FreedomBox, Raspberry Pi, Yunohost, etc.

Destry · 2019-04-27 17:23:15

[Subject expanded to include similar tech. -dw]

Long-shot, but has anyone tried one of these FreedomBox kits yet? I am very curious. If I could cut out the need for a web host in the next couple of years, I would be a very happy web camper.

I think something like this could be better suited to a non-sysadmin like me. But I’m not sure. Need to understand it better.

One main clarification to make is, can I run Textpattern on it? :} I’m not sure. It says it can run MediaWiki, so I’m guessing it could run Txp.

Bloke · 2019-04-27 18:48:36

Interesting. It can run Txp but the FAQ states:

… it is capable of running most day to day needs (mail, website, PHP…) except for big PHP applications like Apache+WordPress or ownCloud. They can run but are a bit sluggish. Apache and MySQL will definitely need to be tuned to use less CPU/memory.

For Txp though, with its small footprint and lightweight approach, I would expect it to run fine, especially if you had caching too.

Destry · 2019-04-27 19:29:27

Arg… I didn’t dig deep enough. Thanks.

Still looks a bit daunting, though. I might watch them for a year or two and see where it goes.

towndock · 2019-04-28 13:01:14

There are many small box solutions like this (perhaps without the catchy name) – basically open source code on a small CPU. Some folks even host with a Raspberry Pi.

With Linodes (or Digital Ocean like this site) as little as $5 month, it’s probably only a good solution if you really enjoy messing with small servers.

jakob · 2019-04-28 14:02:35

towndock wrote #317801:

There are many small box solutions like this (perhaps without the catchy name) – basically open source code on a small CPU. Some folks even host with a Raspberry Pi.

Yes, their video demo uses a Raspberry Pi.

With Linodes (or Digital Ocean like this site) as little as $5 month, it’s probably only a good solution if you really enjoy messing with small servers.

Cost reasons are likely not the motivation, more the desire to decentralise and be in control of one’s own data. And, as you say, that comes with some obligations and willingness to get one’s hands dirty. It looks like FreedomBox covers some of that.

As with many such initiatives, making these things failsafe, reliable and easy to run oneself is key. Two contrary examples:
1) While looking at alternatives to Dropbox to assist some people in achieving/complying with Cyber Essentials certification in the UK, one option we looked at was to use a non-cloud peer-to-peer setup using sync.io (now resilio) but they did not feel comfortable with having to deal with setting a few always-on personal file servers. The other reason – as with many other Dropbox alternatives with better security credentials – is that they are simply not as easy to use and configure.
2) A couple of years back, a botnet took out millions of end user routers in Germany and elsewhere, partly because the routers were not adequately protected / kept up to date. It caused disruption for a couple of days but could have been worse as the hack was inexpertly applied.

(An aside: I got one of those “Microsoft service engineer telephone calls” yesterday with the operator – calling from India judging by the accent and poor English (ringing me in Germany!) – adament that my Microsoft computer was infected and was about to be closed down, despite me not having one.)

colak · 2019-04-28 14:27:30

I know that this site runs on raspberry pi and I really like the idea of hosting everything in such a contained space.

Re dropbox alternative did you check out mega.nz? Here’s one reason to move.

I also received a number of those microsoft calls. Here’s some ideas on how to respond to them:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=beb8zCGMsbI

Destry · 2019-04-28 16:06:41

jakob wrote #317803:

Cost reasons are likely not the motivation, more the desire to decentralise and be in control of one’s own data.

Yes. That’s a major factor.

Also to be more energy-efficient, which I’m guessing something like this could be once configured down to needs. Though I don’t know how you would measure that, exactly. I’m going by the fact a small server would be less energy-hungry.

colak · 2019-04-28 17:05:41

Destry wrote #317805:

Yes. That’s a major factor.
I’m going by the fact a small server would be less energy-hungry.

Although instinctively I would agree with you, that is something that needs to be investigated as having everything in a shared server might actually save energy.

In architecture there is the common proven belief that on average, living in a high density block, in a high density city, as opposed to the countryside, actually saves energy.

This actually, (as much as I hate it), might be an argument for centralisation. Having to chose between the environment and making the powerful even more so, is a pisser of a choice.

bici · 2019-04-28 21:15:05

Destry wrote #317789:

Long-shot, but has anyone tried one of these FreedomBox kits yet? I am very curious. If I could cut out the need for a web host in the next couple of years, I would be a very happy web camper.

how much space do we get with FreedomBox?? … i am very eager to get rid of dropbox for storing our family photos.

michaelkpate · 2019-04-29 02:21:46

Is it Practical to Replace Big Tech Services with FOSS? – a quick overview that includes a brief mention of Freedom Box as well as NextCloud

Destry · 2019-04-30 11:31:59

Been seeing some people in the f’verse say they have to fight with FreedomBox too much and that a better setup is a Raspberry Pi running Yunohost and whatever other apps you want or need to install.

Destry · 2019-04-30 11:59:50

colak wrote #317810:

Although instinctively I would agree with you, that is something that needs to be investigated as having everything in a shared server might actually save energy.

Yes, some benchmarks around that could be useful. You would probably need a range of them for different use-case scenarios. And a business might be better suited to having a dedicated web host and/or email service provider, whereas personal use might be just fine self-hosting. Then again it may only depend on business type and amount of tech needed.

But remember, energy is only one factor. Privacy, control, data portability, etc, are a few others. If the price was only marginally more, that might still be an argument for self-hosting.

Then there are the folks who are into the solar tech for self-hosting. Still a bit on the fringe, but I expect the tech for that will only get better with time.

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#1 2019-04-27 17:23:15