Ever feel like your favorite apps are getting worse while demanding more of your data? You\u2019re not imagining it! It\u2019s called “enshittification.” But don\u2019t worry\u2014today, we\u2019re going to learn how to fight back by hosting our own services. Let’s look at the best tools to reclaim your digital sovereignty!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
To begin our journey into self-hosting, we must first understand the foundation. Most of these applications run on what we call virtualization platforms or hypervisors. Two excellent options are XCP-ng and Proxmox VE. These are enterprise-grade tools that allow you to turn one physical computer into many “virtual machines.” Think of it like a large building where you can create many separate apartments; each apartment is a different app, but they all share the same foundation. If you are just starting, these platforms provide a powerful interface to manage your digital lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once your foundation is set, you need to change how you consume information. Big social media platforms use “algorithms” to choose what you see, often prioritizing content that makes them money rather than what is useful to you. FreshRSS is a self-hosted RSS feed aggregator that puts you back in charge. By using RSS feeds, you pull news directly from sources you trust, like technology blogs or podcasts, without a middleman tracking your clicks. Similarly, when you need to find information, stop using search engines that profile you. SearXNG is a “privacy-respecting meta-search engine.” It acts as a shield; it sends your search query to many different engines like Google and Bing, collects the results, and hands them to you without letting those big companies know who you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n