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Ask HN: Do you use any self-hosted open source tools to run your business?

Probably most people are running some kind of open source software; but I mean does anyone here use FOSS or open source software alternatives to things like Gmail, Slack, Github, Zoom, etc.?

I've been thinking of how a company could be set up with all of its tools and infrastructure running in Digital Ocean or Vultr App marketplace services. Rather than paying premium enterprise rates to different SAAS companies, you could simply pay your own hosting fees and that's it.

Obviously there's drawbacks: you have to maintain security and updates, and your non-technical employees will have to download strange apps (maybe even sideload them) and sometimes navigate incomplete user interfaces. Availability and latency could be an issue for distributed teams, and such services could make it more difficult to scale a business

But I wonder if anyone here is working at a company small enough that they can save money by hosting their own infrastructure and communication services

( 3 comments | 2 points | on HN )
Re:Ask HN: Do you use any self-hosted open source tools to r... by adityathakurxd on Saturday February 10, 2024 @10:41AM (#39326915)
Self-hosting has its challenges, but I think the preference for open-source software alternatives is because as a dev I can always check out the code, even if I don't host it on my own. For me it allows for much greater trust over closed source.
Re:Ask HN: Do you use any self-hosted open source tools to r... by shortrounddev2 on Saturday February 10, 2024 @10:56AM (#39327101)
Trust isn't so much an issue for me; I trust some of these larger SAAS companies more than I trust myself to manage security and updates
Re:Ask HN: Do you use any self-hosted open source tools to r... by simonblack on Saturday February 10, 2024 @05:07PM (#39330675)
The question is actually not restricted to communications services. Not sure exactly what the questioner wants.

Here we have a MySQL database holding accounting data that is interfaced by programs that were internally-written in C, for a real estate rentals business.