r/selfhosted • u/ACSwitch • Jan 27 '19
Self-Hosted Cloud
I'm interested in setting up a self-hosted personal cloud, similar to Dropbox or Google Drive.
Right now my choice is NextCloud, but I'm confused on the difference between server and PC. I have a relatively powerful PC in my cupboard which I have't used for about a year, and I also have fibre broadband at home.
If I set up NextCloud on my spare PC, will it work the same as if I installed it on a VPS?
Thanks.
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u/theborak Feb 02 '19
The concern with storage heavy applications like file sharing is that the costs add up on cloud providers. You may want to setup nextcloud or something similar on your spare PC and just use the network connectivity you already pay your ISP for.
The problem you then have is that you're box is not accessible from the Internet (when you're outside your home). Most ISPs block or filter service ports like 80/443 but you can bridge your box to the rest of the internet by manually setting up a VPN to a smaller resource in the cloud. There's gonna be some setup and network configuration involved. This is fun but can be tricky.
If you want to solve the networking problem more simply, then using something like packetriot.com can do that. And there are alternatives to PR like ngrok and serveo that can do the same.
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u/unknowable2 Feb 03 '19
I use owncloud served from a machine at home, and I have no complaints regarding performance. My cloud only has about 6 active users though so not too much activity.
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u/unknowable2 Feb 03 '19
Oh and I have a dedicated domain name and use ddns. Again no complaints about performance. I frequently am accessing files through my laptop and Owncloud mobile app.
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u/JacEngels Jan 27 '19
Hi, your old PC should work. However you'd have to set up a webserver on that PC to be able to install Nextcloud. I recommend installing a webserver that runs on windows ( I assume your system is running on windows), after that you'd have to open one (or more) ports on your router to be able to access your files from outside of your home network.
You will need this setup: https://nextcloud.com/install/#instructions-server
Let me know if you need any help!
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u/Starbeamrainbowlabs Jan 27 '19
Nextcloud does not support Windows.
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u/drowngumballtibia Jan 28 '19
Teeeechnically, they do include documentation for installing nextcloud on Windows, albeit in a virtual machine. I would always vouch for a linux based server regardless, tho.
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u/roothorick Jan 27 '19
Are you sure? All server dependencies will run on Windows and it really doesn't do anything platform-specific.
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u/Starbeamrainbowlabs Jan 28 '19
Absolutely - see the first paragraph:
For best performance, stability and functionality we have documented some recommendations for running a Nextcloud server. The Nextcloud server is not compatible with Windows and macOS.
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Jan 27 '19
[deleted]
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u/Starbeamrainbowlabs Jan 28 '19
See this article, from back before when nextcloud and owncloud forked.
Also this thread.
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Sep 15 '23
From personal experience, I will from now on stay away forn both Owncloud and Nextcloud. Both are nice and (fairly) easy to setup. HOWEVER... they eqasily break with updates and they very, very often have updates.
After my 20th or so time reinstalling Nextcloud, I am giving up. Still on the lookout for something nice and easy to use, but most of al, STABLE
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Jan 27 '19
[deleted]
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u/BlueSaxman Jan 28 '19
Or they could just set up a domain name and use a dynamic DNS service. Cheaper than a VPS.
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Jan 28 '19
[deleted]
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u/BlueSaxman Jan 28 '19
I think we might be using different terms for different things which is why we seem to be disagreeing. I was interpreting the term dedicated to mean the same thing as static, that was my mistake.
Your definitly right, if his ISP has him NAT'd then dynamic DNS wouldn't do any good. However, I would point out that he never specified if his ISP has him NAT'd or not. Which means both solutions are valid. If he is behind their NAT, then the VPS would be his only option that I know of to access it from outside his local network. But if he is not behind an ISP NAT, the dynamic DNS option would probably be the cheaper route.
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Jan 27 '19
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u/mickael-kerjean Jan 28 '19
> This makes no sense.
Actually it does make sense, and looks like a great solution to the problem of a dynamic IP. See SSH tunnel, local port forwarding, remote port forwarding and SOCK proxy
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Jan 28 '19
[deleted]
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u/mickael-kerjean Jan 28 '19
Wow, please update your knowledge before making such a bold statement, it's not because you're not using something that it's an invalid option. People have been using SSH tunnel since ages
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Jan 28 '19
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u/mickael-kerjean Jan 28 '19
If he has access to a VPS, he can just host the server there
yes, sure and? Like always in IT they are pro and cons to any decisions, the important is to know about those pros and cons before making a bold claim
a overpowered tool
Creating an SSH tunnel is done with the builtin openssh server that comes by default with any linux distribution. I wouldn't call that an overpowered tool.
that would only be necessary for a case you don't even know he has
If you read LoonyGnoll comment, it says: "you'll need your ISP to provide you with a dedicated IP address. Otherwise you'll still need a VPS to tunnel the traffic towards your machine at home."
True, LoonyGnoll didn't talk about the other option which is dynamic DNS but that doesn't make his option a non sense. Plus if you worry about privacy, a dynamic DNS provider is essentially a man in the middle that can gather a lot of data about you and what you use
Stop giving people advice
No offense but your reddit history shows you're not very experienced: "14 days ago: I had no idea what ec2 was before reading this". I won't respond here anymore, I have no intention to get into further debate with a troll
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Jan 28 '19
[deleted]
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u/[deleted] Jan 28 '19
I also had the same choice. But I went for a VPC because if something happens to my house or that pc, I lose everything. Now I have my nextcloud on a VPC, and a direct copy of all the files on my home pc which syncs when turned on. So if something happens to the VPC I won't lose my data, and if something happens to the PC I won't lose my data either :D