Happy Monday, self-hosters! 👋

This was a massive week at Self Host Setup — we published over 50 guides covering everything from media automation to security stacks. Here are the highlights:

🎬 Media & Entertainment

• The Complete Arr Stack: Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr & Jellyseerr — The definitive guide to automated media management with Docker Compose.
• Jellyfin vs Plex: Which Media Server is Right for You? — An honest comparison to help you pick the right one.
• Self-Hosting Navidrome — Your own Spotify alternative for personal music streaming.
• Self-Hosting Kavita — Digital library for books, comics, and manga.

🔒 Security & Authentication

• Self-Hosting Vaultwarden — Lightweight Bitwarden-compatible password manager with Docker.
• The Complete Security Stack: Fail2Ban + CrowdSec + Authelia — Layer your defenses properly.
• Authentik vs Authelia: SSO Comparison 2026 — Which SSO solution fits your stack?
• Linux Server Hardening Checklist — Essential security steps for every self-hoster.

🔧 Infrastructure & Networking

• Traefik vs Caddy vs Nginx Proxy Manager: Reverse Proxy Showdown 2026 — We break down which one actually fits your setup.
• Running Caddy: Zero-Config HTTPS Reverse Proxy — The easiest way to get HTTPS everywhere.
• Docker Networking Explained: Bridge, Host, and Macvlan — Finally understand Docker networking modes.
• Setting Up Gluetun: VPN for All Your Docker Services — Route any container through a VPN.

💾 Backups & Storage

• Docker Compose Backup Strategy Guide — A practical guide to backing up everything.
• compose-backup: One-Command Backup Tool — Back up all your stacks with a single command.
• Self-Hosting Kopia vs Restic — Modern backup solutions compared.
• ZFS on Linux for Home Server Storage — Production-grade storage for your homelab.

🛠️ Productivity & Dev Tools

• Self-Hosting Gitness: Git + CI/CD — Modern Git hosting with built-in pipelines.
• Self-Hosting Woodpecker CI — Lightweight CI that just works.
• Self-Hosting Coolify: Your Own Heroku — PaaS on your own hardware.
• Self-Hosting LibreChat — Multi-AI chat with OpenAI, Claude & local models.

📊 Also This Week

We also published guides for Budibase (low-code internal tools), Docmost (Notion alternative), Penpot (Figma alternative), Ghost (blogging), Teable (Airtable alternative), DocuSeal (document signing), Monica CRM, Homarr (dashboard), Firefly III (personal finance), Maybe Finance, Leantime (project management), Paperless-GPT (AI document classification), Ente (encrypted photos), Pingvin Share (WeTransfer alternative), Karakeep (AI bookmarks), Mattermost (Slack alternative), LanguageTool, Weblate, Syncthing, Duplicati, Diun, Dockge, Netdata, Photoprism vs Immich, and more.

👉 Browse all guides at selfhostsetup.com

🏗️ Hardware Corner

• Best Mini PCs for Home Servers 2025 — Power, efficiency, and value compared.
• Best VPS for Self-Hosting 2026 — Real pricing, real performance, real recommendations.
• Building a Home Lab on a Budget — From $100 to $500 tiers.

That's a wrap for this week. We're cranking out guides at full speed — if there's something you want covered, just reply to this email.

Happy hosting! 🚀

— Self Host Setup