Open source, explained: what each app is and why to use it
HostingSwift is built on open source, and our self-hosting guides document the open-source software you can run yourself. This is the honest, detailed directory — not just a link list. For each app you get what it is, what it does, what people use it for and why it stands out — plus the official site, the source code and the licence.
271 open-source projects and 4 clearly-labelled proprietary products across 12 categories — every one with a write-up, not just a link. Read why we credit upstream.
Why open source is better than renting software
When you rent software, you get access for as long as the vendor allows and at the price they choose. When you run open-source software, you own the thing itself: the code is public, so you can read it, change it, and keep running it forever — even if the company behind it changes course, raises prices, or disappears.
Open source is the reason self-hosting is now practical for ordinary people, not just sysadmins. The same software that powers Google-scale infrastructure is available to you for free, and one small server can run a surprising amount of it. The trade is simple and honest: you replace a per-seat subscription with a flat server cost and the responsibility of keeping it updated.
No vendor lock-in
Your data is in an open format on your own server. Moving hosts — or countries — is a copy, not a negotiation.
Costs do not scale with people
A VPS costs the same whether ten people log in or ten thousand. Per-seat SaaS bills grow every time you hire.
Auditable and trustworthy
Anyone can inspect the code. Widely-used projects are reviewed by far more eyes than closed software ever is.
Yours to keep
If a vendor shuts a service down or is acquired, your install keeps working. Nothing stops on someone else’s decision.
Privacy by default
Your files, photos, chats and analytics live on hardware you control — not scanned, mined or resold.
Communities and longevity
Projects backed by foundations and communities outlive single companies. The code is a public good.
The directory
Grouped by what you would use them for. Each card tells you what the project is, what it does, who uses it and why it is worth your attention — then links to the official site and source code so you can go straight to the source.
Platform & infrastructure
The software our own hosting is built on — web servers, databases, containers, DNS and the private network linking it all.
Debian
DFSG (free software)- What it is
- Debian is one of the oldest and most trusted Linux distributions, and the base our servers run on.
- What it does
- Provides a complete, stable operating system with tens of thousands of vetted packages and a long security-support cycle.
- What people use it for
- Running servers that need to be stable, secure and maintainable for years.
- Why it stands out
- Legendary stability and an enormous, well-audited package archive — the distro that other distros are built on.
Linux kernel
GPL-2.0- What it is
- Linux is the open-source operating system kernel that runs most of the world's servers.
- What it does
- Manages hardware, memory, processes, networking and filesystems, and underpins Android, the cloud and nearly all self-hosted software.
- What people use it for
- The foundation every server, container and VPS in this directory runs on.
- Why it stands out
- It powers the internet, the cloud and supercomputers — the most important piece of open-source software ever written.
Nginx
BSD-2-Clause- What it is
- Nginx is the web server and reverse proxy that powers much of the internet.
- What it does
- Serves static files, terminates TLS and proxies/load-balances to applications.
- What people use it for
- Fronting websites and apps, TLS termination and high-concurrency serving.
- Why it stands out
- Event-driven and lean — it handles huge concurrency efficiently, which is why it is a default in production.
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL- What it is
- PostgreSQL is the most advanced open-source relational database.
- What it does
- Reliable ACID transactions, rich types (JSON, arrays, geospatial), extensions and powerful querying.
- What people use it for
- Primary databases for serious applications of any size.
- Why it stands out
- Correctness, extensibility and decades of hardening — the default choice for production data.
MariaDB
GPL-2.0- What it is
- MariaDB is a community-developed fork of MySQL.
- What it does
- A fast, compatible relational database with strong performance and storage engines.
- What people use it for
- Web apps and sites that expect MySQL compatibility.
- Why it stands out
- The open, community-governed MySQL drop-in with a long track record.
MySQL
GPL-2.0- What it is
- MySQL is the most widely deployed open-source relational database.
- What it does
- Relational storage with strong replication and broad application support.
- What people use it for
- Powering the vast majority of web applications.
- Why it stands out
- Universal compatibility — almost every web app supports it out of the box.
Redis
RSALv2 / SSPLv1- What it is
- Redis is the leading in-memory data store.
- What it does
- Key-value storage, caching, queues, pub/sub and data structures at very high speed.
- What people use it for
- Caching, sessions, queues and realtime features.
- Why it stands out
- Extremely fast and versatile — the default cache and queue for web apps (note the licence change since v7.4).
Valkey
BSD-3-Clause- What it is
- Valkey is the open-source, community-governed fork of Redis.
- What it does
- The same in-memory data structures, caching and pub/sub, under a permissive licence.
- What people use it for
- Redis-style workloads where an OSI-approved licence matters.
- Why it stands out
- Redis compatibility with a truly open BSD licence, governed by the Linux Foundation.
Docker
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Docker is the container platform that made shipping software reproducible.
- What it does
- Packages apps with their dependencies into portable images and runs them in isolated containers.
- What people use it for
- Running self-hosted apps consistently, and packaging your own software.
- Why it stands out
- If an app ships a Docker image, you can run it anywhere the same way — the reason self-hosting got easy.
Podman
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Podman is a daemonless, rootless container engine.
- What it does
- Runs OCI containers and pods without a background daemon, and can run containers as a normal user.
- What people use it for
- Container workloads where root and a always-on daemon are undesirable.
- Why it stands out
- Docker-compatible but daemonless and rootless — a more secure default for many hosts.
Kubernetes
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Kubernetes is the industry-standard container orchestration platform.
- What it does
- Schedules, scales and heals containerised workloads across a cluster.
- What people use it for
- Running many services reliably at scale with self-healing and rolling updates.
- Why it stands out
- The de facto standard for orchestration — heavy to run, but unmatched for large deployments.
WireGuard
GPL-2.0- What it is
- WireGuard is a modern, fast VPN protocol built into the Linux kernel.
- What it does
- Creates encrypted point-to-point tunnels and private networks with a tiny, auditable codebase.
- What people use it for
- Securing remote access, linking servers into a private mesh, and routing traffic.
- Why it stands out
- Dramatically simpler and faster than older VPNs, and small enough to actually audit.
OpenVPN
GPL-2.0- What it is
- OpenVPN is the long-established open-source VPN.
- What it does
- TLS-based VPN tunnels with broad client support and mature tooling.
- What people use it for
- VPN access where a well-known, widely-supported option is required.
- Why it stands out
- Decades of battle-testing and clients on almost every platform.
PowerDNS
GPL-2.0- What it is
- PowerDNS is a high-performance authoritative DNS server.
- What it does
- Serves authoritative zones from backends like SQL or bind files, with an API and DNSSEC.
- What people use it for
- Hosting DNS zones for many domains at scale.
- Why it stands out
- Fast, scriptable and database-backed — the choice for managing lots of zones programmatically.
Unbound
BSD-3-Clause- What it is
- Unbound is a validating, recursive DNS resolver.
- What it does
- Resolves DNS directly from the root, with DNSSEC validation and caching.
- What people use it for
- A private, privacy-respecting resolver for a network.
- Why it stands out
- Full recursion and DNSSEC validation in a small, secure package.
Certbot (Let's Encrypt)
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Certbot (Let's Encrypt) is an open-source project in the self-hosting toolchain we run or support.
- What it does
- Provides the features described on its official site — a open source under Apache-2.0 project you can run yourself.
- What people use it for
- Part of a self-hosted stack; the official site lists the exact use cases and worked examples.
- Why it stands out
- It is open source under Apache-2.0, so you can inspect, self-host and keep using it — see the source before you commit.
Prometheus
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Prometheus is the standard open-source metrics database and scraper.
- What it does
- Pulls metrics from exporters on a schedule, stores them as time series, and evaluates alert rules.
- What people use it for
- Collecting and storing metrics across a fleet and alerting on them.
- Why it stands out
- The cloud-native monitoring standard — a powerful query language and a huge exporter ecosystem.
Grafana
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Grafana is the leading open-source dashboards and visualisation platform.
- What it does
- Queries many data sources and renders graphs, gauges and dashboards, with alerting.
- What people use it for
- Building dashboards over Prometheus and other metrics.
- Why it stands out
- The best dashboards in open source, and it connects to almost any data source.
Alertmanager
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Alertmanager handles alerts from Prometheus.
- What it does
- Deduplicates, groups and routes alerts to email, Slack and more, with silences.
- What people use it for
- Routing monitoring alerts to the right people.
- Why it stands out
- Turns raw alerts into sensible, non-spammy notifications.
Grafana Loki
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Grafana Loki is a log-aggregation system.
- What it does
- Collects and indexes logs by labels, queried with LogQL and shown in Grafana.
- What people use it for
- Centralising logs across a fleet.
- Why it stands out
- Log aggregation that pairs naturally with Prometheus and Grafana.
Nginx Proxy Manager
MIT- What it is
- Nginx Proxy Manager is a web UI for Nginx reverse proxies.
- What it does
- Manages proxy hosts and free TLS certificates through a browser.
- What people use it for
- Exposing self-hosted apps with HTTPS without hand-writing Nginx config.
- Why it stands out
- Makes reverse proxy + Let's Encrypt a point-and-click job.
Traefik
MIT- What it is
- Traefik is a modern reverse proxy and load balancer built for containers.
- What it does
- Discovers services automatically (Docker/Kubernetes) and routes with automatic TLS.
- What people use it for
- Routing to containers that come and go, with dynamic configuration.
- Why it stands out
- Configuration follows your containers automatically — no config reloads when services change.
Caddy
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Caddy is a web server famous for automatic HTTPS.
- What it does
- Serves sites and proxies, obtaining and renewing TLS certificates with zero configuration.
