This is not an academic journal: it is merely the whimsical chronicle of my adventures and misadventures in self-hosting services—providing my own calendar, contacts, email, and web services—using FreeBSD (operating system), Apache httpd (web), Radicale (calendar and contacts), Postfix and Dovecot (mail). And a wee bit about mail user agents (Mutt, Mu4e, etc.).
Caveat Lector: I have made some mistakes, and doubtless I will make more mistakes. Do not blindly follow the things I have done.
I will document my mistakes when I am aware of them.
If I’ve made mistakes and might make more, why am I even sharing this story, and who might be interested in reading it?
I am sharing the story because I have done some things right. You might be interested in reading it if you have tried self-hosting and become frustrated, or if you have thought about self-hosting and read horror stories and become too scared to start. You may find relief in reading these pages. You may find encouragement. I am sharing the story because self-hosting, especially of email, is widely considered to be too difficult for the likes of me and thee. But if me can do, maybe thee can too!