Getting Started

There are two ways to do self-hosting. Either go for a risky approach and just hope that everything will keep running or go for a safer approach. The safer approach is promoted on this site and based on the following basics:

Have a reproducible configuration. Use Docker Compose because it allows you to be online within an hour if a server gets wiped completely. For more information about why Docker Compose is a good fit, see the example. This site advises against Kubernetes or Nomad for self-hosting.
Have a safe location for your secrets. For personal hosting, use a Password Manager.
Backup regularly. Setup automated backups.
Connect with SSH. Even better, use it with an SSH key.
Know some Linux basics. Some basic Linux knowledge for making folders and editing files is required. Running Windows servers is probably not a good idea. Even Microsoft's own cloud servers (Azure) mostly run Linux!
Store your configurations in Git. This is optional but strongly recommended. It ensures that you never lose your code. For example, use Git with GitHub, GitLab, or SourceHut.

If you don't have time or interest into self-hosting, then maybe Tipi might be a good fit. Tipi provides one click installs for some commonly-used apps.

The text is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 and the code under Unlicense.