- What people use it for
- Simple, secure web hosting and internal services.
- Why it stands out
- HTTPS on by default with almost no config — the easiest way to serve something securely.
HAProxy
GPL-2.0- What it is
- HAProxy is the industry-standard open-source load balancer and proxy.
- What it does
- High-performance TCP/HTTP load balancing, health checks and TLS termination.
- What people use it for
- Balancing traffic across backends with reliability.
- Why it stands out
- Decades of proven performance under the heaviest loads — a load-balancing workhorse.
Icecast
GPL-2.0- What it is
- Icecast is the standard open-source streaming media server for audio.
- What it does
- Delivers internet-radio streams to players and browsers over open protocols.
- What people use it for
- Running an internet radio station.
- Why it stands out
- Open, proven and free — the backbone of most self-hosted radio stations.
Liquidsoap
GPL-2.0- What it is
- Liquidsoap is a powerful scripting language for audio and video streams.
- What it does
- Drives AutoDJ playlists, scheduling, live takeover and transcoding into Icecast.
- What people use it for
- Automating a radio station's playout and live shows.
- Why it stands out
- Anything a radio station needs to automate, expressed as code.
FFmpeg
LGPL/GPL- What it is
- FFmpeg is the universal tool for audio and video processing.
- What it does
- Converts, encodes, transcodes, filters and packages virtually every media format.
- What people use it for
- Video transcoding, HLS packaging and media conversion.
- Why it stands out
- Nothing else comes close for media manipulation — it is the engine behind most video pipelines.
OpenResty
BSD-2-Clause- What it is
- OpenResty is Nginx bundled with LuaJIT for programmable web serving.
- What it does
- Runs Lua in Nginx, so you can script request handling, APIs and gateways.
- What people use it for
- High-performance custom proxies, gateways and edge logic.
- Why it stands out
- Nginx performance plus Lua scripting — build custom web logic at the edge.
Files, sync & collaboration
Your own cloud: file storage, office documents, notes and the tools that replace Google Drive, Dropbox and Microsoft 365.
Nextcloud
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Nextcloud is a self-hosted productivity platform — your own Google Drive, Docs, Calendar and Contacts.
- What it does
- File sync and share, browser document editing (with Collabora/ONLYOFFICE), calendars, contacts, chat, and hundreds of apps.
- What people use it for
- Replacing Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, private team file sharing and data-residency requirements.
- Why it stands out
- One private space for files, calendars and collaboration — and the most complete open-source cloud there is.
Seafile
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Seafile is a high-performance self-hosted file sync and share platform.
- What it does
- Fast block-based sync with deduplication, versioning, libraries, and team sharing.
- What people use it for
- Large file libraries and teams where sync speed and reliability matter most.
- Why it stands out
- Its sync engine is faster than most competitors on big libraries because it stores and transfers files in deduplicated blocks.
Syncthing
MPL-2.0- What it is
- Syncthing is continuous, peer-to-peer file synchronisation with no central server.
- What it does
- Syncs folders directly between devices over an encrypted connection, with versioning and no cloud account.
- What people use it for
- Keeping files identical across your own laptops, desktops and phones; privacy-first sync.
- Why it stands out
- There is no cloud — your devices talk to each other, so no third party ever holds your files.
Collabora Online
MPL-2.0- What it is
- Collabora Online is a browser-based office suite you can self-host.
- What it does
- Edits documents, spreadsheets and presentations collaboratively in the browser, integrated with Nextcloud and others.
- What people use it for
- Adding Google-Docs-style editing to a self-hosted file platform.
- Why it stands out
- Brings real, collaborative office editing into your own cloud — no Google account required.
ONLYOFFICE Docs
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- ONLYOFFICE Docs is a self-hosted online office suite with strong Microsoft-format fidelity.
- What it does
- Document, spreadsheet and presentation editing with excellent .docx/.xlsx compatibility, plus collaboration and plugins.
- What people use it for
- Teams that need Microsoft Office file compatibility inside a self-hosted stack.
- Why it stands out
- The best open option for opening and editing real .docx/.xlsx files without visible formatting damage.
CryptPad
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- CryptPad is a privacy-first, end-to-end-encrypted collaboration suite.
- What it does
- Encrypted documents, spreadsheets, slides, forms, kanban and whiteboards, with zero-knowledge storage.
- What people use it for
- Sensitive collaboration where even the server operator must not read the content.
- Why it stands out
- Collaboration where the server genuinely cannot see your data — encryption is the default, not a setting.
Etherpad
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Etherpad is a realtime collaborative text editor.
- What it does
- Multiple people edit the same document at once, with colours per author and full revision history.
- What people use it for
- Meeting notes, shared drafting and quick collaborative writing.
- Why it stands out
- Dead-simple, lightning-fast realtime editing that has outlasted nearly every rival.
HedgeDoc
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- HedgeDoc is a collaborative markdown note editor.
- What it does
- Realtime markdown editing rendered live, with diagrams, slides and presentation modes.
- What people use it for
- Technical notes, shared documentation and collaborative markdown writing.
- Why it stands out
- Markdown-first collaboration with live rendering — ideal for developers and technical writers.
Stirling PDF
MIT- What it is
- Stirling PDF is a self-hosted, browser-based PDF toolbox.
- What it does
- Merge, split, compress, convert, OCR, sign, redact and watermark PDFs, entirely on your own server.
- What people use it for
- PDF work without uploading confidential documents to a random website.
- Why it stands out
- A whole PDF toolkit that keeps sensitive documents on your hardware — many commercial tools are a single feature of it.
Paperless-ngx
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Paperless-ngx turns a pile of scans and PDFs into a searchable, tagged document archive.
- What it does
- OCR, automatic tagging and correspondents, full-text search, and a consume folder or email intake.
- What people use it for
- Going paperless — receipts, bills, contracts and letters you need to find again.
- Why it stands out
- Reads the text out of your scans so you can search inside a decade of documents in seconds.
Docspell
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Docspell is a self-hosted document organiser with OCR and tagging.
- What it does
- Imports documents, runs OCR and machine-learning classification, and searches full text.
- What people use it for
- Personal and small-office document management with automatic filing.
- Why it stands out
- An alternative take on paperless filing, with a strong focus on automatic classification.
Joplin
MIT- What it is
- Joplin is an open-source note-taking app with sync.
- What it does
- Markdown notes, notebooks, tags and web clipping, synced via your own storage or Joplin Server.
- What people use it for
- Private note-taking you control, across devices.
- Why it stands out
- Evernote-style note-taking where you choose where the data lives.
Obsidian LiveSync
MIT- What it is
- Obsidian LiveSync synchronises Obsidian vaults through your own CouchDB.
- What it does
- Realtime sync of notes and files across devices, plus collaboration features.
- What people use it for
- Syncing Obsidian notes without Obsidian's paid sync.
- Why it stands out
- Keeps your Obsidian vault synced through infrastructure you run.
Standard Notes
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Standard Notes is a private, encrypted notes app.
- What it does
- End-to-end-encrypted notes and files, with editors, extensions and self-hosting.
- What people use it for
- Long-lived, private note-taking where encryption is the point.
- Why it stands out
- Notes encrypted end to end and built to last decades — your data you control.
Media — video, music & photos
Stream your own library, host your own video, and back up your photos without a platform deciding what you can watch or keep.
Jellyfin
GPL-2.0- What it is
- Jellyfin is a fully open-source media server for your films, TV and music.
- What it does
- Streams your library to apps on TVs, phones, browsers and consoles, with metadata and transcoding.
- What people use it for
- A private Netflix-style home media server with no account and no subscription.
- Why it stands out
- The leading media server that is completely free and open source — no account, no paid tier, no telemetry.
Plex Media Server
proprietary- What it is
- Plex Media Server is a polished, proprietary media server with the widest device support.
- What it does
- Organises and streams media with rich metadata and first-class apps on almost every platform.
- What people use it for
- Households that want the fewest rough edges and the broadest smart-TV support.
- Why it stands out
- Best-in-class client coverage — but note the server is closed source and some features need Plex Pass.
Emby
proprietary- What it is
- Emby is a fast media server with strong client coverage and transcoding.
- What it does
- Streams media with metadata and hardware-accelerated transcoding, with apps across most devices.
- What people use it for
- A middle path between Plex's polish and Jellyfin's openness.
- Why it stands out
- Broadly compatible clients and solid transcoding; some features require the Premiere licence.
Kodi
GPL-2.0- What it is
- Kodi is an open-source home-theatre media centre.
- What it does
- Plays local and network media with a rich add-on ecosystem, usually at the TV.
- What people use it for
- A big-screen media front end, often fed by a server elsewhere.
- Why it stands out
- Fully open source and endlessly extensible, with no subscription and no cloud dependency.
Immich
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Immich is a self-hosted photo and video backup platform built to feel like Google Photos.
- What it does
- Automatic mobile backup, a fast timeline, albums, face recognition and smart content search.
- What people use it for
- Getting out of Google Photos while keeping automatic phone backup and searchable albums.
- Why it stands out
- The closest open-source match to Google Photos, including the automatic mobile upload that makes it a real replacement.
PhotoPrism
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- PhotoPrism is a self-hosted photo library with strong AI tagging and search.
- What it does
- Organises and browses a big photo collection with facial recognition, object tags and map views.
- What people use it for
- Organising and searching a large existing photo library rather than backing up a phone.
- Why it stands out
- Excellent AI-powered tagging and search over a big collection you assemble yourself.
Piwigo
GPL-2.0- What it is
- Piwigo is a mature, self-hosted photo gallery.
- What it does
- Albums, tags, permissions, plugins and themes for publishing photos.
