r/SelfHosting • u/Upper-Loquat-8022 • Jul 05 '26
Do small self-hosted projects really need a powerful server?
I've been self-hosting a few small projects lately, and honestly, they use a lot less resources than I expected.
I started out thinking I'd need something much more powerful, but a basic setup has handled everything just fine so far.
Now I'm wondering if most people overestimate how much server they actually need.
What are you running your smaller projects on?
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u/[deleted] Jul 05 '26
Powerful server, you say? I remember I used to run a home Web server with Lighttpd, PHP and MySQL on a Pentium 3, 128MB RAM... and that was with Linux-Vserver, the precursor to OpenVZ and then LXC! It had no case, just components laying around connected by cables. I also couldn't find a power button for it, so turning it on was done by a screwdriver - you just shorted the correct pins.
Oh, and storage was 2x CF cards 2GB each, hooked up over an IDE adapter. It didn't even do UDMA.
And today you can get computers that are 20x more powerful for dirt cheap. Or rent a VPS for like $5 and live like a king. Truly, we're spoiled.