Remember When the Internet Was Ours?
There was a time when the internet wasn’t just a giant shopping mall of corporate clouds. Back then, people ran their own servers — mail, web, IRC, everything.
It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t convenient. But it was ours.
Today, “the cloud” has taken over. Most people don’t even think about running their own infrastructure anymore. It’s all Gmail, Slack, Discord, Office 365, AWS. Homelabbing is huge right now, sure — but tinkering in your basement isn’t the same as running production services exposed to the real, hostile internet.
That’s where the lost art lives. And that’s where I still live.
Why Bother?
Because control is freedom.
My server, my rules.
Security isn’t something you buy — it’s something you earn. Running a public-facing service means constant responsibility: every open port is a lesson, every log entry is a signal, every attack attempt forces you to get sharper.
What Self-Hosting Really Teaches You
- DNS isn’t just a name → it’s a battleground for SPF, DKIM, DMARC.
- Mail isn’t just SMTP → it’s reputation, rDNS, TLS, and patience.
- Web isn’t just WordPress → it’s nginx configs, sysctl tuning, Fail2Ban rules.
- The kernel isn’t just Linux → it’s knobs, buffers, and security hardening.
- The network isn’t just a link → it’s routing, filtering, and shaping.
The stack isn’t a black box. It’s a living system you learn to tame, one piece at a time.
Homelab vs. Real Net
Homelabbing is the classroom. Self-hosting is the exam.
Running a real mail server that delivers to Gmail and iCloud without hitting junk? That’s hard mode.
On the public internet, configs are tested daily by scanners, bots, and attackers. If your system is sloppy, you’ll know. If your system is strong, you’ll prove it.
Why It Matters
The internet wasn’t meant to be a mall where you rent everything from Amazon or Google. It was built as a commons, where individuals hosted and shared.
Self-hosting keeps that spirit alive. It keeps us independent. It keeps the internet human.
The Truth
Yes, it’s hard. You will fight DNS demons, battle spam filters, curse at kernel quirks, and wrestle with reputation systems.
But every fight makes you stronger — and less dependent on the cloud.
In Short
Self-hosting isn’t nostalgia. It’s resistance. It’s skill. It’s independence.
We don’t just use the internet — we are the internet.
That’s why I still self-host. And why I think more people should at least try. Not just for the retro cred — but to remember what real freedom online actually feels like.