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Top Self-Hosted Applications to Run on Linux Servers

This list showcases powerful and privacy-friendly applications you can host on your own Linux server - perfect for replacing third-party services and building your own digital infrastructure. These apps can run on bare-metal servers, virtual machines, or Docker containers.

📚 1. BookStack

  • Website: https://www.bookstackapp.com/

  • Description: A free, open-source platform for organizing and storing documentation. Great for internal IT documentation, personal notes, SOPs, and wiki-style knowledgebases.

  • 🔧 Stack: PHP, Laravel, MySQL, Apache/Nginx.

☁️ 2. Nextcloud

  • Website: https://nextcloud.com/

  • Description: Your personal cloud storage platform. Includes file sync, calendar, contacts, password management, and online document collaboration.

  • 🔧 Stack: PHP, MariaDB/PostgreSQL, Apache/Nginx.

📝 3. Obsidian Sync / Remote Vault Hosting

  • Website: https://obsidian.md/ (self-host via Syncthing, Git, or WebDAV)

  • Description: While Obsidian itself is a desktop app, you can self-host vaults using tools like Syncthing, Git, or WebDAV over HTTPS to sync notes across devices.

📦 4. Docker / Portainer

  • Website (Docker): https://www.docker.com/

  • Website (Portainer): https://www.portainer.io/

  • Description: Docker enables running apps in containers. Portainer is a web UI to manage Docker containers easily. Perfect for self-hosting multiple apps.

📈 5. Grafana + Prometheus

  • Website (Grafana): https://grafana.com/

  • Website (Prometheus): https://prometheus.io/

  • Description: Popular monitoring stack for collecting, analyzing, and visualizing metrics from servers, containers, or IoT devices.

🛡️ 6. Pi-hole

  • Website: https://pi-hole.net/

  • Description: A network-wide ad blocker that runs on Linux. Blocks ads, tracking domains, and telemetry before they reach your devices.

📧 7. Mail-in-a-Box

  • Website: https://mailinabox.email/

  • Description: Easily set up your own mail server with spam filtering, webmail, and encryption. Designed for small personal or project-based email hosting.

📡 8. Uptime Kuma

🔑 9. Vaultwarden (Bitwarden alternative)

🎙️ 10. Jitsi Meet

  • Website: https://jitsi.org/jitsi-meet/

  • Description: A secure, open-source video conferencing platform. Can be hosted privately to run your own Zoom/Meet-style meetings.

📺 Bonus Picks

App Purpose
Gitea Lightweight self-hosted Git service (GitHub alternative)
Plex / Jellyfin Self-hosted media server for movies, music, and TV
Home Assistant Smart home automation platform
Homer / Dashy Custom startpages or dashboards for organizing links
FreshRSS / Miniflux Private RSS feed reader

🧩 Summary

These apps are perfect for:

  • Replacing third-party cloud services

  • Hosting your own private productivity and media tools

  • Learning Linux server admin, Docker, and security


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