So I've got my #Mikrotik cAP ax mounted and the #UniFi equipment removed from my #Homelab successfully. I've also integrated it into #HomeAssistant just because with it's own user and group using the api. So far so good and yes there are a lot of settings in the MikroTik and it takes some understanding but I got there in the end. Even upgraded it and made backups. 😁
homelab
Self-Hosting an ActivityPub Video Podcast Is Surprisingly Affordable
1/
Imagine this.
You want to launch your own video podcast.
A new episode every week.
Each episode is 1 hour long.
Full HD (1080p), 60 fps video.
What would it cost to host it yourself?
Before I ran the numbers, I assumed it would be expensive — maybe even impractical.
I was wrong.
The reality is surprisingly affordable.
Here is why.
...
Edited 108d ago
Some fun coming for me this weekend. All my parts for my new PC are in. It's a desktop, and it's fairly potent. Gonna slap Ubuntu onto it after assembly, and then I can get down to using it. Lots to sync across from the old PC first, and then it becomes my new homelab/server. Been a long time since I've gotten to build again, and really looking forward to it. My one question for anybody reading: anything better than the yubikey nano? The case will have the key sticking straight out, so the nano reduces my ability to break the port or the key.
I am looking to host a **de-federated** mastodon instance for 300 to 500 people.
I wanted to know what kind server specs I should go for for this kind of project. should I go for 8gb or 4gb of RAM, roughly how many vCPUs/threads, etc..
Stepping Up to Self-Hosting
I got into Android at the beginning, with a pre-order of the T-Mobile G1, because I never liked the proprietary-everything ecosystem Apple built with the iPhone. I was geniunely excited about the potential of an open-source mobile OS, even if it was coming from a billionaire-owned tech giant. I rooted my Android phones and flashed custom ROMs to them for years. It was a blast. Then Google and Samsung started closing out that scene, and I lost the excitement that had drawn me in at the beginning. That sense of potential evaporated.
Years later, I found myself drawn back to open-source stuffs when I stumbled into the Fediverse. I love the sense of possiblity that pervades the Fediverse and FOSS projects in general. I've been hopping around for a few years now, trying different instaces running different software, and it's this Fedi project—littleFedi—that made me feel like now is the time for me to try my hand at hosting my own stuff. I know the code isn't ready for me yet, but that's okay because I need time to research self-hosting options. I'm hoping the Fedi can help with some of that.
I'm not a programmer or a techie—perhaps call me an advanced user. From my reading, I feel confident that I could manage self-hosting from a VPS. Honestly, though, I'd prefer my own hardware at home. The problem is that there are a lot of options, and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I thought I'd share what I want from my hardware, at minimum, and see if some helpful Fedizens have suggestions. So here's what I want:
A Nextcloud instance for file storage. I have hundreds of gigabytes of music, videos, and photos, and I want a place to store all of that in the cloud.
A chat client. Maybe Nextcloud Talk, but I'm also thinking about a Matrix server. Just haven't read much about self-hosting Matrix yet.
A Fediverse client. I had been thinking of WordPress with the ActivityPub plugin because I like having the option to write long blog posts as well as short status posts; however, I'm now thinking that I'll run a littleFedi instance once the code is published.
Email. Because if I'm going to be hosting my own cloud storage, chat, and social media, I might as well take care of my own email as well. EDIT 2026-08-12: After both @schmic and @deach left helpful comments in reply to this post, and then reading more about self-hosting email, I've decided against this one.
I have limited physical space in my cabin out here in Bumblefuck, so I've been looking at mini PCs. I see that Nextcloud even sells some with Nextcloud preconfigured, but I'm not sure any of those are for me. I prefer Linux, but I'm comfortable with installing Linux on a machine that ships with Windows. (Done that with several of my old laptops.) I'll consider a Mac mini if y'all recommend one, but it's been a decade-plus since I've messed around with macOS.
EDIT 2026-08-12: I'll need 2 TB of storage space, minimum, to start. I'd like a machine that I can easily upgrade with an additional SSD when the time comes for more storage.
I won't be making a quick decision here, so as long as this blog is still published without an update, I'm still looking for options and I would still appreciate tips, suggestions, and stories about your own self-hosting adventures.
Be good to yourself, and be good to others 🫶
I wrote a more in-depth piece about how web ingress works in my #homelab
https://www.petekeen.net/homelab-ingress-with-deterministic-ipv6/
Question to the people who fully (or most of the time) work from home: how do you keep going with your personal projects after work? Do you have another computer on a different part of the house, or do you roam with your laptop, or you don't care and you just sit inside the same four walls most of your day and evening? If something else, please comment.
I personally do everything in one space, so there are some periods of time when my projects or my home lab maintenance lag behind, simply because I don't want to sit in that office anymore. How about you?
#HomeLab #HomeAssistant #SysAdminLife #WorkFromHome @homelab @homeassistant
Options: (choose one)
Edited 31d ago
My Holos Relay VM has now been retired. This one doesn't sting quite as much, because I already have a holos.social account. I can still fiddle with things that way.
From 12 to 5 self-hosted fediverse servers in a week. 🫠
My reading seems to suggest that I have a serious obstacle to self-hosting on my own hardware:
CGNAT
I really do live in Bumblefuck—I love it here—and Starlink is my only option for a high-speed ISP. I hate that, but I need a high-speed connection for work and I don't want to move. Not many other options for work out here, so for now: Starlink.
It looks like I can maybe get around some CGNAT issues with a VPN that includes port forwarding…but now I'm wondering if maybe I should just consider self-hosting from a VPS instead.
Anyone else on the Fedi have any experience with self-hosting with Starlink as an ISP? What's that been like for you? Have any tips or suggestions?
