My Self-Hosting Journey

I began my self-hosting journey in 2021 with the goal of hosting a game server for friends so they would not need to pay for external hosting. Through onsite IT work, I acquired several 6th and 8th generation i7 systems from companies that were downsizing or upgrading. After adding inexpensive NVMe storage and APC battery backups, the environment grew quickly.

What started as a single server eventually expanded to three dedicated game servers running 27/4, supporting up to 270 concurrent players at peak. These servers have been up for almost 4 years now.

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Internet Connection

• ISP: Optimum Fiber (1 Gbps / 1 Gbps symmetrical) – $65/month
• ISP router configured in bridge mode if I return it they take away a discount.

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Network Infrastructure

• Router: UDM Pro
• Switch: USW 16-Port PoE
• Access Point: AC Pro

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Infrastructure Services

DNS Server

• Raspberry Pi 4 (4 GB RAM)
• DietPi OS
• Running Pi-hole for DNS filtering

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Game Server Infrastructure

All game servers are connected to APC battery backups and maintain approximately 99% uptime, with downtime only occurring during scheduled maintenance. A custom watchdog script automatically restarts servers if a crash occurs.

• Game Server 1

  • i7 6th Gen
  • 24 GB RAM
  • 500 GB NVMe storage
  • Windows Server 2019

• Game Server 2

  • i7 8th Gen
  • 32 GB RAM
  • 500 GB NVMe storage
  • Windows Server 2019

• Game Server 3

  • i7 8th Gen
  • 28 GB RAM
  • 500 GB NVMe storage
  • Windows Server 2019

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Virtualization / Homelab

Proxmox Server

• i7 12th Gen
• 40 GB RAM
• 1 TB NVMe storage
• External USB Media Drive – 22 TB (with backup)

Current Services

• Jellyfin – Replacing all commercial streaming services (currently LAN only, working on secure remote access)

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Planned Additions

• NGINX – Reverse proxy for secure external access
• Apache Guacamole – Replace RemotePC for remote access
• Tailscale – Replace Surfshark for private networking
• Vaultwarden – Replace RoboForm for password management

If you think there are better options please let me know so I can do my research!