- What people use it for
- Public or private photo galleries and portfolios.
- Why it stands out
- Long-lived and extensible — a photo gallery with mature management features.
Lychee
MIT- What it is
- Lychee is a beautiful, self-hosted photo-management tool.
- What it does
- Organises albums, shares photos, and manages a gallery with a clean UI.
- What people use it for
- A tidy personal photo gallery.
- Why it stands out
- Elegant and simple — a photo gallery that looks great out of the box.
Navidrome
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Navidrome is a lightweight, self-hosted music streaming server.
- What it does
- Indexes your music by tags, streams to any Subsonic-compatible app, builds playlists and scrobbles.
- What people use it for
- Streaming your own music collection to any device without a subscription.
- Why it stands out
- Featherweight and speaks the Subsonic API, so dozens of mature mobile apps already work with it.
Funkwhale
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Funkwhale is a self-hosted, federated music and audio platform.
- What it does
- Hosts and streams audio, with podcasts, channels and federation via ActivityPub.
- What people use it for
- Sharing music and podcasts on your own server, in the fediverse.
- Why it stands out
- The social, federated music server — listen and share with other instances.
Audiobookshelf
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Audiobookshelf is a self-hosted audiobook and podcast server.
- What it does
- Organises audiobooks and podcasts, syncs playback position across devices, with chapters and a podcast downloader.
- What people use it for
- Listening to your own audiobooks and podcast feeds with position sync everywhere.
- Why it stands out
- Finally makes self-hosted audiobooks pleasant — position sync and polished mobile apps.
Calibre-Web
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Calibre-Web is a browser front end for a Calibre e-book library.
- What it does
- Browses, searches and reads your e-books in the browser, with user shelves and OPDS.
- What people use it for
- Accessing your e-book library from any device.
- Why it stands out
- Turns a Calibre library into a private e-book service you can read anywhere.
Kavita
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Kavita is a fast, self-hosted server for comics, manga and e-books.
- What it does
- Organises and serves reading libraries to apps and browsers with a nice reader.
- What people use it for
- Reading comics and manga from your own collection.
- Why it stands out
- Built for comics/manga with excellent reading and library management.
Komga
MIT- What it is
- Komga is a self-hosted comics and webtoon server.
- What it does
- Organises and streams comics over OPDS and a web reader.
- What people use it for
- Comic and webtoon libraries served to any reader app.
- Why it stands out
- Clean, standards-based comics serving with OPDS support.
PeerTube
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- PeerTube is decentralised, federated video hosting.
- What it does
- Hosts and streams video, and federates with other PeerTube instances via ActivityPub, with P2P delivery.
- What people use it for
- Publishing video without a central platform deciding your reach.
- Why it stands out
- A video platform you own that can also share audiences with the wider fediverse.
Owncast
MIT- What it is
- Owncast is a self-hosted live-streaming server.
- What it does
- Broadcasts live video to a chat-enabled web page, using open streaming protocols.
- What people use it for
- Going live on your own site instead of a platform with ads and forced logins.
- Why it stands out
- Own your live audience and your chat — no platform cut, no algorithm.
MediaCMS
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- MediaCMS is a self-hosted video and media content-management platform.
- What it does
- Uploads, transcodes and streams video with playlists, categories and user accounts.
- What people use it for
- Running a video portal or media library you own.
- Why it stands out
- A full video CMS — more than a media server, closer to a private YouTube.
Jellyseerr
MIT- What it is
- Jellyseerr is a request-management front end for Jellyfin/Plex.
- What it does
- Lets users request films and shows, which flow to your download tools for approval.
- What people use it for
- Letting household members request media without access to your server admin.
- Why it stands out
- A tidy request portal that keeps users out of the admin while enabling self-service.
Ombi
GPL-2.0- What it is
- Ombi is a self-hosted media-request system for Plex and Emby.
- What it does
- Handles user requests for films, shows and music, with approval workflows.
- What people use it for
- Managing household media requests.
- Why it stands out
- A polished request tool with notifications and quotas.
Stash
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Stash is a self-hosted media organiser with rich metadata and tagging.
- What it does
- Indexes media, scrapes metadata, and provides search, tags and scenes.
- What people use it for
- Organising large personal media collections with metadata.
- Why it stands out
- Powerful metadata scraping and organising for niche collections.
Kiwix
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Kiwix lets you read Wikipedia and other sites completely offline.
- What it does
- Serves downloaded ZIM archives of Wikipedia, Wiktionary and more without internet.
- What people use it for
- Offline knowledge libraries, and access where the internet is unreliable.
- Why it stands out
- The whole of Wikipedia, readable with no connection at all.
Wallabag
MIT- What it is
- Wallabag is a self-hosted "read it later" service.
- What it does
- Saves articles and renders them for distraction-free reading, with apps and a browser extension.
- What people use it for
- Saving articles to read later, privately.
- Why it stands out
- A Pocket alternative you own — no tracking, no vendor shutting it down.
Chat & communication
Team messaging, video calls and community chat you host yourself — Slack, Discord and Zoom alternatives.
Mattermost
MIT / AGPL (Team Edition)- What it is
- Mattermost is a self-hosted, Slack-style team messaging platform.
- What it does
- Channels, direct messages, file sharing, search, bots and integrations, with compliance-oriented admin controls.
- What people use it for
- Replacing Slack on infrastructure you control, especially with data-residency needs.
- Why it stands out
- The most Slack-like open-source chat — teams adopt it in a day, and the integrations ecosystem is strong.
Rocket.Chat
MIT- What it is
- Rocket.Chat is an open-source team messaging platform with omnichannel features.
- What it does
- Team chat plus live chat with website visitors, marketplace apps, and federation support.
- What people use it for
- Combining internal team chat and customer live chat in one self-hosted tool.
- Why it stands out
- The open edition is feature-rich — live chat and federation are included, not paywalled.
Zulip
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Zulip is a threaded team chat built around organised conversations.
- What it does
- Every message has a topic within a channel, with search and integrations.
- What people use it for
- Distributed teams and open-source projects where signal-to-noise matters.
- Why it stands out
- Threaded by design, so important messages do not get lost in a noisy channel — people who adopt it rarely go back.
Matrix Synapse
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Matrix Synapse is the reference server for the Matrix decentralised chat protocol.
- What it does
- Stores rooms and accounts and federates with other Matrix homeservers, with end-to-end encryption.
- What people use it for
- Communities that want interoperable, encrypted chat and their own identity (@you:yourdomain).
- Why it stands out
- Federated like email for chat — you can talk to people on other servers, and you own your identity.
Element
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Element is the flagship Matrix client.
- What it does
- Web, desktop and mobile chat with rooms, encryption, voice/video and bridging to other networks.
- What people use it for
- The app people actually chat in on a Matrix homeserver.
- Why it stands out
- The most polished way to use Matrix, with bridges that reach IRC, Slack and more from one client.
Jitsi Meet
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Jitsi Meet is a self-hosted video-conferencing platform.
- What it does
- Browser-based meetings with screen sharing, recording and dial-in, no account required.
- What people use it for
- Video calls and webinars that should not depend on a big platform.
- Why it stands out
- Join from a link with no install and no account — and you host the call.
BigBlueButton
LGPL-3.0- What it is
- BigBlueButton is an open-source virtual-classroom and web-conferencing system.
- What it does
- Video sessions with whiteboard, breakout rooms, polls and recording, built for teaching.
- What people use it for
- Online classes and training where presentation tools matter.
- Why it stands out
- Purpose-built for education — far richer than a generic video call.
Nextcloud Talk
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Nextcloud Talk adds chat and video calls to Nextcloud.
- What it does
- Text chat, voice and video calls and screen sharing between accounts on your Nextcloud instance.
- What people use it for
- Keeping team communication inside the same private cloud as your files.
- Why it stands out
- Communication and files in one self-hosted place, sharing the same accounts and permissions.
Software development & DevOps
Your own GitHub, CI pipelines and remote development — code and build infrastructure on your own servers.
GitLab
MIT (CE)- What it is
- GitLab CE is an open-source DevOps platform — self-hosted Git plus CI/CD.
- What it does
- Repositories, merge requests, pipelines, container registry, issue boards and wikis.
- What people use it for
- Teams that want a complete GitHub-plus-CI platform on their own servers.
- Why it stands out
- The most complete open-source DevOps platform — powerful built-in CI/CD (though it wants 4 GB+ RAM).
Gitea
MIT- What it is
- Gitea is a lightweight, fast self-hosted Git service.
- What it does
- Repositories, issues, pull requests, wikis, package registry and built-in CI (Gitea Actions).
- What people use it for
- A private GitHub for a small team or a personal code server.
- Why it stands out
- Tiny and fast — it runs comfortably on a 1–2 GB VPS, which is why self-hosters default to it.
Forgejo
GPL-3.0+- What it is
- Forgejo is a community-governed fork of Gitea.
- What it does
- The same Git hosting, issues, CI and packages as Gitea, under non-profit governance.
- What people use it for
- Teams who want Gitea's lightness but community ownership.
- Why it stands out
- Drop-in compatible with Gitea, but the project is owned by a non-profit rather than a single company.
Jenkins
MIT- What it is
- Jenkins is the long-standing open-source automation and CI server.
- What it does
- Builds, tests and deploys through pipelines, with thousands of plugins.
- What people use it for
- Build automation where a huge plugin ecosystem matters.
- Why it stands out
- The most extensible CI server there is — if a tool exists, Jenkins probably has a plugin for it.
Drone CI
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Drone CI is a container-native continuous-integration system.
- What it does
- Runs pipelines defined in your repo, executing each step in a container.
