Hey everyone, I’m pretty new to this, I’ve only been running Jellyfin on my laptop for media but nothing 24/7. Honestly, it’s not bad and I like it better than paying a thousand different streaming services. I also have some experience with Linux so this seems like a pretty fun hobby I’d say :)
I want to get more into self hosting some other stuff, but I don’t have a very big budget, I want the bare minimum to get things working without too much trouble. Also I’d rather not have a big setup since space is pretty limited where I am. This is what I’d like to host:
- Jellyfin (with *Arr optional)
- PiHole or some other ad blocker/privacy
- Magic Mirror or other way to display weather, public transit schedules etc… (I actually just found out about this on another thread so I’d say its optional too. I’m planning on connecting it to a small display rather than a mirror)
- And whatever else you might recommend :)
As far as data storage goes, I’m not a very “materialistic” person, so I’m sorted out with my backup hard drives and devices that go everywhere with me. This wouldn’t be necessary, but if I have the capacity I’d say why not. I don’t necessarily want to have my network exposed to the public Internet, I don’t want to do networking and having everything run on a local network is more than enough for me.
I know about RaspberryPis but the shortage and inflated prices are not ideal, so I’ve been looking into Libre Computer’s lineup (LE Potato specifically). Mini PCs and old laptops seem like a viable option but is there anything in particular spec-wise I should look for?
Thanks in advance :)
I didn’t know SD cards would be so bad, I’ll definitely get an external drive then.
The orange seems like a good option too, sure it’s a bit pricier, but I could make it work if its worth it. And also, I’m not planning on having more than one concurrent user (just me on one device at a time) I don’t need to scale it, so I guess I’ll be fine with an orange or even a bit less?
Now that you mention it, I’d rather not start an impromptu BBQ so maybe laptops are not my first option, unless I can somehow limit the battery charge or completely bypass the battery. I’ll do some more research on that. As far as electricity goes, its very cheap where I am so I don’t think the less efficient mini PCs would hurt.
Thanks for the advice :)
yeah consumer SD cards cannot handle sustained writes like most OS’es generate. Even endurance cards can have issues past a few months in an always-on Pi depending on what it’s hosting.
also worth nothing ARM support for many apps can be missing, which is another mark against SBC’s. They have their place if you’re willing to fuck with them though.
Laptops are OK if you can disable charging or ideally have a removable battery. However SFF office PC’s are typically the cheapest to buy unless you find laptops with already dead batteries that nobody else wants. If power is not of a concern, the SFF pc is probably your best bet.
