I run my own cloud. Here's what it costs.
One refurbished mini PC (120 EUR, with warranty), a USB drive, and privcloud — my open-source toolkit for turning any Linux box into a personal server.
What it runs:
- Immich — Google Photos replacement. Full photo/video backup from every phone in the house. Face recognition, search, maps, sharing. All local.
- Jellyfin — Netflix/Spotify replacement. Stream your music and video library from anywhere.
- FileBrowser — Dropbox replacement. Access all your files remotely through a browser.
Everything runs behind Tailscale, so it's accessible from anywhere but exposed to no one. No port forwarding, no dynamic DNS, no cloud subscriptions. All free and open-source tools.
The latest privcloud update adds proper home server management: storage sub-menu that auto-detects USB drives, lets you move media and data locations without manual config editing, and separates Immich storage from media storage cleanly. Because the number one friction with self-hosting is storage management — drives fill up, you add a USB, things break. Now it doesn't.
Total upfront cost: 120 EUR. Total monthly cost: electricity. Total subscription fees: zero. Total companies with access to my family's photos: zero.
Self-hosting isn't about saving money. It's about not renting access to your own data.
https://github.com/hamr0/pr...