- What people use it for
- CI/CD for teams that want pipeline-as-code without a heavy runner.
- Why it stands out
- Pipelines live in your repo and run in containers — simple and fast (now part of the Harness/Gitness lineage).
Woodpecker CI
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Woodpecker CI is a lightweight, container-based CI/CD engine.
- What it does
- Runs pipelines defined in your repo, tightly integrated with Gitea/Forgejo.
- What people use it for
- CI/CD for a self-hosted Gitea/Forgejo setup.
- Why it stands out
- Simple and Docker-native — the natural CI for a self-hosted Git server.
Renovate
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Renovate is an automated dependency-update bot.
- What it does
- Opens pull requests to keep dependencies current, with configurable schedules and grouping.
- What people use it for
- Keeping projects patched and secure without manual version-chasing.
- Why it stands out
- Turns dependency maintenance into an automatic, reviewable stream of PRs.
code-server
MIT- What it is
- code-server runs VS Code on a server and serves it to your browser.
- What it does
- A full VS Code UI in the browser, with a terminal into the server, extensions and your settings.
- What people use it for
- Coding from any device — a Chromebook, tablet or borrowed machine.
- Why it stands out
- Your real development environment, reachable from any browser, with builds running on the server.
OpenVSCode Server
MIT- What it is
- OpenVSCode Server runs VS Code on a server for browser access.
- What it does
- Packages upstream VS Code to run remotely and be reached over the web.
- What people use it for
- Remote development in a browser.
- Why it stands out
- The same upstream VS Code as code-server, packaged by Gitpod.
SonarQube
LGPL-3.0 (Community)- What it is
- SonarQube is a self-hosted code-quality and security analysis platform.
- What it does
- Static analysis for bugs, code smells, duplication and security issues across many languages.
- What people use it for
- Catching quality and security problems before they reach production.
- Why it stands out
- Continuous code-quality gates that enforce standards automatically across a codebase.
Harbor
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Harbor is an open-source container registry.
- What it does
- Stores and scans container images with RBAC, replication and vulnerability scanning.
- What people use it for
- Private Docker/OCI image hosting with security scanning.
- Why it stands out
- An enterprise-grade registry with built-in scanning — a private Docker Hub you control.
Zot
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Zot is a minimal, OCI-native container registry.
- What it does
- Stores and serves container images with a small footprint and image scanning.
- What people use it for
- A lightweight private container registry.
- Why it stands out
- A tiny, standards-first registry when Harbor is more than you need.
Verdaccio
MIT- What it is
- Verdaccio is a lightweight private npm registry.
- What it does
- Proxies and caches npm packages and hosts private ones locally.
- What people use it for
- Private npm packages and offline/cached installs.
- Why it stands out
- A zero-config private npm registry that speeds up installs and hosts your own packages.
Nexus Repository
EPL-1.0 (OSS)- What it is
- Nexus Repository is a universal artifact repository manager.
- What it does
- Hosts and proxies packages for many formats (Maven, npm, Docker, PyPI and more).
- What people use it for
- Central artifact storage for a software team.
- Why it stands out
- One repository server for every package format a team uses.
Security, identity & access
Password managers, single sign-on, VPNs and defence — the tools that keep systems and people safe and authenticated.
Vaultwarden
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Vaultwarden is a lightweight, self-hosted server compatible with the Bitwarden apps.
- What it does
- Stores encrypted logins, notes, cards and identities, syncs via the official Bitwarden clients, and supports TOTP and passkeys.
- What people use it for
- A password manager you control, using the polished Bitwarden apps.
- Why it stands out
- Runs in a few hundred MB of RAM and includes organisation/sharing features — your vault on your hardware.
Bitwarden (self-hosted)
AGPL-3.0 / SDK- What it is
- Bitwarden (self-hosted) is the official open-source server for the Bitwarden password manager.
- What it does
- The full Bitwarden experience — vaults, organisations, send — hosted by you.
- What people use it for
- Teams that want Bitwarden's official stack on their own infrastructure.
- Why it stands out
- The vendor's own server, if you prefer official code over a lighter reimplementation.
Passbolt
AGPL-3.0 (CE)- What it is
- Passbolt is a self-hosted password manager built for teams and sharing.
- What it does
- End-to-end-encrypted credential sharing, browser extension, groups and audit.
- What people use it for
- Teams that need to share secrets with controlled access.
- Why it stands out
- Designed around team collaboration and audits rather than single-user vaults.
Authelia
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Authelia is an open-source authentication and authorisation gateway.
- What it does
- Single sign-on, two-factor authentication and access control in front of your self-hosted apps.
- What people use it for
- Putting one login and 2FA in front of many internal services.
- Why it stands out
- Adds SSO and 2FA to apps that do not have them — a gatekeeper for your whole self-hosted stack.
Authentik
MIT / Enterprise- What it is
- Authentik is a flexible open-source identity provider.
- What it does
- SSO, LDAP, SAML, OAuth/OIDC, MFA, and self-service flows with a visual policy engine.
- What people use it for
- Central identity for a homelab or a company's self-hosted apps.
- Why it stands out
- A full identity provider with a visual flow editor — enterprise-grade SSO you host yourself.
Keycloak
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Keycloak is Red Hat's open-source identity and access management server.
- What it does
- SSO, OIDC/SAML, user federation, fine-grained authorisation and admin console.
- What people use it for
- Enterprise identity where standards compliance matters.
- Why it stands out
- The battle-tested standard for open-source IAM — deep protocol support and a huge track record.
wg-easy
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- wg-easy is a simple web UI for WireGuard.
- What it does
- Generates configs and QR codes and manages peers through a browser.
- What people use it for
- Running a personal VPN without editing config files by hand.
- Why it stands out
- Turns WireGuard setup into a few clicks, including phone QR codes.
Headscale
BSD-3-Clause- What it is
- Headscale is a self-hosted implementation of the Tailscale control server.
- What it does
- Coordinates WireGuard mesh nodes with your own coordination server.
- What people use it for
- Getting Tailscale-style mesh networking without using Tailscale's servers.
- Why it stands out
- The convenience of Tailscale, entirely under your control.
NetBird
BSD-3-Clause- What it is
- NetBird is an open-source WireGuard-based mesh VPN.
- What it does
- Creates a secure peer-to-peer network with SSO and access control.
- What people use it for
- Zero-trust networking between servers and devices.
- Why it stands out
- A self-hostable zero-trust overlay with SSO and fine-grained policies.
Tailscale
BSD-3-Clause- What it is
- Tailscale is a mesh VPN built on WireGuard (managed control plane).
- What it does
- Connects your devices and servers into a private network with almost no setup.
- What people use it for
- Effortless device-to-device networking.
- Why it stands out
- Exceptional ease of use (its control plane is proprietary; Headscale is the self-hosted alternative).
CrowdSec
MIT- What it is
- CrowdSec is a collaborative, open-source intrusion-prevention engine.
- What it does
- Analyses logs, detects attacks and blocks offenders, sharing anonymised signals with the community.
- What people use it for
- Defending servers with crowd-sourced threat intelligence.
- Why it stands out
- Every deployment makes the whole network smarter — community-powered protection.
Wazuh
GPL-2.0- What it is
- Wazuh is an open-source security platform for threat detection and compliance.
- What it does
- Host intrusion detection, file integrity monitoring, vulnerability detection and compliance reporting.
- What people use it for
- Monitoring a fleet for security events and meeting compliance requirements.
- Why it stands out
- Enterprise-grade SIEM and HIDS capabilities for free, at the cost of running the stack.
Greenbone / OpenVAS
GPL-2.0- What it is
- Greenbone/OpenVAS is an open-source vulnerability scanner.
- What it does
- Scans networks and hosts for known vulnerabilities with a large feed of tests.
- What people use it for
- Regular vulnerability assessment of your infrastructure.
- Why it stands out
- Enterprise-style vulnerability scanning, open source.
PrivateBin
Zlib- What it is
- PrivateBin is a minimalist, self-hosted pastebin with client-side encryption.
- What it does
- Shares text with optional expiry and password, encrypted in the browser.
- What people use it for
- Sharing secrets, logs and snippets without exposing them to the server.
- Why it stands out
- The server cannot read what you paste — zero-knowledge pastes.
step-ca
Apache-2.0- What it is
- step-ca is a private, self-hosted certificate authority.
- What it does
- Issues and renews certificates for internal services, with ACME support.
- What people use it for
- TLS for internal services without a public CA.
- Why it stands out
- Your own CA for internal TLS — automate certs for everything you run.
Gophish
MIT- What it is
- Gophish is an open-source phishing-simulation framework.
- What it does
- Runs authorised phishing-awareness campaigns and reports results.
- What people use it for
- Security training and testing your organisation's resilience.
- Why it stands out
- A professional phishing-simulation tool for internal security testing.
RustDesk
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- RustDesk is an open-source remote-desktop tool.
- What it does
- Remote control of desktops with its own relay servers you can self-host.
- What people use it for
- Remote support and access without a third-party service.
- Why it stands out
- TeamViewer-style remote access that can run entirely on your own relay.
Apache Guacamole
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Apache Guacamole is a clientless remote-desktop gateway.
- What it does
- Provides RDP, VNC and SSH access through a web browser, with no client to install.
- What people use it for
- A single web gateway to many remote machines.
- Why it stands out
- Reach any machine from any browser — no software on the client.
MeshCentral
Apache-2.0- What it is
- MeshCentral is a self-hosted remote-management platform.
- What it does
- Remote desktop, terminal, file transfer and device management for a fleet.
- What people use it for
- Managing many machines from one place.
