I watched your two videos on setting up swarm on a raspi cluster and I appreciated the explanation you shared before the command. This was particularly true for setting up the volume. It was really helpful and I appreciate you advocating for people to learn and use the tools like GPT to gain more insight into the "why" behind the commands. Thanks Again, Great Content!
Great stuff! In addition, there is not only one golden truth of doing proper self-hosting, so keep your eyes open and also listen and learn from other youtubers; not only your favorite channel because we all make mistakes and sometimes other people do things better or give you ideas to improve your personal setup. And keep in mind that combining services sometimes give you better end-result and security. Keep it up Techdox! Thanks!
I appreciate this video. It's really hard to not get overloaded on this subject with all the infinite possibilities you can have and the unlimited resources of information
Agreed! I started earlier this year installing ProxMox on an old computer and Nextcloud was the first thing I tried. But I immediately abandoned it, realizing I needed to learn a lot more before proceeding. I spent 2 months learning Linux commands, certs, firewalls, ZFS, backup, etc. After watching several videos including yours, I successfully deployed Vaultwarden. I’ve made detailed notes at every step so I can change, fix, or redo everything. I”ll try Immich next. Nextcloud? Maybe later😅
I would add learning note taking as a necessity. Learn Obsidian or something similar to take notes on everything as you learn it. Even if half the 'notes' are links to YT or sites.
First vid I watched besides the Linux sysadmin stuff for the last month and a complete n00b... But thanx for the insight. My questions are becoming more complex and leading me back really deep and at times a bit tiring. I was wondering what would be the best route from n00b to basic sysAdmin setup, let's say vps running a webhosting service for personal use. Got it up, setup some sort of authentication and it works for my automation setup but I'm asking myself those questions and going back to terminal learning about the apps I can use as such for better info gathering at first. It's a journey, it's still new to me even though I understand the cli a bit and am not scared to use it. Inevitably, I think I'll probably move my time more to the terminal than in apps, I enjoy the tweaking and figuring shyt out. Anyway, that's my 2c and again, great insight, thanx.
Many YT's make tutorials wrong. I've seen plenty of makers showing in vid "how to make server X" just showing commands and not explaining precisely what they're doing with commands. They're giving implication to new users that these are things how everyone does it. Plus I've seen multiple ie. half assed tutorials about installing like mentioned Nextcloud where someone just runs commands to deploy Nextcloud and then vid ends like "certificates and domain are so extensive things that I won't cover these in this video". Like why the hell someone then just creates half of stuff needed and calls it a day and slaps title "How to run Nextcloud on your home server". Like what the f...😂
@@jothain yeah 100% you have outlined my points. Not every guide it up to scratch and when it goes wrong you can normally pick it up after learning the fundamentals. And learning the fundamentals normally starts when it breaks, and you start troubleshooting
I'd like to self-host stuff cause I don't like using "someone else's pc" giving out all of my data and I especially don't like paying for services that can be way better delivered by domestic servers. The problem is: if you're too dumb to understand this really complicated stuff, you won't get it. And I am the living example of that. I somehow managed to have a proxmox server up and running (just jellyfin, somehow, getting data from a NFS in my Synology NAS) without understanding anything of what I did. And an Xpenology with DSM for my parents with Immich inside. But I won't be capable of doing anything I'd like (accessing them from outside the network, making backups, having anonimity, understanding permissions, privileges, folders and users management,...). Cause you just don't get IQ points by wishing for it, unfortunately
The thing is, no one knows how to do this when they start. But you are already a lot further than most. You understand what you don't know, you understand that in order to access your devices you will need something, that takes you down the journey of VPNs, as well as backups and permissions. You understand the questions to ask to start getting answers, again that puts you a lot further than most. Selfhosting is a journey and a skill, it takes time and feeling intimidated and lost is so normal. The amount of times I have brought my entire home network down because I thought I knew what I was doing is countless :) Stay consistent, ask questions and you will get there
@@Techdox i mean, your advice is solid but I'm not really sure I'm fit for this stuff. I have the good intentions but those outsmart my capabilities I guess. Stuff is overwhelming for folks like me who don't even know what an OS is (ourside the fact you have to have it to run stuff on a pc). And security and network stuff is incredibly "scary" and complicated. The anxiety give by the risk of exposing stuff to the public is heavy and firewalls, proxies, reverse proxies, vpns are just big words to me. Luckily I have a couple of friends who are literally geniuses (about lots of stuff like engineering, mechanical stuff,...) who worked in datacenters, server farms, developer stuff,... But every sponge's absorbption capacity is different (if it makes sense when translated)
It sounds like when you get stuck you disregard the progress you have made. Just because you got something working but don’t understand it doesn’t mean you can’t be good at it. It just takes time, keep breaking stuff and learn by doing. I created a blog about this style of learning here - techdox.nz/just-break-stuff/
@@Techdox I always disregard the progress I make as luck. that link is much appreciated. I'll try. Thank you for the nice words and your advice. And sorry for the many typos, not the brightest and my Android keyboard is set on another language
Great rant. I learned enough to realise I have zero need for self hosting. Dont need the 30+ apps in docker / kubernetes running all the time. Still lots of PoE and switch things to learn. And bashing at bash....
