on your old laptop or PC.  
+Just download the ISO, then flash it to a USB stick using [Rufus](https://rufus.ie) (on Windows) or [balenaEtcher](https://etcher.balena.io) (on macOS/Linux) and follow the setup prompts.
+
+After installing your OS, remember to run the following command to update all packages:
+
+`sudo apt update -y && sudo apt upgrade -y`
+
+### Installing Docker (and Portainer for easy management)
+
+*Technically*, this step is optional - but it's very important and almost required to follow this tutorial.
+
+Docker is a piece of software that allows you to place different services in containers/sandboxes. This allows you to easily spin up services and keep them isolated from others, protecting your system installation and providing another layer of security.
+
+If you are using a Raspberry Pi, I recommend following the instructions from the [pi-hosted GitHub repo](https://github.com/pi-hosted/pi-hosted) to get Docker and Portainer up and running with specialized app templates for Pi devices. This script *may* work on other non-Pi devices, but your mileage may vary and it is not recommended.
+
+(**Disclaimer**: The repository mentioned above, pi-hosted, is not affiliated nor endorsed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation.)
+
+If you're **not** using a Raspberry Pi, you can install Docker and Portainer quickly with the following guide(s).
+
+#### Install Docker on non-Pi devices
+
+**Note**: This guide and the following do work for Raspberry Pi devices, but it is easier to use the script from the repo above to get up and running quicker.
+
+1. Refresh the package list:
+
+    ```shell
+    sudo apt update
+    ```
+
+2. Install the necessary packages:
+
+    ```shell
+    sudo apt install ca-certificates curl
+    ```
+
+    When prompted, press Y and Enter to begin the installation.
+
+3. Set the necessary permissions for the */etc/apt/keyrings* directory:
+
+    ```shell
+    sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
+    ```
+
+4. Use the *curl* command to download the GPG key:
+
+    ```shell
+    sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
+    ```
+
+5. Change the permissions of the key file:
+
+    ```shell
+    sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
+    ```
+
+6. Add the Docker repo to the APT sources list:
+
+    ```shell
+    echo \
+    "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
+    $(. /etc/os-release && echo "${UBUNTU_CODENAME:-$VERSION_CODENAME}") stable" | \
+    sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
+    ```
+
+7. Refresh the package list:
+
+    ```shell
+    sudo apt update
+    ```
+
+8. Install Docker packages
+
+    ```shell
+    sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-compose-plugin docker-buildx-plugin -y
+    ```
+
+9. Create the `docker` group for non-root user access:
+
+    ```shell
+    sudo groupadd -f docker
+    ```
+
+10. Add the current user to the docker group:
+
+    ```shell
+    sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
+    ```
+
+    To add a user other than the current user, add their username instead of $USER like so:
+    ```shell
+    sudo usermod -aG docker [username]
+    ```
+
+11. Apply the new group membership changes:
+
+    ```shell
+    newgrp docker
+    ```
+
+12. Reboot your device to ensure all changes have been applied:
+
+    ```shell
+    sudo reboot
+    ```
+
+#### Install Portainer on non-Pi devices
+
+Next, we need to install Portainer.
+Don't worry, this will be much less complicated than the docker install.
+
+1. Create the Docker volume for Portainer's data:
+```shell
+docker volume create portainer_data
+```
+
+
+2. Fetch and start the Portainer Server container:
+```shell
+docker run -d -p 8000:8000 -p 9443:9443 --name portainer --restart=always -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock -v portainer_data:/data portainer/portainer-ce:lts
+```
+
+Portainer has now been installed. You can check to see whether it has started by running the following command:
+
+```shell
+docker ps
+```
+
+The output should look somewhat like the following:
+
+```
+root@server:~# docker ps
+CONTAINER ID   IMAGE                        COMMAND        CREATED         STATUS         PORTS                                                                                                NAMES
+7963585688a9   portainer/portainer-ce:lts   "/portainer"   8 seconds ago   Up 8 seconds   0.0.0.0:8000->8000/tcp, [::]:8000->8000/tcp, 0.0.0.0:9443->9443/tcp, [::]:9443->9443/tcp, 9000/tcp   portainer
+```
+
+If the container's status is marked as "Up", congrats! Docker and Portainer are both up and running!