- Why it stands out
- An all-in-one remote-management suite you host yourself.
Networking, DNS & router
Reverse proxies, DNS servers, network-wide ad blocking and router firmware — the plumbing of a network you control.
Blocky
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Blocky is a fast, DNS-based ad blocker and resolver.
- What it does
- Blocks ads via DNS with DoH/DoT, lists, caching and a Prometheus endpoint.
- What people use it for
- Network-wide ad blocking with a lightweight, Go binary.
- Why it stands out
- Fast and modern, with clean config and monitoring built in.
Technitium DNS
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Technitium DNS Server is a self-hosted DNS server with a web UI.
- What it does
- Authoritative and recursive serving, ad blocking, DNSSEC and DoH/DoT.
- What people use it for
- Running your own resolver with blocking and a friendly interface.
- Why it stands out
- A full-featured DNS server with a nice web console and ad blocking.
AdGuard Home
GPL-3.0- What it is
- AdGuard Home is a network-wide DNS ad blocker with a modern UI.
- What it does
- Filters ads and trackers via DNS, with DoH/DoT, encrypted upstreams and per-client settings.
- What people use it for
- Network-wide ad blocking with more features and a nicer UI than basic blockers.
- Why it stands out
- An all-in-one DNS blocker with encryption, per-device rules and a polished interface.
Pi-hole
EUPL-1.2- What it is
- Pi-hole is a network-wide ad and tracker blocker.
- What it does
- Acts as your DNS server and blocks ad/tracker domains for every device on the network.
- What people use it for
- Blocking ads and trackers on all devices, including phones and TVs, with no per-device setup.
- Why it stands out
- One tiny server cleans up ads and tracking for the entire home or office network.
OpenWrt
GPL-2.0- What it is
- OpenWrt is a Linux distribution for routers and embedded devices.
- What it does
- Replaces vendor firmware with a fully-featured, package-managed router OS.
- What people use it for
- Advanced routing, VPN gateways and getting more from router hardware.
- Why it stands out
- Turns consumer routers into powerful, updatable, secure network devices.
UniFi Network Server
proprietary- What it is
- UniFi Network Server is the controller software for Ubiquiti networking gear.
- What it does
- Manages UniFi access points, switches and gateways, with captive portals and insights.
- What people use it for
- Managing a UniFi network, often self-hosted instead of on a cloud key.
- Why it stands out
- Self-hosting the controller removes the cloud dependency for a UniFi network.
Automation & monitoring
Do things reliably and know the moment something breaks — workflow automation, uptime checks and metrics.
n8n
Sustainable Use License- What it is
- n8n is a self-hosted visual workflow-automation tool — "Zapier, but yours".
- What it does
- Connects hundreds of services with drag-and-drop nodes, triggers, and custom JavaScript/Python.
- What people use it for
- Automating internal workflows without per-task pricing.
- Why it stands out
- Unlimited executions on your own server, with a Code node for anything the built-ins miss.
Node-RED
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Node-RED is a flow-based programming tool for wiring devices and APIs.
- What it does
- Connects hardware, APIs and services with a visual node editor.
- What people use it for
- IoT and home-automation flows, and gluing services together.
- Why it stands out
- The go-to visual tool for IoT and event-driven automation.
Windmill
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Windmill is a developer platform for turning scripts into workflows and UIs.
- What it does
- Runs scripts (Python/TS/Go/bash) as workflows, schedules and internal apps.
- What people use it for
- Building internal tools and background jobs from scripts.
- Why it stands out
- Turns scripts into production workflows and auto-generated UIs.
Apache Airflow
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Apache Airflow is the leading workflow orchestration platform.
- What it does
- Schedules and monitors data pipelines and batch jobs defined in Python.
- What people use it for
- Complex, scheduled data pipelines.
- Why it stands out
- The standard for programmatic, observable data workflows.
Huginn
MIT- What it is
- Huginn is a self-hosted system for building agents that monitor and act.
- What it does
- Watches sources and triggers actions in response, like a personal automation network.
- What people use it for
- Custom watchers, notifications and integrations between services.
- Why it stands out
- A programmable "agents that act for you" system — powerful and private.
Rundeck
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Rundeck is a runbook-automation and job-scheduling platform.
- What it does
- Runs operational jobs across servers with access control and audit.
- What people use it for
- Scheduled operations and self-service runbooks for teams.
- Why it stands out
- Gives operators a controlled, auditable way to run jobs on many hosts.
AWX
Apache-2.0- What it is
- AWX is the upstream, open-source web UI and API for Ansible.
- What it does
- Provides a web interface, RBAC and scheduling for Ansible playbooks.
- What people use it for
- Running and governing Ansible automation from a UI.
- Why it stands out
- The free, upstream project behind Red Hat's Ansible Automation Platform.
Ansible
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Ansible is the leading agentless configuration-management tool.
- What it does
- Describes server state in YAML playbooks and applies it over SSH, with no agent to install.
- What people use it for
- Configuring and updating many servers consistently.
- Why it stands out
- No agents, just SSH and YAML — the gentlest on-ramp to infrastructure automation.
Semaphore
MIT- What it is
- Semaphore is a clean web UI for Ansible.
- What it does
- Manages inventories, playbooks and schedules with a modern interface.
- What people use it for
- Ansible automation from a simple, friendly UI.
- Why it stands out
- The easiest way to give a team a friendly front end to Ansible.
Terraform
BUSL-1.1- What it is
- Terraform is the dominant infrastructure-as-code tool.
- What it does
- Declares cloud and on-prem resources in code and reconciles them via providers.
- What people use it for
- Provisioning and changing infrastructure reproducibly.
- Why it stands out
- Infrastructure as versioned code — reviewable, repeatable and portable across providers.
OpenTofu
MPL-2.0- What it is
- OpenTofu is the open-source fork of Terraform.
- What it does
- Declares and provisions infrastructure as code, under community governance.
- What people use it for
- Infrastructure as code where an OSI-licensed tool is required.
- Why it stands out
- Terraform-compatible but genuinely open source, under the Linux Foundation.
Uptime Kuma
MIT- What it is
- Uptime Kuma is a self-hosted uptime monitor with a public status page.
- What it does
- Checks HTTP, TCP, ping, DNS and more, alerts through many channels, and serves a status page.
- What people use it for
- Knowing when your sites and services go down, before customers tell you.
- Why it stands out
- Famously easy to run and beautifully simple — the default self-hosted uptime monitor.
Gatus
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Gatus is a lightweight, self-hosted health-dashboard and monitor.
- What it does
- Runs service checks and shows a status dashboard, with alerting.
- What people use it for
- Simple, declarative uptime and health monitoring.
- Why it stands out
- Config-as-code health checks with a clean dashboard.
Zabbix
GPL-2.0- What it is
- Zabbix is an enterprise-grade open-source monitoring platform.
- What it does
- Agent and agentless monitoring of servers, networks and apps, with alerting and dashboards.
- What people use it for
- Monitoring mixed IT estates including network gear.
- Why it stands out
- A mature, all-in-one monitoring suite that handles everything from hosts to switches.
Netdata
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Netdata is real-time, per-second monitoring with beautiful live dashboards.
- What it does
- Collects thousands of metrics per second and visualises them instantly, with anomaly alerts.
- What people use it for
- Instant, high-resolution insight into a server's health.
- Why it stands out
- Per-second resolution out of the box — you see problems the second they start.
LibreNMS
GPL-3.0- What it is
- LibreNMS is an auto-discovering network-monitoring system.
- What it does
- Discovers and monitors network devices and servers with alerting and graphs.
- What people use it for
- Monitoring a network of switches, routers and hosts.
- Why it stands out
- Strong SNMP and network-device support out of the box.
Checkmk
GPL-2.0 (Raw)- What it is
- Checkmk is a modern IT-monitoring platform.
- What it does
- Monitors servers, networks, apps and cloud with auto-discovery and dashboards.
- What people use it for
- Enterprise monitoring where breadth and rules matter.
- Why it stands out
- A polished, comprehensive monitoring suite with a strong free edition.
Watchtower
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Watchtower automatically updates running containers.
- What it does
- Watches for new image versions and restarts containers on the updated image.
- What people use it for
- Keeping self-hosted containers current automatically.
- Why it stands out
- Set it and forget it — your containers stay patched without manual pulls.
Databases & data
Where your data lives — relational, document, time-series and analytics databases, and the storage underneath them.
SQLite
Public Domain- What it is
- SQLite is a self-contained, serverless SQL database engine.
- What it does
- Stores an entire database in a single file with full SQL support.
- What people use it for
- Embedded databases in apps and small sites.
- Why it stands out
- Zero administration — the most deployed database in the world, in a single file.
Apache CouchDB
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Apache CouchDB is a document database with built-in sync.
- What it does
- Stores JSON documents with an HTTP API and multi-master replication.
- What people use it for
- Offline-first apps and sync back ends (including Obsidian LiveSync).
- Why it stands out
- Replication is the core feature, making it ideal for syncing across devices.
MongoDB
SSPL-1.0- What it is
- MongoDB is the leading document database.
- What it does
- Stores flexible JSON-like documents with rich queries and horizontal scaling.
- What people use it for
- Apps with evolving or document-shaped data.
- Why it stands out
- Flexible schema design and a huge developer ecosystem (note the SSPL licence).
InfluxDB
MIT (1.x) / Apache-2.0 (3.x)- What it is
- InfluxDB is a purpose-built time-series database.
- What it does
- Stores and queries metrics and events with retention policies and downsampling.
- What people use it for
- Metrics, IoT data and monitoring time series.
- Why it stands out
- Built for time series, so metrics queries and retention are first-class.
