this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2025
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I've been dabbling with selfhosting for a bit now (home assistant and nextcloud), but it's clear that I lack a fundamental understanding of networking. For example:

  • I've got OpenWRT on my router, but no idea what I'm doing when it comes to firewall settings, DNS, DHCP, etc.
  • I've got a domain thru Porkbun, but no idea how to properly setup my DNS settings there to route to my local machine.
  • I've got NGINX running in a docker container in a VM and can get to the UI on my local network, but no idea what I'm doing wrong with my attempts at a reverse proxy.

Does anyone here have links to a good in-depth tutorial series for learning about securely selfhosting?

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[–] derpgon@programming.dev 3 points 6 months ago (2 children)

You basically never want to expose your local network to the internet. The most secure and simple way are either Tailscale or WireGuard combined with a VPS that is exposed to the internet and takes all the beating.

[–] Alphane_Moon@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

This what I was trying to setup when I first started (with Nginx, domain and free tier version of Google Cloud). I wasn't able to get it all running with Nginx and HTTPS.

[–] LycaKnight@infosec.pub 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

I use Tailscale and Nginx Proxy Manager. Very easy to get it running. I use DNS Challenge with my Domain Provider. The Domain points to my Tailscale IP. So I don't need to open anything.

[–] derpgon@programming.dev 1 points 6 months ago

I use a similar setup with Traefik instead of Nginx PM, and Headscale instead of Tailscale. It is almost the same kind of setup.

[–] mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Yeah, the primary reason people end up exposing things to the internet is because of friends and family. I can call my tech-illiterate “anything more difficult than logging into Facebook has her throwing up her hands in defeat, saying it is too hard, and tech is just too complicated these days” mother-in-law and walk her through setting up Plex… But that only works because Plex is exposed to the internet. If I had to walk her through setting up Tailscale on her living room TV before she could connect, it would be a non-starter.