I agree that you should now what you are running. But the documentation is lacking and makes it difficult to do that. Your next cloud example is showing this by starting with the simplest way to deploy an environment. They should have added a warning that this does not include persistent storage. And maybe don't include that command at all if it doesn't result in a good user experience.
This is kind of my point though, you see the first command then run it before reading the page. Reading the entire page would give you the full context on what you need, and then you will see the volumes section and example compose files.
@@Techdox why include a command that sets you up for failure? If volumes are required for this application, then why aren't they included in the first command? I agree that people (myself as a Linux beginner) should read the documentation with more care. But your example only shows that the documentation, well intended as it may be, is setting you up for failure. The most important (i.e. required) should be included. If a large set of environment settings are necessary to run the app, include them. If volumes are necessary to store the app, include them. Don't include optional stuff that can be added later, but do include stuff that your app requires, otherwise you are just annoying your end users.
It's not so much setting up for failure, a lot of services will show the bare deployment to get it up and running to get an idea how it works. Normally reading the documentation you will get a simple one liner for deployment then as you read you will see things like dev and prod deployment examples etc.
@@Techdox that is a difference of opinion. I do believe that the documentation of next cloud is wrong and should be updated. The most elemental information should be available in that first command. That does not mean that you as an end user should not read the documentation. Only that the first encounter should be as smooth as possible.
That’s literaly the best way to use gpt. Not believing 100%, but when you actually understand ‘x’ topic, you’ll know when it teaches you wrong. Then you’ll have learned
So many time's I followed chatGPT guidance and it gave me outdated guidance for deprecated software, instead go straight to the software documentation instead and save yourself headaches!
@@sn0n yeah that’s totally fair! Everyone has their own preference when it comes to selfhosting and that’s the awesome thing about it and hearing how everyone does something is the fun part. If we all did it the same way it would be a bit boring!
@@mostrealtutu Click bait normally means I’m saying one thing but actually cover something else. In this case I do cover exactly what the title is saying. Click bait in terms of getting people to click and not covering the topic on the other hand is no good
@@paspa07 if I explain it will you understand it? That right there is why I made this video. I might explain how to do something and explain how to get something running, but do you know enough to troubleshoot if something goes wrong or if you want to make a change? Do you know why it’s done the way it is?
If you explain it, yes i will understand. I am a veterinarian and I love running my own home lab . I depend on your tutorials and those from similar channels to guide me. What's the point of a video saying, hey my audience is dumb? I run services you guided to setup. And they're running. What did you leave behind in the tutorial that you want me to understand? I don't think self-hosting people are as ignorant as you suggest. There's a reason why we choose this path even if we never sat in an IT class.
a collegue at work use to repeat "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing", often...
I watched your two videos on setting up swarm on a raspi cluster and I appreciated the explanation you shared before the command. This was particularly true for setting up the volume. It was really helpful and I appreciate you advocating for people to learn and use the tools like GPT to gain more insight into the "why" behind the commands. Thanks Again, Great Content!
@@billv7931 thank you, I appreciate it! I hope you are well
this is the video i've been waiting for. please keep up these basics for dummies like me series
Great stuff! In addition, there is not only one golden truth of doing proper self-hosting, so keep your eyes open and also listen and learn from other youtubers; not only your favorite channel because we all make mistakes and sometimes other people do things better or give you ideas to improve your personal setup. And keep in mind that combining services sometimes give you better end-result and security. Keep it up Techdox! Thanks!