ClickHouse
Apache-2.0- What it is
- ClickHouse is a blazing-fast columnar database for analytics.
- What it does
- Ingests and queries billions of rows with sub-second aggregation.
- What people use it for
- Analytics, logs and real-time dashboards over huge datasets.
- Why it stands out
- Extreme analytical speed at scale — orders of magnitude faster than row databases for aggregation.
MinIO
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- MinIO is a high-performance, S3-compatible object storage server.
- What it does
- Speaks the Amazon S3 API, with buckets, versioning, policies and erasure coding.
- What people use it for
- Backup targets, media storage and app uploads you control.
- Why it stands out
- The most S3-compatible server available — every S3 tool just works against it.
Garage
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Garage is a lightweight, geo-distributed S3-compatible object store.
- What it does
- Provides S3 buckets and objects with replication across many small nodes.
- What people use it for
- Spreading object storage across several cheap machines.
- Why it stands out
- Built for clusters of small machines in different places — resilience without a data centre.
SeaweedFS
Apache-2.0- What it is
- SeaweedFS is a fast, distributed object-store and file system.
- What it does
- Stores objects and files across many nodes with S3 compatibility.
- What people use it for
- Scalable object storage and file serving.
- Why it stands out
- Handles very large numbers of small files efficiently, with an S3 API.
Ceph
LGPL-2.1- What it is
- Ceph is a unified, distributed storage system.
- What it does
- Provides object, block and file storage across a cluster with self-healing.
- What people use it for
- Large-scale, highly-available storage clusters.
- Why it stands out
- One system for object, block and file at serious scale — the backbone of many clouds.
NocoDB
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- NocoDB turns any database into a smart spreadsheet interface.
- What it does
- Provides an Airtable-style UI over PostgreSQL, MySQL and more, with APIs.
- What people use it for
- Giving a team a spreadsheet view of data in a real database.
- Why it stands out
- Airtable-like editing without moving your data out of your own database.
Baserow
MIT / Premium- What it is
- Baserow is an open-source, Airtable-alternative database tool.
- What it does
- Spreadsheet-style tables, views, forms and an API, self-hosted.
- What people use it for
- No-code data management and lightweight internal apps.
- Why it stands out
- A true Airtable alternative you host, with no per-seat billing.
Teable
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Teable is a no-code database built on PostgreSQL.
- What it does
- Provides a spreadsheet-style interface over real Postgres tables with an API.
- What people use it for
- Team data apps on top of a real database.
- Why it stands out
- Real Postgres underneath — no vendor data store to escape later.
Grist
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Grist is a modern relational spreadsheet.
- What it does
- Combines spreadsheet UI with a real database, formulas and Python data access.
- What people use it for
- Structured data, budgets and lightweight apps.
- Why it stands out
- A spreadsheet that is actually a database — powerful and yours to host.
Email & marketing
Mail servers, newsletters and marketing automation — sending and receiving on your own terms.
mailcow
GPL-3.0- What it is
- mailcow is a full self-hosted email server suite.
- What it does
- SMTP, IMAP, webmail, spam filtering and DKIM in a packaged Docker stack.
- What people use it for
- Hosting your own mailboxes and domains with anti-spam.
- Why it stands out
- Bundles the whole mail stack with a modern admin UI — comprehensive self-hosted mail.
Mail-in-a-Box
CC0-1.0- What it is
- Mail-in-a-Box sets up a complete, secure mail server in one command.
- What it does
- Configures mail, DNS, DKIM, spam filtering and backups automatically.
- What people use it for
- Getting a properly-configured mail server without becoming a mail expert.
- Why it stands out
- Opinionated and automated — the easiest route to a correct mail setup.
listmonk
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- listmonk is a self-hosted newsletter and mailing-list manager.
- What it does
- Manages subscribers, sends campaigns and handles bounces through your own SMTP.
- What people use it for
- Running a newsletter without per-subscriber pricing.
- Why it stands out
- A flat server cost whether you have 100 or 100,000 subscribers.
Mautic
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Mautic is an open-source marketing-automation platform.
- What it does
- Email campaigns, landing pages, lead scoring and CRM-style marketing workflows.
- What people use it for
- Marketing automation on your own infrastructure.
- Why it stands out
- Marketing-automation depth without sending your contact data to a vendor.
Mailpit
MIT- What it is
- Mailpit is a self-hosted email testing tool.
- What it does
- Catches outgoing mail in development and provides a web UI to inspect it.
- What people use it for
- Testing application email without sending it for real.
- Why it stands out
- See exactly what your app sends during development, safely.
OpenDKIM
BSD-3-Clause- What it is
- OpenDKIM is a DKIM signing and verifying milter.
- What it does
- Signs outgoing mail with DKIM and verifies incoming signatures.
- What people use it for
- Adding DKIM to a self-hosted mail server.
- Why it stands out
- The standard tool for getting DKIM right on your own mail server.
Rspamd
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Rspamd is a fast, modern spam-filtering system.
- What it does
- Scores and filters mail with rules, statistics and machine learning.
- What people use it for
- Protecting a mail server from spam.
- Why it stands out
- Fast and highly configurable, with statistical filtering that learns.
SpamAssassin
Apache-2.0- What it is
- SpamAssassin is a long-established spam filter.
- What it does
- Scores and tags mail using rules, heuristics and learning.
- What people use it for
- Filtering spam on a mail server.
- Why it stands out
- A battle-tested filter with a huge rule set.
Business, analytics & productivity
Running the business on software you own — shops, billing, help desks, analytics, forms and design.
WooCommerce
GPL-3.0- What it is
- WooCommerce turns WordPress into a full online store.
- What it does
- Products, cart, checkout, payments, shipping, taxes and inventory.
- What people use it for
- Selling online on top of a WordPress site.
- Why it stands out
- The most-used e-commerce platform — huge flexibility and no platform lock-in.
PrestaShop
OSL-3.0- What it is
- PrestaShop is a long-established open-source e-commerce platform.
- What it does
- Products, checkout, payments, shipping and a large module marketplace.
- What people use it for
- Running an online shop on a dedicated commerce platform.
- Why it stands out
- A complete, feature-rich store engine with a mature ecosystem.
Medusa
MIT- What it is
- Medusa is a modern, composable open-source commerce platform.
- What it does
- Headless commerce APIs with modular cart, order and payment logic.
- What people use it for
- Developers building custom storefronts.
- Why it stands out
- Headless and developer-first — flexibility no plug-in theme can match.
Saleor
BSD-3-Clause- What it is
- Saleor is a modern, GraphQL-first open-source commerce platform.
- What it does
- Provides headless commerce APIs for products, carts, checkout and orders.
- What people use it for
- Building custom storefronts on a headless commerce engine.
- Why it stands out
- A GraphQL-native commerce core — modern and API-first.
Invoice Ninja
Elastic License- What it is
- Invoice Ninja is a self-hosted invoicing and billing platform.
- What it does
- Invoices, quotes, payments, recurring billing, expenses and a client portal.
- What people use it for
- Freelancers and small businesses running billing and collections.
- Why it stands out
- A complete billing system you own, instead of a monthly subscription per client.
Firefly III
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Firefly III is a self-hosted personal-finance manager.
- What it does
- Tracks accounts, budgets, transactions and reports, importing from bank exports.
- What people use it for
- Taking control of personal or household finances privately.
- Why it stands out
- Full personal-finance tracking where your financial data never leaves your server.
pretix
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- pretix is a self-hosted event-ticketing platform.
- What it does
- Sells tickets, manages attendees, check-in and payment.
- What people use it for
- Selling tickets for events without a per-ticket platform cut.
- Why it stands out
- Event ticketing you own — no per-ticket fees eating your margin.
Zammad
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Zammad is a modern, open-source help-desk and ticketing system.
- What it does
- Email, chat, telephony and social channels in one queue, with a knowledge base and SLAs.
- What people use it for
- Support teams that need organised, multichannel ticketing.
- Why it stands out
- A polished, all-in-one support platform — customer conversations stay on your infrastructure.
FreeScout
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- FreeScout is a lightweight, self-hosted shared-inbox and help desk.
- What it does
- Shared mailboxes, conversations, assignments and a knowledge base.
- What people use it for
- Teams answering shared support emails.
- Why it stands out
- Help Scout-style shared inboxes with no per-seat fee.
osTicket
GPL-2.0- What it is
- osTicket is a simple, proven open-source ticketing system.
- What it does
- Turns support email into tickets with queues, agents and a customer portal.
- What people use it for
- Straightforward email-based support desks.
- Why it stands out
- Light, reliable and battle-tested — email ticketing without a heavy stack.
Moodle
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Moodle is the world's most-used open-source learning management system.
- What it does
- Courses, quizzes, assignments, grading and progress tracking, with thousands of plugins.
- What people use it for
- Schools, universities and companies delivering online learning.
- Why it stands out
- The open standard for e-learning — no per-student fees and your students' data stays yours.
Canvas LMS
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Canvas LMS is an open-source learning management system.
- What it does
- Courses, assignments, quizzes, gradebook and integrations for education.
- What people use it for
- Schools and institutions delivering online courses.
- Why it stands out
- A full-featured, widely-adopted LMS for real institutions.
Chamilo
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Chamilo is an open-source e-learning and collaboration platform.
- What it does
- Courses, assessments, learning paths and communication tools.
- What people use it for
- Training and education, especially in cost-sensitive settings.
- Why it stands out
- Focuses on accessibility and ease of use for learners and teachers.
Plausible Analytics
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Plausible is a lightweight, privacy-first web analytics platform.
- What it does
- Tracks traffic and goals with a simple dashboard, without cookies or personal data.
