Self-hosting is such a crapshoot. The installation/setup process is completely bespoke for each different app. Self-hosting apps could have a real impact on overpriced SaaS if installation could be made as simple as installing a mobile app.
> The installation/setup process is completely bespoke for each different app
For the majority of them, there's a docker container, often with example configs. It's not that far removed from installing a mobile app and then having a wizard ask you how you want stuff configured.
I don't find debugging in docker containers difficult, but maybe that's only because I've been doing selfhosted stuff in docker for a few years. Usually exec'ing into a bash she'll inside the container satisfies my need to easily run commands inside the container.
What about debugging is difficult for you when docker containers are involved?
Most of them are OSS so you could make a real impact if you spearheaded this! Some buy-in on some sort of standardized install process from the top projects could go a long way if you decide to pursue.
I’ve had enough success with using docker images (lots of projects provide them) that I don’t feel the pain acutely, but there certainly is some bespoke fiddling with every one. To me that’s part of the self-hosting experience, but I know plenty of people that don’t self host because of it, can’t blame them.
Also most of the popular NAS setups. I'm pretty happy self-hosting everything on my Unraid server. I just checked, all of the tools in the article are in Unraid's App center (except Streamyfin which is a phone app). And if something isn't you can add docker containers or VMs as necessary.
When I think of installing software, my mind goes to things like "apt-get install" and maybe opening /etc/xyz.conf in "vi". Who knew installing software needed so much support? Even docker seems so overboard for 90% of "single home lab machine" use cases.
That apt-get install never actuay worked properly - what if packageA uses version A of a dependency, but packageB uses version B of that same dependency? Sure, debian/Ubuntu maintainers did the painstaking job of making an environment where most packages can happily live together, but that only worked until you had to use this new version of program C that requires a newer dependency for this and that and that.
Also, it always left behind orphaned packages, a good test was/is to install the whole of gnome, then the whole of plasma, and remove them both. Ideally, nothing should be left alone.
The only package manager capable of that is Nix (and those that use the same fundamental model). A second best option is to simply ship your whole work machine, a la docker.
Pretty much everything has an official docker image and included docker-compose file at this point, so installation is pretty standard and can be done in a couple of minutes for just about any of them.
But if you do want mobile phone app level of simplicity, there are options like Cosmos that handle everything for you and just give a pretty UI.
No inherent problems, just a very fractured landscape where install could involve: Linux, MacOS, Windows, WSL, Docker, or AWS. If your setup has anything that differs from the developer, it could unexpectedly take hours of extra troubleshooting.
