Once had problems with an internal drive so each device I run uses an external SSD/HDD. Anything important that has an “export data” or backup option such as Paperless I’ll export/backup & put that into Nextcloud. Nextcloud files are synced between multiple desktops, one of which then gets automatically backed up to a separate drive each week.

For all my other self host stuff I since deployed Kopia to perform nightly local backups of each thing I self host. Once per month a Kopia backup for each software gets moved to a separate drive.

On top of that, things I deem as particularly important get encrypted in Cryptomator & uploaded off site.

No doubt there’s probably better/easier ways but thats my current workflow.

Until they enforce government ID verification on every website & ban VPN’s. Mark my words, that’s what they’ll try to push under the guise of “save the children”

Beelink EQ14 is an excellent choice as a server & sips electricity. Added bonus, it’s almost silent.

I’m 100% self taught & was in exactly the same place. I’d never used Linux before I got my first Pi. I spent a bit of time trying to familiarise myself with & made some notes regarding command line (notes I still rely on).

There’a so many ways to achieve the goal, you’ll eventually find a way that works for you. My personal preference was Docker/Docker Compose deployed via Portainer.

Even that was confusing. Until I found this excellent video on how to read Docker requirements & apply them step by step into Portainer. He explains slowly & methodically exactly what he is doing & why.

Portainer is a method of handling Docker stacks/containers via a web UI. Both Docker & Portainer are simple to install.

It’s easier to use Docker Compose files and/or .env (environment variable) files (both are even simpler to deploy through Portainer) but this video taught me what was going on & gave me confidence to have a go. What attracted me to Docker is you can easily remove stacks/containers if/when you make a mess rather than wiping the drive & start again, which is how I went about things initially.

This gave me the tools to set up Nginx Proxy Manager & I never looked back.

As you’ve realised, a robust backup solution is essential (plus off site backup for particularly important stuff) as things will inevitably go wrong along the way (I see Borg, Restic mentioned often, I went for Kopia).

I can’t recommend highly enough making detailed notes along the way, I rely on Joplin.

If you start using Docker, dont fall into the trap of using the “latest” tag. If you know the version number you’re running its far easier to re-deploy if an update is bad.

Enjoy your new time consuming, teeth gnashingly frustrating …and yet rewarding hobby 👍

I forwarded this to my neighbour who is really into self hosting, particularly home automation stuff - has a pretty awesome Home Assistant set up. First thing they said? “But I’m 70, this only goes to 69”

I told him in that case he must dismantle his self hosted servers immediately 😁

Late arrival but in case it helps:

I’m 100% self taught. I’d never used Linux before I got my first Pi & struggled to get Nextcloudpi working, which I did eventually. But support came to an end so maintenance was going to become an issue so I had to learn.

I found this excellent video on how to read Docker requirements & apply them step by step into Portainer. He explains slowly & methodically exactly what he is doing & why.

Portainer is a method of handling Docker stacks/containers via a web UI. Both Docker & Portainer are simple to install.

It’s easier to use Docker Compose files and/or .env (environment variable) files (both are even simpler to deploy through Portainer) but this video taught me what was going on & gave me confidence to have a go. What attracted me to Docker is you can easily remove stacks/containers if/when you make a mess rather than wiping the drive & start again, which is how I went about things initially.

This gave me the tools to set up Nginx Proxy Manager & I never looked back. Highly recommend a robust backup solution as stuff will inevitably go wrong along the way (I see Borg, Restic mentioned often, I went for Kopia).

I can’t recommend highly enough making detailed notes along the way. I rely on my Joplin notes all the time.

One more tip. Once you start using Docker, dont fall into the trap of using the “latest” tag. If you know the version number its far easier to re-deploy if an update is bad.

Enjoy your new time consuming, teeth clenching, frustrating …and rewarding hobby 👍

Save notes? Joplin has a configurable backup plugin built in. From memory you need to go to Options >Plugins & enable it.

Edit: I just saw you meant sync. Several ways with Joplin. Been syncing through Nextcloud with WebDAV which has worked great syncing between several devices ever since I started using Joplin. On Android you need to keep the screen on during initial sync which can take a while but after that sync is a couple of seconds.

No it doesnt. It leans that way on the official site but self hosters tend to use github or similar rather than official websites.

Source: Been self hosting it for months for free (I intend to donate to Linkwarden when I do my next round of self host/FOSS donations)

Might be worth looking into FLIRC USB

I finally got round to buying the Beelink EQ14 I’d promised myself. Sips electricity & handles 4k content. Can’t comment re usage as I havent got round to setting it up yet. I believe it shipped with Win11 but I’ll be putting linux on it

I remember looking at some docs about upgrading versions, but I don’t know how to tell which version I have.

• User icon (top right) > ≡ menu (top left) to open side bar. Current version is displayed at the bottom of the side bar

As a general rule when installing anything with Docker Compose, rather than using “latest” I prefer to specify a version as it makes it easier to roll back should i find issues with an update.

I use a Pi5 with SSD (running Raspberry OS Lite 64bit). It runs Nextcloud, Nginx, DuckDNS, Docker, Portainer & also syncing Joplin & Memories for other family members to see holiday photos/special events (I run Immich on an alternative server not exposed to www). Only 1 user but its run flawlessly & seems pretty fast to me

No major difference its just what works for you. I used Hoarder (KaraKeep) in the early days but found I preferred the Linkwarden UI particularly on mobile so switched. But they’re both great.

Strangely I’ve found I tend not to use it for everyday bookmarks use (I’ve put those in a Joplin note). Instead I use Linkwarden for interesting stuff I might need at some point - long read articles or information for projects that I’ll be undertaking in the future, be that videos or written guides. You can set folders (topics) & tags for ease of retrieval.