Make the service visible.
Start with its purpose, people, data and dependencies. Then put a realistic boundary around the first version.
The self-hosting field guide
A notebook you can hand to the next maintainer.
Find a route through the work: map the service, decide who can reach it, then prove that its data can return.
Choose the question in front of you
Keep routine work predictable.
Separate member access from administration and make the quiet background tasks somebody’s responsibility.
Check the way back.
Keep an independent recovery copy and find out what your exports preserve before relying on them.
Keep the reference pages close
Service facts and catalogue tables · The self-hosting glossary · Answers to 28 practical questions
Plan the service and its data
Planning
Start with a service map a second maintainer can use.
Build a practical inventory for a shared wiki: owners, data, dependencies, access decisions and the order of recovery.
5 min read
Service planningGive your shared wiki a complete little plan.
Map a collective’s wiki accounts, database, attachments, search, maintenance and recovery before choosing resources.
5 min read
Data and recoveryGive a growing file collection room to breathe.
Build a storage worksheet for originals, versions, deleted items, previews, temporary exports and an independent recovery copy.
5 min read
Operate with clear responsibilities
Access and operation
Decide what belongs on the public side.
Choose public, member and administration access deliberately, then verify the boundary with a practical account and network matrix.
5 min read
OperationsKeep access deliberate when people and software change.
Separate member, application and host permissions, handle arrivals and departures, and plan updates with a usable recovery point.
6 min read
Access and operationKeep the work behind the page predictable.
Map scheduled tasks, outgoing mail, retries and restore-time side effects so a small group can notice and handle failures.
5 min read
Recover and carry the work forward
Recovery
Rehearse bringing your shared wiki back.
Plan a safe wiki restore rehearsal with isolated dependencies, witness accounts, attachment checks and a result sheet that records evidence.
5 min read
Data and recoveryPack your group’s data before it has to move.
Prepare an export folder with readable content, attachments, format notes and import checks that another maintainer can use.
5 min read
Put the notes into context
A shared knowledge hub that survives a change of maintainer
Plan a small collective’s wiki around complete data, sensible permissions, a resource budget and a recovery handover another person can follow.
See this service plan ↗A personal document archive you can recover and move
Budget a personal document collection for originals, versions and working space, with independent copies and a recovery exercise beyond the VPS.
See this service plan ↗More procedures for the service notebook
Procedure
Use Monero to fund a self-hosted service
Write the plan, selected options, country, term, rate and local reference before opening the wallet.
Read the procedure
ProcedureKeep encrypted backups and their recovery keys usable
Separate repository access, encryption password and recovery instructions so a server loss does not remove every recovery route.
Read the procedure
ProcedureUse WireGuard as a private route to a self-hosted service
Record peers, allowed addresses, key owner, service binding and a safe revocation path before adding a private route.
Read the procedure
ProcedureKeep a self-hosted service manageable while you are away
Give a cover maintainer a bounded action list, a status-note location and a clear escalation point.
Read the procedure
ProcedureBack up a file service as files, database and configuration
Map data files, database, configuration and custom components before calling an application copy a backup.
Read the procedure
ProcedureRehearse a self-hosted application upgrade
Choose the exact version, map storage and database format, and prepare an independent pre-change copy.
Read the procedure
ProcedureSeparate family member accounts from administrator access
List ordinary members, application administrators and host administrators as different roles with separate reasons.
Read the procedure
ProcedureBudget thumbnails and previews in a photo collection
Count originals, previews, database data, logs, imports, exports and a working margin separately.
Read the procedure
ProcedureTest data exports before changing applications
List records, attachments, metadata, permissions and links that a future application must receive.
Read the procedure
ProcedureKeep a domain and recovery email accessible to a second maintainer
Record registrar owner, renewal contact, DNS authority and a recovery email independent from the service.
Read the procedure
ProcedureDocument a lost-device access recovery plan
Describe the sessions, SSH keys, authenticators and recovery codes that may need review after a device is lost.
Read the procedure
ProcedureCheck that an off-server backup can survive server loss
Identify the destination, recovery authority and credential path needed after loss of the VPS.
Read the procedure
Use the whole field guide.
Choose a buying worksheet before payment, a comparison when the hosting model is unclear, or a maintainer-manual entry when the service needs a durable record.