I can’t help but feel overwhelmed by the sheer complexity of self-hosting modern web applications (if you look under the surface!)
Most modern web applications are designed to basically run standalone on a server. Integration into an existing environment a real challenge if not impossible. They often come with their own set of requirements and dependencies that don’t easily align with an established infrastructure.
“So you have an already running and fully configured web server? Too bad for you, bind me to port 443 or GTFO. Reverse-proxying by subdomain? Never heard of that. I won’t work. Deal with it. Oh, and your TLS certificates? Screw them, I ship my own!”
Attempting to merge everything together requires meticulous planning, extensive configuration, and often annoying development work and finding workarounds.
Modern web applications, with their elusive promises of flexibility and power, have instead become a source of maddening frustration when not being the only application that is served.
My frustration about this is real. Self-hosting modern web applications is an uphill battle, not only in terms of technology but also when it comes to setting up the hosting environment.
I just want to drop some PHP files into a directory and call it a day. A PHP interpreter and a simple HTTP server – that’s all I want to need for hosting my applications.
Sometimes venting off a little helps a a little. I finally sat down and learned the basics of docker and found an easy to follow video series on how to setup Docker with Portainer and Nginx Proxy Manager. Works like charm. I also set up my GoToSocial instance again but failed at setting up a Lemmy instance … but I guess that’s for another discussion :)
Care to share what the helpful series was?
Sure. It’s a 4-part video series by German YouTuber Raspberry Pi Cloud created end of 2021 (but still works with most recent versions).
He goes from technical background over basic system preparation and Docker installation to a fully featured setup. I skipped lots of content up to the point where he was done with the Docker installation (I prepared and “cleaned” my system and installed Docker beforehand.)