All posts tagged: selfhosted

This is the self-hosted DNS server I wish someone had told me about sooner

This is the self-hosted DNS server I wish someone had told me about sooner

If you’ve been looking into self-hosted software, it won’t take you long to realize that you can self-host just about anything. From self-hosted Notion alternatives to file storage servers that can run even on Android, the self-hosting world is full of hidden gems that can change the way you work. And they can also change the way you approach your online privacy. Using a DNS-level blocker like Pi-hole, AdGuard, and more is a great way to protect your privacy and get a hold of who your devices are talking to. All self-hosted DNS servers you can find online are great at one thing or the other, but the Technitium DNS server is something I wish I had known about sooner. Related I set up Pi-hole on my home network, and the internet feels like a completely different place The many benefits of hosting your own DNS server and the control it gives you over your network. The DNS server I wish I’d found earlier Technitium deserves way more attention Technitium DNS Server is a free, …

I replaced my 0/year Grammarly subscription with self-hosted LanguageTool

I replaced my $120/year Grammarly subscription with self-hosted LanguageTool

Grammarly gets a lot of hate, but it has been my designated spelling and grammar assistant for over a decade now. For at least five years, I have been paying Grammarly about $120 per year for its premium plan. For what it’s worth, Grammarly Premium delivers on many fronts, and I can access it on all my devices. However, like everyone, I have that itch to find affordable alternatives. Though I have considered many Grammarly alternatives, most of those cloud-based subscriptions were equally, if not more, expensive. LanguageTool Server, a self-hosted version of the popular grammar checker, sounded quite refreshing, though. A fully-fledged grammar checker that I can run on my device for free? That sounded awesome, so I decided to rely on self-hosted LanguageTool while keeping my Grammarly Premium subscription! Related I stopped paying for Grammarly once I found out there’s a free open-source alternative I thought Grammarly was essential. It wasn’t. The pitch was convincing LanguageTool Server was everything I could have asked for — on paper, at least. I had used LanguageTool’s …

I was losing track of my self-hosted apps until I found this open-source dashboard

I was losing track of my self-hosted apps until I found this open-source dashboard

One of the first signs that things were getting out of hand was the day I needed to figure out which apps were running, and after opening Portainer, I still guessed the wrong port. At the time, I had self-hosted tools on my NAS and a small server. I had to remember the port numbers for each app or bookmark them, but I just wasn’t able to properly keep track. Even though my tools were not failing, the real issue was that I had so much difficulty finding what I’d already set up. I stumbled upon DockPeek while trying to fix a reverse proxy issue, and as soon as I installed and opened this open-source tool, it was clear I had found the solution I desperately needed. OS Windows, MacOS, Linux Price model Free Dockpeek is a lightweight, self-hosted Docker dashboard. It allows quick access to your containers and lets you open web interfaces, view logs, and monitor your ports. I just couldn’t see my setup Every app turned into a port number I had …

AnythingLLM Self-Hosted AI Workspace Replaces Ollama & LangChain Tools

AnythingLLM Self-Hosted AI Workspace Replaces Ollama & LangChain Tools

AnythingLLM, demostrated by Better Stack below, offers a single self-hosted platform that consolidates the capabilities of Ollama, LangChain and custom UIs into a unified environment. Designed for developers working with large language models (LLMs), it supports tasks like document processing, codebase interaction and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). With features such as a drag-and-drop interface, a visual workflow builder and compatibility with multiple model providers, it emphasizes privacy and flexibility while simplifying complex workflows. However, its high resource requirements and occasional workflow adjustments may present challenges for certain use cases. In this overview, you’ll explore how “AnythingLLM” enables streamlined RAG integration, supports isolated workspaces for managing multiple projects and allows dynamic model switching mid-conversation. You’ll also gain insights into its practical applications, from building private AI systems to developing client-facing solutions, as well as its limitations, such as hardware constraints. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of how this platform fits into modern AI development workflows. Streamlined AI Workflow Tool TL;DR Key Takeaways : Integrated Platform: “AnythingLLM” combines tools like Ollama, LangChain, vector databases and …

I stopped using browser bookmarks because this self-hosted tool organizes everything for me

I stopped using browser bookmarks because this self-hosted tool organizes everything for me

I’ve never been great at organizing browser bookmarks, and I’ve accepted that it’s partly the tool’s fault because you save a link, toss it into a folder, and forget about it. There’s no way to find anything unless you remember exactly where you put it, and even dedicated Chrome bookmark alternatives don’t fully solve the problem. Eventually, I moved to Karakeep, a free, open-source, self-hosted app that bookmarks links, notes, images, and PDFs in one place with AI-powered tagging. It does what browser bookmarks should’ve done from the start. Related This Chrome alternative plants trees while you browse—yes, really And it’s not as gimmicky as it sounds. Karakeep saves more than just links It bookmarks URLs, notes, images, and PDFs Browser bookmarks only save URLs. That’s it. There’s no context, no preview, nothing to remind you why you saved a link three weeks later. Karakeep takes a different approach by letting you save links, plain-text notes, images, and PDFs in one place. When you drop a URL into Karakeep, it automatically fetches the page title, …

This single self-hosted dashboard replaced my entire monitoring setup

This single self-hosted dashboard replaced my entire monitoring setup

For years, I’ve self-hosted my automations, note apps, networking tools, and more. The more I self-hosted, the more fragmented my work became. Many days begin with navigating through several screens, windows, and dashboards to check the status of services, view system statistics, and confirm that none of my containers have stopped functioning overnight. These all changed when I started using Homepage. It didn’t replace any of my tools, but cut away the multiple windows, tabs, and screens by bringing all the most valuable information to a single page. It instantly replaced my most frequently used monitoring apps and made my days much calmer. Monitoring got easier the moment I stopped “checking” things Monitoring had always felt like a routine I must complete. I check Uptime Kuma, then Netdata or Glances, then Docker Desktop. These are all tools that I would recommend. The only downside was that they weren’t talking to each other, and checking them wasn’t a fast or fluid process. Yet, I had to go through the motions even when nothing was wrong. Homepage …