I appreciate this video. It's really hard to not get overloaded on this subject with all the infinite possibilities you can have and the unlimited resources of information
Agreed! I started earlier this year installing ProxMox on an old computer and Nextcloud was the first thing I tried. But I immediately abandoned it, realizing I needed to learn a lot more before proceeding. I spent 2 months learning Linux commands, certs, firewalls, ZFS, backup, etc. After watching several videos including yours, I successfully deployed Vaultwarden. I’ve made detailed notes at every step so I can change, fix, or redo everything. I”ll try Immich next. Nextcloud? Maybe later😅
I would add learning note taking as a necessity. Learn Obsidian or something similar to take notes on everything as you learn it. Even if half the 'notes' are links to YT or sites.
@@neilmarshall5087 100% that’s exactly what I do with my blog and docs.techdox.nz as well as this channel. All ways to reinforce that learning
First vid I watched besides the Linux sysadmin stuff for the last month and a complete n00b... But thanx for the insight.
My questions are becoming more complex and leading me back really deep and at times a bit tiring.
I was wondering what would be the best route from n00b to basic sysAdmin setup, let's say vps running a webhosting service for personal use.
Got it up, setup some sort of authentication and it works for my automation setup but I'm asking myself those questions and going back to terminal learning about the apps I can use as such for better info gathering at first.
It's a journey, it's still new to me even though I understand the cli a bit and am not scared to use it. Inevitably, I think I'll probably move my time more to the terminal than in apps, I enjoy the tweaking and figuring shyt out.
Anyway, that's my 2c and again, great insight, thanx.
Many YT's make tutorials wrong. I've seen plenty of makers showing in vid "how to make server X" just showing commands and not explaining precisely what they're doing with commands. They're giving implication to new users that these are things how everyone does it. Plus I've seen multiple ie. half assed tutorials about installing like mentioned Nextcloud where someone just runs commands to deploy Nextcloud and then vid ends like "certificates and domain are so extensive things that I won't cover these in this video". Like why the hell someone then just creates half of stuff needed and calls it a day and slaps title "How to run Nextcloud on your home server". Like what the f...😂
@@jothain yeah 100% you have outlined my points. Not every guide it up to scratch and when it goes wrong you can normally pick it up after learning the fundamentals.
And learning the fundamentals normally starts when it breaks, and you start troubleshooting
I'd like to self-host stuff cause I don't like using "someone else's pc" giving out all of my data and I especially don't like paying for services that can be way better delivered by domestic servers. The problem is: if you're too dumb to understand this really complicated stuff, you won't get it. And I am the living example of that. I somehow managed to have a proxmox server up and running (just jellyfin, somehow, getting data from a NFS in my Synology NAS) without understanding anything of what I did. And an Xpenology with DSM for my parents with Immich inside. But I won't be capable of doing anything I'd like (accessing them from outside the network, making backups, having anonimity, understanding permissions, privileges, folders and users management,...). Cause you just don't get IQ points by wishing for it, unfortunately
The thing is, no one knows how to do this when they start. But you are already a lot further than most. You understand what you don't know, you understand that in order to access your devices you will need something, that takes you down the journey of VPNs, as well as backups and permissions.
You understand the questions to ask to start getting answers, again that puts you a lot further than most.
Selfhosting is a journey and a skill, it takes time and feeling intimidated and lost is so normal. The amount of times I have brought my entire home network down because I thought I knew what I was doing is countless :)
Stay consistent, ask questions and you will get there
@@Techdox i mean, your advice is solid but I'm not really sure I'm fit for this stuff. I have the good intentions but those outsmart my capabilities I guess.
Stuff is overwhelming for folks like me who don't even know what an OS is (ourside the fact you have to have it to run stuff on a pc). And security and network stuff is incredibly "scary" and complicated. The anxiety give by the risk of exposing stuff to the public is heavy and firewalls, proxies, reverse proxies, vpns are just big words to me. Luckily I have a couple of friends who are literally geniuses (about lots of stuff like engineering, mechanical stuff,...) who worked in datacenters, server farms, developer stuff,... But every sponge's absorbption capacity is different (if it makes sense when translated)
It sounds like when you get stuck you disregard the progress you have made. Just because you got something working but don’t understand it doesn’t mean you can’t be good at it.
