What is self-hosting?
Self-hosting means running your digital services (file storage, photos, calendar, passwords) on a machine you own, often a NAS installed at home, instead of entrusting them to Google or another cloud. Your data no longer leaves your home. The topic continues in chapter 6 of my book, Vivre sans Google.
Information verified on July 13, 2026
Instead of renting your digital services from Google, you run them on a machine of your own, installed at home. Your files, photos, calendar or passwords then live on your own hardware. A bit like cooking at home instead of ordering in: more effort up front, but you know exactly what’s on the plate.
In practice, it ranges from easy to athletic. The most accessible entry point remains the NAS: a ready-to-use box that replaces Google Drive without a command line. At the other end, some people run their own email server on a mini computer. In between, everyone sets the cursor where they want.
Is it for everyone? No, and that has to be said plainly. Self-hosting means becoming your own IT department: updates, breakdowns and backups are on you. But it’s not all or nothing. Hosting your files at home and keeping your email with a trustworthy provider is a perfectly reasonable compromise.
Where it plays out: chapter 6 of the book shows how to get out of Google Drive, the guide to leaving Google Drive gives the overall picture, and the Simple self-hosting (NAS) category lists the hardware to start with.
This topic is chapter 6 of my book
It answers these questions, among others:
- how do you empty Google Drive without losing anything, Google Docs included?
- encrypted cloud, NAS or personal server: which one fits your profile?
- and what does a NAS at home really involve, day to day?
Forthcoming 22/10/2026 from Éditions Eyrolles
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Tech jargon, translated
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