Practice of running a website using a private web server
Self-hosting is the practice of running and maintaining a
website or
service using a private
web server, instead of using a service outside of someone's own control. Self-hosting allows users to have more control over their data, privacy, and computing infrastructure, as well as potentially saving costs and improving skills.[1][2]
History
The practice of self-hosting
web services became more feasible with the development of
cloud computing and
virtualization technologies, which enabled users to run their own servers on remote hardware or virtual machines. The first public cloud service,
Amazon Web Services (AWS), was launched in 2006, offering Simple Storage Service (S3) and Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) as its initial products.[3]
Self-hosting web services became more popular with the rise of
free software and
open source software projects that provide alternatives to various web-based services and applications, such as file storage, password management, media streaming, home automation, and more. There is also a sizeable hobbyist community around self-hosting, made up of hobbyists, technology professionals and privacy conscious individuals.[2][4]
Benefits
Some of the benefits of self-hosting are:
The user has complete control over their data and can decide how and where it is hosted.
The user can customize the site design and functionality according to their preferences and needs.
The user can potentially save money by using a lower-cost hosting service or combining multiple services on one server.
The user can improve their skills and knowledge by learning how to set up and manage their own server and services.
The user can avoid relying on third-party providers that may have privacy issues, security breaches, outages, or changes in policies.