Reddit Communities
Active subreddits focused on self-hosting:r/selfhosted
The primary Reddit community for self-hosting discussions. Share your setups, ask questions, and discover new projects.Topics: Self-hosting, homelab, privacy, open source
r/homelab
Discussions about home server setups, networking, and infrastructure. Great for hardware and networking questions.Topics: Server hardware, networking, virtualization
Lemmy Communities
Federated, open-source Reddit alternatives for self-hosting discussions:c/selfhosted on lemmy.world
Large and active self-hosting community on the Lemmy federated platform.Platform: Lemmy (federated)
c/selfhost on lemmy.ml
Another active self-hosting community on Lemmy’s flagship instance.Platform: Lemmy (federated)
Lemmy is a federated platform, so you can participate in these communities from any Lemmy instance or compatible ActivityPub platform.
Matrix Chat
Real-time chat for self-hosting discussions:r/selfhosted Matrix Channel
Bridged Matrix channel for the r/selfhosted community. Real-time chat with other self-hosters.Platform: Matrix (decentralized)Features:
- Real-time support and discussions
- Bridged to other platforms
- End-to-end encryption support
- Open protocol
IndieWeb Community
IndieWeb
A community focused on owning your online identity and content. Emphasis on personal websites, decentralization, and open standards.Focus Areas:
- Personal websites and blogs
- Owning your content and data
- Open web standards (Webmention, Micropub, etc.)
- Decentralized social networking
Choosing a Community
Different communities have different strengths:Reddit (r/selfhosted, r/homelab)
Reddit (r/selfhosted, r/homelab)
Best for:
- Long-form discussions and guides
- Searchable post history
- Upvote/downvote system for quality content
- Large, established user base
- Centralized platform
- Requires Reddit account
Lemmy Communities
Lemmy Communities
Best for:
- Federated, decentralized alternative to Reddit
- Open source platform
- Own your data and identity
- Similar features to Reddit
- Smaller communities (growing)
- Multiple instances to choose from
Matrix Chat
Matrix Chat
Best for:
- Real-time support and quick questions
- Live discussions
- Building connections with other self-hosters
- Decentralized, encrypted communication
- Fast-moving conversations
- Less searchable than forums
IndieWeb
IndieWeb
Best for:
- Philosophy of web ownership
- Building personal websites
- Open web standards
- Decentralization advocacy
- More focused on personal web presence
- Technical emphasis on web standards
Community Guidelines
When participating in these communities:Search First
Before asking questions, search the community for existing discussions. Many common questions have detailed answers.
Be Specific
Provide details about your setup, what you’ve tried, and what errors you’re encountering. Logs and configuration snippets help others assist you.
Share Your Solutions
When you solve a problem, share your solution. It helps others facing similar issues.
Be Respectful
Remember that most community members are volunteers helping in their free time. Be patient and respectful.
Getting Help
When seeking help in these communities:- Include system information: OS, hardware specs, relevant software versions
- Describe the problem clearly: What you expected vs. what actually happened
- Share relevant logs: Error messages and log entries (use pastebin services for long logs)
- Show your configuration: Relevant config files (remove sensitive information)
- Mention what you’ve tried: Steps already taken to troubleshoot
Additional Resources
- External Links - More resources and alternative portals
- Contributing - How to contribute to awesome-selfhosted