It just takes time, keep breaking stuff and learn by doing. I created a blog about this style of learning here - techdox.nz/just-break-stuff/
@@Techdox I always disregard the progress I make as luck. that link is much appreciated. I'll try. Thank you for the nice words and your advice. And sorry for the many typos, not the brightest and my Android keyboard is set on another language
Wise words thanks
I try 😂
Great rant. I learned enough to realise I have zero need for self hosting. Dont need the 30+ apps in docker / kubernetes running all the time. Still lots of PoE and switch things to learn. And bashing at bash....
I agree that you should now what you are running. But the documentation is lacking and makes it difficult to do that.
Your next cloud example is showing this by starting with the simplest way to deploy an environment. They should have added a warning that this does not include persistent storage. And maybe don't include that command at all if it doesn't result in a good user experience.
This is kind of my point though, you see the first command then run it before reading the page. Reading the entire page would give you the full context on what you need, and then you will see the volumes section and example compose files.
@@Techdox why include a command that sets you up for failure?
If volumes are required for this application, then why aren't they included in the first command?
I agree that people (myself as a Linux beginner) should read the documentation with more care. But your example only shows that the documentation, well intended as it may be, is setting you up for failure.
The most important (i.e. required) should be included.
If a large set of environment settings are necessary to run the app, include them. If volumes are necessary to store the app, include them.
Don't include optional stuff that can be added later, but do include stuff that your app requires, otherwise you are just annoying your end users.
It's not so much setting up for failure, a lot of services will show the bare deployment to get it up and running to get an idea how it works. Normally reading the documentation you will get a simple one liner for deployment then as you read you will see things like dev and prod deployment examples etc.
@@Techdox that is a difference of opinion. I do believe that the documentation of next cloud is wrong and should be updated. The most elemental information should be available in that first command.
That does not mean that you as an end user should not read the documentation. Only that the first encounter should be as smooth as possible.
That’s literaly the best way to use gpt. Not believing 100%, but when you actually understand ‘x’ topic, you’ll know when it teaches you wrong. Then you’ll have learned
So many time's I followed chatGPT guidance and it gave me outdated guidance for deprecated software, instead go straight to the software documentation instead and save yourself headaches!
Oh hey Techdox, long time no chat!
Hope you’re doing well :)
@@Techdox You too!
Docker isn't the preferred way to install nextcloud..its one of the automated ways of installing...
Docker in general is becoming if not already the preferred way of deploying self hosted applications. I’m pretty confident in that :)
@@Techdox don't get me wrong, just discovered your channel today and subbed, I dig it, I just disagree on this point. ^>^
@@sn0n yeah that’s totally fair! Everyone has their own preference when it comes to selfhosting and that’s the awesome thing about it and hearing how everyone does something is the fun part.
If we all did it the same way it would be a bit boring!
cool
Do this Before Self-Hosting: Not click on yt clickbait titles anymore. when does it stop.
@@mostrealtutu Click bait normally means I’m saying one thing but actually cover something else. In this case I do cover exactly what the title is saying.
Click bait in terms of getting people to click and not covering the topic on the other hand is no good
Terrible :) Never trust the ai bot.
@@ayex86 for general questions, it’s not bad haha
I gotta also say that asking critical questions from AI can be really bad habit. Rather go to forums etc. and search or ask if needed.
100% always take what it says with a grain of salt. For example when coding, it’s very confident when it’s wrong
Never? I been able to save so many hours by using AI asking the right question and working on that.
I tjink you are rude.
C'; Ya
Sorry to hear you think that.
@@philipkeeler9997 I think maybe he was talking about exactly what you did lol
Just explain it instead of wasting time pointing fingers
@@paspa07 if I explain it will you understand it? That right there is why I made this video. I might explain how to do something and explain how to get something running, but do you know enough to troubleshoot if something goes wrong or if you want to make a change? Do you know why it’s done the way it is?
If you explain it, yes i will understand. I am a veterinarian and I love running my own home lab . I depend on your tutorials and those from similar channels to guide me. What's the point of a video saying, hey my audience is dumb? I run services you guided to setup. And they're running. What did you leave behind in the tutorial that you want me to understand? I don't think self-hosting people are as ignorant as you suggest. There's a reason why we choose this path even if we never sat in an IT class.