We live in a digital ecosystem dominated by massive corporations and proprietary subscription models. Closed-source software is locked down, difficult to customize, and fundamentally engineered to maximize profit.
While I relied on closed-source tools for years, I was also a heavy user of open-source solutions like Nginx, Apache, Nextcloud, Frigate, and Ubuntu Server. I recently decided to take the full leap: breaking away from proprietary lock-in and committing fully to the open-source community.
Rebuilding the Infrastructure
To achieve true digital independence, I migrated my infrastructure to virtual compute instances running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS on a Proxmox hypervisor. The physical server is hosted in a Coventry data center, utilizing a RAID 10 storage configuration for high reliability and low latency.
Here is how the self-hosted stack breaks down across dedicated VMs and containers:
- Mail Server (Mailcow): Self-hosted mail suite running on a dedicated Ubuntu server with a static IP and custom configurations to optimize deliverability.
- Cloud Storage (Nextcloud): Replaced my Microsoft 365 OneDrive subscription. Nextcloud runs in Docker with an S3-compatible Wasabi object storage backend for scale and redundant file storage.
- NVR & CCTV (Frigate): Local, AI-powered video surveillance processing running inside a Docker container.
- Home Automation (Home Assistant): Orchestrates all smart appliances, lighting, and phone/voice controls (including Apple HomePod integration).
- Infrastructure Monitoring (Checkmate): Automated service health checks that dispatch immediate alerts if any self-hosted service drops offline.
- Audio Streaming (Music Assistant): Deployed on a local Raspberry Pi to link my Apple Music account directly to room-wide speaker systems.
- Web Hosting (LLMP Stack): Powered by Linux, LiteSpeed, MySQL, and PHP for high-performance site delivery.
The Workstation: Ditching Windows 11 for Ubuntu
I used macOS for years and loved the user experience. However, my main daily workstation—a custom Lenovo ThinkStation powered by an Intel Xeon processor, 512GB of RAM, and an Nvidia RTX 3060—forced me onto Windows 11 due to hardware compatibility.
As part of my open-source shift, I wiped Windows and installed Ubuntu Desktop as my primary OS.
Is the switch worth it?
Absolute consensus: Yes.
While running Ubuntu on a workstation demands a bit more technical comfort—especially when configuring applications via the terminal—the trade-off is well worth it. Ubuntu Desktop provides a faster, significantly more stable, and deeply customizable environment without corporate telemetry or forced updates.
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