Self-hosted apps you can run on a VPS

Self-hosting means running an app on your own server instead of paying for a hosted service. A VPS is a good place for it: it is always on and online. This page covers the apps people ask about most, what each one is for and how big a server it needs. For the install steps, follow the project's own documentation, because these apps change quickly and old copy-and-paste instructions go out of date.

Nextcloud: your own file sync and sharing

Nextcloud stores and syncs files, contacts and calendars across your devices, and can share files by link. It runs on a web server (Apache or nginx), PHP and a database (MariaDB or PostgreSQL). A personal install runs comfortably on 1 to 2 GB of RAM; storage is what you outgrow, so choose a plan with plenty of disk. See the Nextcloud installation guide.

Snipe-IT: track equipment, software and licenses

Snipe-IT is an asset manager for hardware, software licenses and warranties. It is a PHP app with a MySQL or MariaDB database, and 1 to 2 GB of RAM is plenty for a small team. See the Snipe-IT installation docs.

Jenkins: build and test code automatically

Jenkins is an automation server for builds, tests and deployments. It is a Java app, so allow at least 1 GB of RAM, and 2 GB or more once you run real builds. See the Jenkins Linux installation guide.

Rundeck: run jobs on remote servers

Rundeck runs scripts and tasks across many servers from a web interface, with scheduling and access control. It is also a Java app, so plan for 2 GB of RAM or more. See the Rundeck installation docs.

GitLab: your own code hosting

GitLab hosts Git repositories with issues, merge requests and CI. It is the hungriest app on this page: GitLab recommends at least 4 GB of RAM, and more for a team. If you only need private repositories, a lighter tool such as Gitea is far smaller. See the GitLab installation docs.

Jitsi Meet: your own video meetings

Jitsi Meet is open-source video conferencing. Video is demanding on CPU and bandwidth, so choose a plan with 2 or more cores, 4 GB of RAM or more and a generous traffic allowance, and put it in a location close to the people who will join. You also need a domain name pointing at the server. See the Jitsi quick install guide.

A mail server (Postfix, Dovecot and PostfixAdmin)

You can run your own mail with Postfix and Dovecot, and manage mailboxes with PostfixAdmin. It is the hardest thing on this page to get right: you need correct DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC and reverse DNS), the server's address must not be on a blocklist, and your hosting provider has to allow outgoing mail on port 25, which many cheap providers restrict. Check RackNerd's terms and ask support before you build on it. If email matters to you, a hosted mail service is usually the safer choice.

Looking for something lighter? See which RackNerd VPS suits self-hosting.