Why Self-Host?

Summary

I recently shared my current Homelab setup with a colleague and was asked a pretty simple question I just took for granted... why? Why go through the hassle of configuring servers, installing applications, setting up containers and spending quite a substantial amount of money on hardware that will not even run under optimal data center conditions (consumer-grade internet connection, no failover, no auto migrations)? I will also give some specific recommendations on what you could and maybe should self-host.PrivacyYou saw that coming.Privacy is not a god-given right but has to be fought for. Big Tech and governments (like with chat control in the EU) want to shine light in every part of your personal life. Self-hosting services can reduce or even completely mitigate the risk of being surveilled. But it also requires a lot of technical knowledge so you can make a difference and educate your family or friends and even host some services for those who don't have the capabilities.Calendar & ContactsYour calendar says more about you than you probably think. Apart from your full identity it can also give away information about regular contacts, family, coworkers, confidential business meetings, your health information such as medical appointments, sleep and workout routine, legal obligations, financial information like scheduled loans, subscriptions, political beliefs through scheduling to visit a protest and even let's other profile your behavior for identity theft to find out when you're available and when not.Same goes for contacts, your social graph can say so much about you, combined with metadata such as queries for certain contacts and creation dates. Did you recently add an unusual amount of new contacts with the same sex, first name only and phone number? You must be dating. Just created a contact for a doctor? Looks like you're visiting a therapist.Most people don't even think about where their social graph data is stored and probably assume it comes with their p...