¶ What is HomeServerHQ?
HomeServerHQ is a passion project inspired by the need for a safe and reliable alternative to centralized platforms and services. The primary goals are to educate, contribute to and support the open-source community as well as promote a decentralized web.
The platform consists of primarily four websites:
- Main site - https://www.homeserverhq.com
- Wiki - https://wiki.homeserverhq.com (this site)
- Videos - https://videos.homeserverhq.com
- Forum - https://forum.homeserverhq.com
These sites help to convey and support the concept being presented. However, 90% of the work is focused on developing and maintaining the source code, which delivers the actual results. This is publically maintained on Github: https://github.com/homeserverhq/hshq.
All of the source code and sites are freely available except for the Forum, which is a subscription-based support portal. Purchasing a subscription is completely optional and has no bearing on the operational capabilities of your infrastructure. It is merely a place to go to obtain help. The cost for an annual subscription is very affordable, currently $40 per year. Funding generated through subscriptions is the sole revenue source for this platform, so when you sign up, you are supporting us as much as we are supporting you. Even if you do not have any questions or need help, buying a subscription helps us keep the lights on and working full-time for you.
The following video provides an introduction to the entire platform.
¶ HomeServerHQ Architecture
The following video provides a descriptive overview of the architecture that is generated during the installation process. The most important aspect to convey is the concept of a two-server setup: a HomeServer and a RelayServer. The HomeServer is the physical equipment in your home where the data resides, and the RelayServer is a lightweight access point so that you can connect to your HomeServer from anywhere. Even if your HomeServer is behind multiple layers of NAT/CGNAT, or any kind of firewall(s), you can still access it with any device from anywhere via the RelayServer. There are some other networking capabilities that naturally emerge from this framework, but the central focus is the security and accessibility of your private data.
¶ HomeServerHQ System Tour
This video is a summarized system tour for a default installation. Aside from installing/configuring a few cell phone apps and browser plugins, this is a typical setup that you can expect to have within an hour or two. Only a handful of services are highlighted - it's up to you to explore it all. There are infinite ways to customize it out to your preferences because that's how it was designed. Everything is fully free and open source with no strings attached.
¶ Setup a Demo
If you want to jump right into setting up a demo/test environment, see this page.
¶ From Start To Finish
The topics below provide a full walkthrough of getting your infrastructure set up. It is best to read everything one time through before starting so that you have a general idea of the steps involved. There are also links on the left sidebar to each of these topics as well.