- What people use it for
- GDPR-friendly analytics on your own site.
- Why it stands out
- Clean, cookie-free analytics in a single small app — no consent banner required.
Umami
MIT- What it is
- Umami is a simple, fast, self-hosted analytics tool.
- What it does
- Tracks page views, referrers and events with a minimal footprint.
- What people use it for
- Basic, no-nonsense traffic analytics.
- Why it stands out
- Delightfully simple and light — everything many sites actually need and nothing more.
Matomo
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Matomo is a full-featured, privacy-focused analytics platform.
- What it does
- Tracks visitors, campaigns, e-commerce and goals with complete data ownership.
- What people use it for
- Replacing Google Analytics with an on-premises, compliant alternative.
- Why it stands out
- Google-Analytics-depth reporting that you host — no data leaves your servers.
GoatCounter
EUPL-1.2- What it is
- GoatCounter is a tiny, privacy-friendly web-analytics tool.
- What it does
- Counts page views and referrers without cookies or personal data.
- What people use it for
- Minimal, ethical analytics for a site or blog.
- Why it stands out
- A single small binary that gives you the numbers without the tracking.
Metabase
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Metabase is a self-hosted business-intelligence and dashboard tool.
- What it does
- Lets anyone query databases and build charts and dashboards without SQL.
- What people use it for
- Turning your data into self-service dashboards.
- Why it stands out
- Point-and-click BI that non-technical teammates can actually use.
Apache Superset
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Apache Superset is an enterprise-grade BI and data-exploration platform.
- What it does
- SQL-based dashboards and charts over many databases, with rich visualisation.
- What people use it for
- Serious business intelligence and self-service analytics.
- Why it stands out
- A powerful, free BI platform that rivals commercial tools.
Redash
BSD-2-Clause- What it is
- Redash is a self-hosted SQL analytics and dashboard tool.
- What it does
- Connects to databases, runs queries and builds dashboards and alerts.
- What people use it for
- Querying and visualising data across multiple sources.
- Why it stands out
- A clean, query-first analytics tool that works across many databases.
LimeSurvey
GPL-2.0- What it is
- LimeSurvey is a mature open-source survey platform.
- What it does
- Builds and runs surveys and questionnaires with advanced logic and reporting.
- What people use it for
- Surveys and forms at any scale.
- Why it stands out
- Deep survey features free of per-response pricing.
Formbricks
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Formbricks is an open-source survey and experience-management tool.
- What it does
- In-app and web surveys with targeting, logic and analysis.
- What people use it for
- Collecting product and customer feedback in your own app.
- Why it stands out
- Modern in-product surveys you host — no per-response fees.
Appsmith
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Appsmith is an open-source low-code internal-tools builder.
- What it does
- Build admin panels and dashboards by dragging widgets over your data sources.
- What people use it for
- Internal tools and admin UIs without writing a frontend.
- Why it stands out
- Fast internal-tool building that connects to your real databases and APIs.
ToolJet
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- ToolJet is an open-source low-code platform for internal tools.
- What it does
- Builds apps with a visual editor over databases, APIs and services.
- What people use it for
- Internal dashboards, CRMs and admin tools.
- Why it stands out
- A capable Retool alternative you host, with no per-user fees.
Budibase
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Budibase is an open-source low-code app builder.
- What it does
- Creates internal apps, forms and workflows with automation.
- What people use it for
- Business apps and internal tooling built quickly.
- Why it stands out
- Low-code app building with automation, self-hosted and open source.
Penpot
MPL-2.0- What it is
- Penpot is an open-source design and prototyping platform.
- What it does
- Interface design, prototyping and design systems, browser-based and collaborative.
- What people use it for
- UI/UX design without a Figma subscription.
- Why it stands out
- The credible open-source Figma alternative — collaborative, web-based and yours.
Excalidraw
MIT- What it is
- Excalidraw is a virtual whiteboard for hand-drawn-style diagrams.
- What it does
- Sketching, shapes, collaborative drawing and library sharing.
- What people use it for
- Quick architecture sketches and collaborative whiteboarding.
- Why it stands out
- Charming, fast and collaborative — sketch diagrams in seconds.
draw.io
Apache-2.0- What it is
- draw.io (diagrams.net) is a free, open-source diagramming tool.
- What it does
- Creates flowcharts, architecture diagrams, UML and more, in the browser.
- What people use it for
- Diagrams and architecture drawings.
- Why it stands out
- A full diagramming tool you can self-host, with no account.
DocuSeal
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- DocuSeal is an open-source document-signing platform.
- What it does
- Creates fillable forms and collects legally-binding e-signatures.
- What people use it for
- Getting documents signed without a paid signing service.
- Why it stands out
- E-signatures you host — no per-envelope pricing.
Documenso
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Documenso is an open-source DocuSign alternative.
- What it does
- Sends documents for e-signature with templates and audit trails.
- What people use it for
- Signing workflows where you want control of the documents.
- Why it stands out
- A modern, self-hosted signing platform with a clean UI.
AI, home & everything else
Local AI models, smart-home control, media production and the smaller apps that make self-hosting worthwhile.
Ollama
MIT- What it is
- Ollama runs large language models locally with a single command.
- What it does
- Downloads and serves open models (Llama, Mistral, Gemma and more) over a simple API.
- What people use it for
- Running AI models privately, without sending data to a cloud provider.
- Why it stands out
- The easiest way to run open LLMs yourself — private inference on your own hardware.
Open WebUI
BSD-3-Clause- What it is
- Open WebUI is a self-hosted, ChatGPT-style interface for local models.
- What it does
- A polished chat UI that connects to Ollama and OpenAI-compatible endpoints.
- What people use it for
- Giving a team a private Chat AI over their own models.
- Why it stands out
- A familiar chat experience over your own models and data — no third-party account.
LibreChat
MIT- What it is
- LibreChat is an open-source, multi-model AI chat platform.
- What it does
- Chats across providers and local models, with agents, plugins and multi-user support.
- What people use it for
- A self-hosted AI assistant gateway for a team.
- Why it stands out
- One interface for many models, self-hosted — flexibility without vendor lock-in.
vLLM
Apache-2.0- What it is
- vLLM is a high-throughput engine for serving large language models.
- What it does
- Serves LLMs with paged attention and batching for fast inference.
- What people use it for
- Serving open models efficiently on your own GPUs.
- Why it stands out
- The fastest mainstream engine for serving LLMs at scale.
Home Assistant
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Home Assistant is the leading open-source smart-home platform.
- What it does
- Integrates thousands of device types and runs local automations and dashboards.
- What people use it for
- Controlling smart home devices locally, without a vendor cloud.
- Why it stands out
- Your home keeps working when the vendor's cloud does not — and the integration breadth is unmatched.
ESPHome
GPL-3.0- What it is
- ESPHome turns ESP microcontrollers into smart-home devices via YAML.
- What it does
- Flashes custom firmware that exposes sensors and actuators to Home Assistant.
- What people use it for
- DIY smart sensors and devices.
- Why it stands out
- Write YAML, get a device — no coding and no cloud.
Eclipse Mosquitto
EPL-2.0- What it is
- Eclipse Mosquitto is a lightweight MQTT broker.
- What it does
- Implements the MQTT protocol for messaging between IoT devices and apps.
- What people use it for
- IoT messaging, especially with Home Assistant.
- Why it stands out
- The standard, tiny MQTT broker for device messaging.
Zigbee2MQTT
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Zigbee2MQTT bridges Zigbee devices to MQTT.
- What it does
- Pairs Zigbee hardware and exposes it to Home Assistant and other MQTT consumers, freeing it from vendor hubs.
- What people use it for
- Using cheap Zigbee devices without the manufacturer's hub.
- Why it stands out
- Removes the vendor hub and everything that depends on it.
AzuraCast
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- AzuraCast is a self-hosted, all-in-one web radio station manager.
- What it does
- Runs Icecast/Shoutcast with AutoDJ, playlists, scheduling and a web UI in one package.
- What people use it for
- Operating a radio station without assembling the components yourself.
- Why it stands out
- The whole radio stack with a friendly control panel — a one-stop self-hosted station.
OBS Studio
GPL-2.0- What it is
- OBS Studio is the leading open-source live-streaming and recording software.
- What it does
- Captures and composites video/audio and streams to any RTMP/HLS destination.
- What people use it for
- Live streaming, recording and screen capture.
- Why it stands out
- Broadcast-grade streaming for free — the tool most streamers actually use.
Grocy
MIT- What it is
- Grocy is a self-hosted household-management tool.
- What it does
- Tracks groceries, stock, chores, tasks, recipes and shopping lists.
- What people use it for
- Managing a household's pantry, chores and shopping.
- Why it stands out
- A surprising amount of household logistics in one small self-hosted app.
Mealie
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Mealie is a self-hosted recipe manager and meal planner.
- What it does
- Stores recipes, generates meal plans and shopping lists, with a nice UI.
- What people use it for
- Organising recipes and planning meals.
- Why it stands out
- A modern recipe manager with meal planning — no cloud account.
Tandoor Recipes
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Tandoor Recipes is a self-hosted recipe manager.
- What it does
- Stores recipes, plans meals, builds shopping lists and scales ingredients.
- What people use it for
- Managing recipes and meal planning.
- Why it stands out
- Rich recipe management with meal planning and sharing.
Actual Budget
MIT- What it is
- Actual Budget is a fast, self-hosted budgeting app.
- What it does
- Envelope budgeting, account sync and reports, with a local-first design.
- What people use it for
- Personal budgeting with full data ownership.
- Why it stands out
- A polished budgeting app you host — privacy without giving up usability.
