As title says, i want to start self hosting but i have a lot of questions about it. For more context, i want to self host XMPP, matrix, Immich, an email, forgejo and a minimal website. i want to ask you:
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Where should i buy my domain and are there any things i should be careful about?
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does the end of my domain (idk the specific name but .XYZ) matter at all?
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I get that i should use a used PC (i have none lying around), but how old?
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Am i willing to self host too much stuff?
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Can i use Gentoo, Devuan, or other non-systemd distros as an OS?
Sorry for the noob questions but i struggle to find answers online, feel free to tell me to RTFM _;
Also, i have experience with Linux as a desktop OS, more specifically 3 years, one of which mostly in gentoo, but i’ve daily driven Arch, Artix, Debian, Void among others
Thanks! I’m curious tho: what could there possibly be that introduces problems with using something like Gentoo as a server OS? The only thing that comes to mind is the fact that some software might not be available on portage or some software might be assuming systemd, but can’t that all be worked around by compiling manually or creating custom init scripts?
I don’t think it’s likely you would run into problems that couldn’t be fixed, it’s just that the more niche of an operating system you pick, the more time you’ll likely be spending having to figure things out on your own. Often, to fix mistakes, oversights or assumptions made by others. If you love to tinker, that might be fine. If you just want your stuff to be working, it can get frustrating pretty quickly.