+
+You can now access the dashboard & admin console at `https://<your-server-ip>:9443`.
+
+## First apps to try
+
+Now that you've got Docker and Portainer installed, you're ready to start installing services/apps on your new home server.
+
+Here's a list of the first apps you should install:
+
+1. [Pi-hole](https://pi-hole.net/)
+
+    An ad blocker that blocks ads on the network-level, before they even reach your device.
+    (**Note**: This does not block YouTube ads.)
+
+    Installation instructions: [https://docs.pi-hole.net/docker/](https://docs.pi-hole.net/docker/)
+
+2. [docker-minecraft-server](https://github.com/itzg/docker-minecraft-server)
+
+    A docker container that contains an easy configurable Minecraft Server with full support for Fabric/Forge/Paper and other server versions. Great for hosting a small server with friends.
+    (**Note**: It is recommended to use this with an official Pi 5 Active Cooler if using a Pi to make sure it doesn't get too hot.)
+
+    Installation instructions: [https://docker-minecraft-server.readthedocs.io/en/latest/](https://docker-minecraft-server.readthedocs.io/en/latest/)
+
+3. [MeTube](https://github.com/alexta69/metube)
+
+    A simple YouTube downloader webapp based on yt-dlp.
+
+    Installation instructions: [https://github.com/alexta69/metube](https://github.com/alexta69/metube)
+
+4. [wg-easy](https://github.com/wg-easy/wg-easy)
+
+    An easy way to get a WireGuard VPN/tunnel up and running. Useful to access your home network/local services when away from home.
+
+    Installation instructions: [https://wg-easy.github.io/wg-easy/latest/getting-started/](https://wg-easy.github.io/wg-easy/latest/getting-started/)
+
+5. [Caddy](https://caddyserver.com/)
+
+    A simple server/reverse proxy for hosting web apps, sites, and much more. Comes with HTTPS support (via Let's Encrypt) out of the box, making it easier to get up and running fast.
+
+    Installation instructions: [https://caddyserver.com/docs/install](https://caddyserver.com/docs/install)
+
+6. [Navidrome](https://www.navidrome.org/)
+
+    A lightweight music streaming service for your personal media collection, kind of like a Spotify alternative.
+
+    Installation instructions: [https://www.navidrome.org/docs/installation/docker/](https://www.navidrome.org/docs/installation/docker/)
+
+7. [Plex](https://plex.tv)
+
+    A media streaming service that allows you to stream your own collection of videos, music, and more content.
+
+    Installation instructions: [https://github.com/plexinc/pms-docker](https://github.com/plexinc/pms-docker)
+
+8. [Jellyfin](https://jellyfin.org/)
+
+    An open-source media streaming service that allows you to stream your own collection of videos, music, and more content.
+
+    Installation instructions: [https://jellyfin.org/docs/general/installation/container](https://jellyfin.org/docs/general/installation/container)
+
+9. [Code-Server](https://github.com/coder/code-server)
+
+    A server that allows you to access a full VS Code development environment in your browser. Useful for coding on-the-go, especially when paired with a WireGuard VPN.
+
+    Installation instructions: [https://coder.com/docs/code-server/install#docker](https://coder.com/docs/code-server/install#docker)
+
+## Wrapping up
+
+Finally, you're done setting up your home server!
+It wasn't as hard as you thought, right?
+
+Now that you've got a home server up and running, experiment with it!
+Have a try installing more apps, or setting up more advanced containers!
+
+There are so many more apps, containers, and other things to explore on your home server beyond what I've mentioned here.
+Just give it a try!
+
+Happy self-hosting!