#AskFediverse
Hey selfhosters, which hardware do you host on? How much (amount of software, data, workload) can I expect from selfhosting? Which are some of good software appropriate to run on low-end hardware?
bonifartius 𒂼𒄄
@huy_ngo mail needs almost no ressources, so does light http stuff, like ttrss. dns also is lightweight and you can let hurricane electric or your domain registrar handle additional DNS servers. matrix synapse is quite heavy with I/O (but they are getting much better!), maybe dendrite is better, i haven't tested that. xmpp is rather cheap on resources, at least ejabberd.
if you don't host for many people just get the cheapest "good" (not consumer) hardware you can get. lots of ECC ram, classic HDDs are fine if you have enough ram (imho). cpu isn't that relevant, i'd say get as many cores as you can.
@huy_ngo. I think they’re cheaper if you buy them locally (thanks to mass import). I used to buy SBCs from CXT: https://linhkien.cxt.vn/san-pham-phan-cung/may-tinh-nhung-303
Pine64’s SBCs are an option but after shipping I think they’ll be more expensive for similar specs: https://pine64.com/product-category/single-board-computers
Of course it’d be best to use an old x86 machine if you have one in the corner (and get some memory if possible). Even a 15yo pentium can easily outperform the A53 you usually find on lower-end SBCs.
Cc: @bonifartius
@cnx
Thanks for the links.
> Of course it’d be best to use an old x86 machine if you have one in the corner
I do have one (I think it might be an x86_64 even), but it refuses to start up and I have no idea why. I guess I'll look for some local repair shop and hope it won't cost more than buying a new one.
Still need to get a lot of RAM and storage though.
cc: @bonifartius
@bonifartius
Thanks for the advice. I think all of these might be useful to me.
Do you have some advice on how to find cheap good hardware though? Choose hardware from lesser known brands?