6 self-hosted services I use without a NAS

The idea of bringing all your preferred digital services under your own roof, through self-hosting, is undeniable. While many prefer a NAS as the cornerstone of this setup, the reality is that you can get the job done without the investment or complexity of a NAS.

Over time, I have discovered and fine-tuned a set of fantastic self-hosted applications that run beautifully on various devices like a spare laptop, single-board computer, or even a beefy desktop. It proves that you can indeed build a powerful and personalized digital ecosystem without a traditional NAS.

A dumbbell placed in front of a monitor displaying the wger UI

6Docmost

Notion, who?

Docmost is an open-source collaborative wiki and documentation software that rivals popular platforms like Notion. It looks and feels similar to Notion, where you can create multiple workspaces, use the block editor, slash (/) command, and use a bunch of formatting options to design pages. The beauty of Docmost is that it’s designed to be self-hosted, and you absolutely do not need a dedicated NAS to run it.

Docmost also has built-in support for Mermaid – an open-source diagramming and charting tool. I can easily insert detailed flowcharts, diagrams, Gantt charts, and more in no time. Other Docmost goodies include real-time collaboration, Markdown support, and the ability to embed content from different apps and services like Airtable, Excalidraw, Draw.io, and more.

5Home Assistant

Automation on steroids

Home Assistant is a free and open-source home automation platform that puts local control and privacy first. It acts as a central hub to connect and manage a vast array of smart home devices and services from various manufacturers. After a while, your smart home will be packed with devices from several OEMs. Instead of using their specific software to manage the devices, use Home Assistant to get the job done.

Home Assistant is designed to be a software platform that runs on various types of computing hardware, none of which necessitate a dedicated NAS. The list of features includes powerful automation based on triggers, conditions, and actions, customizable dashboards, energy management, and more.

4Firefly III

Manage your finances like a pro

Don’t confuse Firefly III with Adobe’s tool. It’s a free and open-source personal finance manager designed to help you gain control over your income, expenses, and budgets. It’s a web app that you self-host to get complete ownership of your financial data. Unlike cloud-based services, Firefly III keeps your sensitive information on your own server.

Devices like a Raspberry Pi (with sufficient RAM) or other more powerful SBCs can handle Firefly III for personal use. You can manage expense and income transactions, keep track of budgeting, generate reports, and even track upcoming bills. My favorite feature is the rule engine, where I can automate transaction categorization and tagging based on predefined rules.

3Audiobookshelf

Keep track of your favorite audiobooks

As the name suggests, Audiobookshelf is an open-source, self-hosted audiobook and podcast server. It allows you to stream your audiobooks and podcasts to your devices (web browser, Android, iOS apps), manage your library, and enjoy your audio content from anywhere you have an internet connection (if you choose to expose it).

Audiobookshelf supports library management, metadata extraction, multiple formats like MP3, FLAC, OPUS, and more, sleep timer, bookmarks, and more. I especially liked its clean and intuitive web interface for managing the library.

2Nextcloud

A private Microsoft 365 alternative

Are you surprised to see Nextcloud on the list? Well, don’t be. You can skip NAS and self-host Nextcloud on a spare computer and use the local hard drive to store files. It’s a productivity powerhouse for anyone’s workflow. You can host your files, calendars, contacts, photos, and much more on your own server.

The list of collaboration tools includes Calendar, Contacts, Mail, Talk, Deck (a Kanban-style project management), Notes, and more. With a recent update, the company has introduced an intuitive homepage with multiple widgets. You can always extend Nextcloud’s functionality via the app store.

1Bitwarden

While both Bitwarden and Vaultwarden (a community-driven project) are excellent open-source password managers that you can self-host, I prefer the former. It offers a secure vault for all your data (usernames, passwords, notes, credit card details, identities).

There is a robust password generator on offer, auto-fill support, browser extensions, and much more to keep your personal data safe. The official Bitwarden documentation provides various methods for self-hosting, and none of them require a NAS for the core installation. Of course, a NAS can be a valuable addition for backups, but it is not a must-have for self-hosting Bitwarden.