Hi everyone, we’ve been working on Safebox, an open-source framework that helps you install, manage, and access self-hosted applications such as Home Assistant, Nextcloud, and Jellyfin ect. Safebox runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows (supporting both x86 and ARM64 architectures, even Raspberry Pi, Banana Pi hardwares also tested). It manages domain and subdomain setup, Let's Encrypt certificates, DNS configuration, and reverse proxy (nginx). It also includes a WireGuard-based remote access feature and a geo-redundant backup system (currently in development). The project is in beta, and we’re looking for people interested in testing and sharing feedback. All information about Safebox and beta testing can be found in our Discord channel. Try it using Docker: docker run --rm -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock safebox/framework-scheduler
Then open: http://localhost:8080/
Links: Website: https://safebox.network/ GitHub: https://github.com/safeboxnetwork/framework-scheduler Discord: https://discord.gg/aBP8bz6N8J
We’d really appreciate any feedback or ideas for improvement.
The creator didn't have a good answer, so there may not be a good one for this project. But the value proposition is actually there.
These self-hosted solutions are riddled with configuration options, often obscure requirements, and countless maintenance pitfalls.
For a disciplined tech person, it is no problem to install and maintain.
For people less disciplined or non-tech, self hosting is ill-advised and can be dangerous.
But even for a tech person, when you have enough docker-compose services laying around, it can start to get a bit overwhelming to keep it all up to date, online, and functional. If you change your router etc you have to recall how things were set up, what port-forwards you need, what reverse lookups, etc etc.
There actually is a gap in usability and configuration management. I could see a product that has sensible defaults that unifies config across these self-hosted services without needing to access the command line.
Thanks a lot for the thoughtful feedback!
You're absolutely right that for someone without much technical background, self-hosting can be risky and overwhelming. But I believe that once someone wants to self-host, does a bit of research and is willing to learn, tools like Safebox can really help make that first step easier.
And yes, even for more experienced users, things can get messy after a while, and that’s also something we’re trying to simplify with Safebox.
It’s definitely not a perfect project or the ultimate solution, but it has already made our own lives easier, and hopefully it’ll do the same for others who want to get into self-hosting.