I was wondering about the pros and cons about self hosting your services via Yunohost. I currently have all my services hosted in docker containers on a Debian homeserver. As I was planning on a fresh install, setting up an Ansible script to simplify backup & restoring and bake in a centralized user management system (currently I annoyingly have separate passwords for each service for my 5 users).

Now I was wondering if I could get some experience reports from Yunohost users. What are the problems you faced? Are you satisfied? Are there so many services you couldn’t find that you rather went the selfhosted way and integrate Authelia or a similar service? Any ideas and feedback is welcome that can help make up my mind.

  • Ulrich@feddit.org
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    4 days ago
    1. Unable to host apps without exposing them to the web
    2. Despite a simplified GUI, a lot of the system is still dependent on CLI
    3. they make you use subdomains and / as well. Like blog.website.com/blog
    4. Outdated apps (some much more than others)
    5. Poor/no support when something goes wrong
    6. An entire Debian generation behind (not sure if that one matters but it is weird)
    7. Can’t run multiple of the same service

    I’ve tried them all and it’s overall the best but still has a whole lot of room for improvement

    • jawsua@lemmy.one
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      3 days ago

      I’ve run Yunohost for quite a while and a few of these are inaccurate

      1). maybe, if you’re putting it in a VPS. But there’s also VPN, Tailscale, and I believe Headscale apps available 2). I’ve barely ever run the CLI, especially for Yunohost commands. Even for system and package updates, its not necessary. I do wish there was a built in terminal tho 3). eh, I mean sometimes but its per-app and its either-or. so typically I’ll check the install page for subdomain and set that up. And remember, some of that is upstream constraints 4). yeah, that’s the most annoying one, tbh. But the ones that are starred or maintained are typically very good, 5). I’ve had good times and bad on the forums, about par for FOSS. heard gokd things about the chat. And for maintained packaged, github issues are answered quickly IMHO 6). I mean, its 12 now and you want it stable. Update your sources.list if ya want 7). this is only true of some few apps, but almost always its listed in the install screen.

      I kinda agree, but I’ve been very impressed with Cosmos Cloud. I ve got the full 400 package marketplace, and having all that on docker, auto-updates, and good user auth is nice.

      I’m using it as a frontend/services and Yunohost as a backend/datacloud/DevOps since it seems to be more robust and reliable long-term. The user management, email, XMPP, and (mostly) transferrable auth is top notch, not to mention default hardening like fail2ban, GUI ssh port shift, LEcerts, etc. Just wish they’d add in a docker system like Cosmos, it’d really fix most of the problems, IMHO

    • electric_nan@lemmy.ml
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      4 days ago

      Some of these points are inaccurate. Numbers 3 and 7 are definitely dependent on the app in question. I also rarely have to do anything in CLI, a recent update moved an issue I had with LE certs from the CLI to the web admin. As far as support, the forum can be inconsistent and the XMPP chat is more responsive. Dev team is in France though, so timezone can cause delays.

      • Ulrich@feddit.org
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        4 days ago

        Some of these points are inaccurate.

        …any specific ones?

        the XMPP chat is more responsive

        I didn’t even know there was an XMPP chat, but any chat seems like an awful way to get support…

        timezone can cause delays

        We’re not talking about hours here, we’re talking about days/weeks or months.

    • danceswithcats@lemmy.ml
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      4 days ago

      Point three: not true. My blog is TLD. With nonpublic services, which a lot of private server functions are, what’s the problem with a subdomain?

      Most Google services are reached through subdomains, aren’t they? They certainly were when I was forced to use them.

      • Ulrich@feddit.org
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        4 days ago

        Point three: not true

        Yes it is

        My blog is TLD

        I didn’t say every service was this way

        what’s the problem with a subdomain?

        Nothing. The problem is when they make you use both.

      • danceswithcats@lemmy.ml
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        4 days ago

        Also, you can run as many TLDs on a yunost instance as you can afford and your machinery can stand. I’ve got two IP addresses on mine: one for front end apps and one for backend.

          • danceswithcats@lemmy.ml
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            3 days ago

            Yes. Hence:

            you can run as many TLDs on a yunost instance as you can afford and your machinery can stand.<

            And Docker will somehow magically free one from the cost, will it? How will hating on a free and open source project that has put self-hosting within reach of thousands of people address the costs of computing?

            • Ulrich@feddit.org
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              3 days ago

              Hence it is not a reasonable solution.

              No one’s hating on anything. If you actually read my comment I expressed precisely the opposite, while answering OPs question.