Ernie Smith

In an age when cheap RAM is not a guaranteed thing, should we still be buying mini-PCs to run self-hosted stacks?

I dove into a ton of tools and tested on a mini PC whose RAM is fortunately soldered (no take-backs). My thoughts here:

https://tedium.co/2026/03/28/self-hosting-platform-tools-guide/

new @tedium

Self-Hosting Tools: Still Worth Trying In 2026?

Once upon a time, self-hosting used to be a cost-effective thing. Is it still a good option for fending off SaaS as the prices keep creeping up?

Tedium: The Dull Side of the Internet.
Mar 28 at 3:58pmWeb
Show threadWiredfireMar 28
@ernie @tedium For my admittedly meagre self-hosting needs (immich, paperless ngx, Plex / jellyfin, audiobookshelf used by me and one other person) I like dusting off 8-10 year old "high spec", for the time, laptops then chucking Mint on them and letting them fly ^_^
Show threadErnie SmithMar 28
@wiredfire @tedium It’s a decent solution if you’re keeping it simple. Admittedly I mainly added the local LLM stuff to the piece because the device seemed capable of it.
Show threadLinux in a BitMar 29
@ernie @tedium
I've been using https://yunohost.org for the longest time.
I can give it a pretty solid recommendation, given you're able to work around Debian deciding to break once in a good while.
YunoHost: garden your own piece of the Internet!

YunoHost is a system that installs itself on a server and allows you to install and maintain - with very little technical knowledge - digital services (apps) that you control.

Show threadErnie SmithMar 29
@Linux_in_a_Bit @tedium I had considered YunoHost for the list, not opposed to looking at it in the future. I think I was trying to underline that just because it looks slick doesn't mean it's good for this use case.