This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/selfhosted by /u/Supahstar42 on 2025-07-05 19:31:36+00:00.
X-posted in r/homelab as these both were and are foundational resources that I constantly reference for myself and newcomers
Genuinely my favorite and most consistent addict…hobby that my wife hat… tolerates.
Started in 9th grade, just wanting to run a Minecraft server (loved Modii101 and the rest of the squad. “NOT ALL THE REDSTONE!!”) and discovering Linux and VMs. I mostly ran everything barebones.
Then college came. I had a $150USD HP laptop, jailbroken firetv, and a flash drive that introduced me to Kodi but I hated how flakey some streams were so I wanted my own versions of Big Buck Bunny and Linux ISOs so I wouldn’t have to rely on remote servers.
I dove deep into selfhosting, VPNs, torrents and other download alternatives. The need for privacy and security pushed be into the obligatory discovery of Docker. From here I learned docker compose and Dockerfile, then git for version control. I kept going
I’m now 25 and work in IT Support handling building, deploying , and maintaining PCs for over 1300 locations in beauty retail. I am learning ansible to deploy easier and quicker while advancing my professional skill set. I have a 4 node (3 Debian, 1 windows for gaming) setup for almost all learning and self hosting.
I thank this community and the forums outside Reddit. I feel like I have complete control over my own digital freedom and autonomy, I am the most confident I’ve ever been in my knowledge and have hit the point where I know I can “figure it out” if I have no experience in a specific domain.
I’m not sure where to take my skills professionally but I know I have you all as supportive peers with usually the best intentions, even if our troll nature or autism shows sometimes
I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. I know how people see us but the silent majority are the goal and I can’t wait to be like you when I grow up