I finally bought a VPS (virtual private server) from DigitalOcean. Here’s what I’ve done to on my reliable cute little server so far.
###Pocket self hosted alternative: Wallabag is the best Pocket kind of app I can find. It’s easy to configure and it does what you want from a reading list app well. However, the one thing that prevents me from using it as a full replacement, is its Firefox add-on. The add-on refused to do anything on my Firefox and being a lazy ass in general, I find having to open my Wallabag and save an article myself too troublesome.
Permanent place on my server? Not likely
###Spotify self hosted alternative: Sonerezh is a simple music streaming service. Create a SQL database for it, tell it where your music is and you’re all set to listen to your music anywhere with internet connection. Works wonderfully for me so far.
However, I have to admit Sonerezh wasn’t my first choice. I tried Koel first because of its stunning interface but perhaps my newly found linux skills were just not enough, I couldn’t get it to work. Those who can, though, I absolutely recommend that you try it.
Permanent place on my server? Probably (it’s safe until I get Koel to work)
###Self hosted RSS reader: Miniflux is a minimalistic RSS reader. Which I use primarily to follow Undertale stuff and stalk Toby Fox. Easy installation. Clean interface. Works great.
Permanent place on my server? Yeah
###Self hosted VPN service: OpenVPN This is the single most important thing on my server. I’d been wanting to use VPN for a long time as it’s a must for those who care about privacy. And just when I was comparing prices I learned that it’s possible to host your own VPN on your VPS. So I did! Here’s the guide by DigitalOcean to set up OpenVPN on Ubuntu 14.04 that I followed. Make sure to check out the comment that mentioned an automatic script as well. I set it up manually but the script looks great and can probably save you time.
Pros:
No need to worry about whether your VPN provider is secretly logging everything and selling your information. Also no limits about anything.
Cons:
While Tunnelblick, the VPN client on my MacBook, works great, the OpenVPN Connect on my phone doesn’t. It hasn’t even been updated for iPhone 6.
Permanent place on my server? Hell yeah
###Self hosted cloud IDE: Codiad is your programming workspace on the cloud. I hosted this because I always came up with new ideas when I was eating at a restaurant and far away from my trusty laptop. If you’re a programmer, you’d understand the struggle of needing to code but unable to. Once I even considered writing code on a napkin.
Permanent place on my server? Probably