Duplicati
LGPL-2.1- What it is
- Duplicati is a free, open-source backup client.
- What it does
- Encrypted, incremental backups to cloud storage, SFTP, WebDAV and more.
- What people use it for
- Backing up files and databases to remote targets.
- Why it stands out
- Encrypted, versioned backups to almost any destination, with a friendly UI.
Miniflux
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Miniflux is a minimalist, fast self-hosted RSS reader.
- What it does
- Provides a clean read-only-optimised feed reader with APIs.
- What people use it for
- Distraction-free feed reading.
- Why it stands out
- Deliberately minimal and extremely fast — reading without clutter.
FreshRSS
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- FreshRSS is a self-hosted RSS/Atom feed aggregator.
- What it does
- Collects feeds into a fast multi-user reader with apps and APIs.
- What people use it for
- Following sites and blogs on your own terms.
- Why it stands out
- A fast, full-featured feed reader that no algorithm curates for you.
Tiny Tiny RSS
GPL-3.0- What it is
- Tiny Tiny RSS is a self-hosted feed reader.
- What it does
- Aggregates RSS/Atom feeds with filtering, plugins and mobile apps.
- What people use it for
- Following news and blogs on your own server.
- Why it stands out
- Extremely capable and long-lived, with deep filtering and plugin support.
linkding
MIT- What it is
- linkding is a self-hosted bookmark manager.
- What it does
- Saves and tags bookmarks with search and a browser extension.
- What people use it for
- A private, searchable bookmark collection.
- Why it stands out
- Simple, fast bookmarks you own — no social sharing or tracking.
Shiori
MIT- What it is
- Shiori is a simple, self-hosted bookmark manager.
- What it does
- Stores bookmarks with an offline archive and a clean CLI/web interface.
- What people use it for
- Saving bookmarks and pages for later.
- Why it stands out
- A lightweight bookmark tool with an offline copy of saved pages.
YOURLS
MIT- What it is
- YOURLS is a self-hosted URL shortener.
- What it does
- Creates short links with stats, plugins and an API.
- What people use it for
- Branded short links you control.
- Why it stands out
- Your own short domain with data you keep — no third-party shortener.
Shlink
MIT- What it is
- Shlink is a modern, self-hosted URL shortener.
- What it does
- Shortens links with custom slugs, tracking and a REST API.
- What people use it for
- Short links with analytics on your own domain.
- Why it stands out
- A developer-friendly shortener with a full API and clean web client.
Kutt
MIT- What it is
- Kutt is a modern, self-hosted URL shortener with analytics.
- What it does
- Shortens links with custom domains, statistics and an API.
- What people use it for
- Managing short links with usage stats.
- Why it stands out
- A polished shortener with analytics, all on your own domain.
Gotify
MIT- What it is
- Gotify is a self-hosted push-notification server.
- What it does
- Sends and receives messages/notifications to Android apps and clients.
- What people use it for
- Getting alerts from your scripts and services on your phone.
- Why it stands out
- A simple, private push channel — no dependence on a cloud push service.
ntfy
Apache-2.0- What it is
- ntfy is a self-hosted notification service based on HTTP pub/sub.
- What it does
- Publishes notifications via simple HTTP requests to apps and browsers.
- What people use it for
- Alerts from scripts and monitoring via curl.
- Why it stands out
- Publish a notification with one HTTP call — dead simple and self-hosted.
Apprise
MIT- What it is
- Apprise is a library that sends notifications to almost any service.
- What it does
- One API to send to 100+ notification services (email, chat, push and more).
- What people use it for
- Adding notifications to your own scripts and apps.
- Why it stands out
- One call, every notification service — no per-service integration code.
More projects
Further projects, add-ons and companions we run or document — linked for completeness.
WordPress
GPL-2.0+- What it is
- WordPress is the world's most-used content management system, powering over 40% of all websites.
- What it does
- Publishes posts and pages, manages media, users and comments, and extends through ~60,000 plugins and thousands of themes.
- What people use it for
- Blogs, business sites, news sites, WooCommerce stores, membership sites and headless CMS setups.
- Why it stands out
- Unmatched ecosystem and portability: whatever you need has a plugin, and you can move host anytime because the data is yours.
Ghost
MIT- What it is
- Ghost is a modern publishing platform built for blogs, newsletters and paid memberships.
- What it does
- A distraction-free editor, native memberships and Stripe subscriptions, newsletter sending, and a fast theme system.
- What people use it for
- Writers, newsletters, paid publications and creator sites that want memberships without stitching tools together.
- Why it stands out
- Memberships and newsletters are built in rather than bolted on, so a paid publication runs on one small app.
Joomla
GPL-2.0+- What it is
- Joomla is a mature, flexible open-source CMS used for complex content sites.
- What it does
- Structured content types, multilingual publishing, granular access control and a large extension directory.
- What people use it for
- Community and organisational sites, portals and multilingual content sites.
- Why it stands out
- More built-in structure and ACL than on a base CMS install, tuned for organisations rather than solo bloggers.
Drupal
GPL-2.0+- What it is
- Drupal is an enterprise-grade open-source CMS known for structure and scale.
- What it does
- Custom content modelling, taxonomies, workflows, multilingual publishing and strong security, via thousands of modules.
- What people use it for
- Government, university, enterprise and high-traffic content platforms.
- Why it stands out
- Built for complex, structured, secure content at scale — a favourite where content architecture matters.
BookStack
MIT- What it is
- BookStack is a simple, self-hosted wiki and documentation platform.
- What it does
- Organises content into books, chapters and pages, with WYSIWYG editing, search and permissions.
- What people use it for
- Team wikis, internal documentation, SOPs and knowledge bases.
- Why it stands out
- Closest to "a shelf of books" — easier to navigate than a flat wiki, and pleasant for non-technical authors.
Outline
BSL-1.1- What it is
- Outline is a fast, modern knowledge base and team wiki.
- What it does
- Realtime collaborative documents, nested collections, public sharing, Slack/SSO integration and search.
- What people use it for
- Company knowledge bases and internal docs that should feel like a polished SaaS product.
- Why it stands out
- The most "Notion-like" self-hosted option — slick, fast and collaborative.
Wiki.js
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Wiki.js is a powerful, modern wiki engine.
- What it does
- Multiple editors (markdown, WYSIWYG), granular permissions, many database backends and a clean admin UI.
- What people use it for
- Documentation portals, personal wikis and internal knowledge management.
- Why it stands out
- Flexible and nicely designed, with editor and auth choices most wikis do not offer.
Docmost
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Docmost is an open-source collaborative wiki and documentation platform.
- What it does
- Realtime collaborative pages, spaces, permissions, diagrams and search.
- What people use it for
- Team wikis and documentation that feel like Confluence or Notion.
- Why it stands out
- A modern, collaborative Confluence alternative you host — no per-seat price.
TubeSync
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- TubeSync is a self-hosted YouTube channel and playlist archiver.
- What it does
- Periodically downloads new videos from channels and playlists you follow.
- What people use it for
- Archiving channels and playlists automatically.
- Why it stands out
- Keeps a local archive of channels so you are not dependent on the platform.
MeTube
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- MeTube is a self-hosted web UI for yt-dlp.
- What it does
- Downloads video/audio from many sites through a simple web interface.
- What people use it for
- Grabbing media for offline use via a browser.
- Why it stands out
- A friendly front end to a very powerful downloader.
mStream
GPL-3.0- What it is
- mStream is a lightweight self-hosted music streaming server.
- What it does
- Streams your music collection to a web player and mobile apps.
- What people use it for
- Simple music streaming from your own library.
- Why it stands out
- Tiny and easy — music streaming with almost no setup.
Ampache
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Ampache is a long-standing web-based audio/video streaming server.
- What it does
- Catalogues and streams media with playlists, users and many client APIs.
- What people use it for
- Streaming a large media collection with broad client support.
- Why it stands out
- Veteran and feature-rich, with Subsonic and other APIs for many apps.
beets
MIT- What it is
- beets is a music-library manager and tagger.
- What it does
- Auto-tags and organises your music using MusicBrainz, with a plugin ecosystem.
- What people use it for
- Cleaning up and organising a messy music collection.
- Why it stands out
- The gold standard for automated music tagging and library curation.
slskd
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- slskd is a self-hosted, web-based Soulseek client.
- What it does
- Searches and transfers files on the Soulseek network through a modern web UI.
- What people use it for
- Soulseek access from a headless server.
- Why it stands out
- A clean web front end to Soulseek, ideal for an always-on machine.
ArchiveBox
MIT- What it is
- ArchiveBox is a self-hosted web archiving tool.
- What it does
- Saves URLs as HTML, PDF, screenshots and more, preserving pages over time.
- What people use it for
- Archiving pages and building a personal, permanent web archive.
- Why it stands out
- Preserves what the web looked like — your own Wayback Machine.
LibrePhotos
MIT- What it is
- LibrePhotos is a self-hosted photo-management service.
- What it does
- Indexes photos with face recognition, auto-albums and semantic search.
- What people use it for
- A privacy-focused Google Photos alternative with AI search.
- Why it stands out
- AI photo organisation you host — faces and albums without a cloud account.
Streama
MIT- What it is
- Streama is a self-hosted streaming media server.
- What it does
- Organises and streams video and audio to the browser with a Netflix-style UI.
- What people use it for
- A personal streaming library.
- Why it stands out
- A simple, browser-first media server for your own collection.
The Lounge
MIT- What it is
- The Lounge is a self-hosted, always-on IRC client.
- What it does
- Connects to IRC and stays online in the browser, keeping history.
- What people use it for
- IRC without a desktop client, on any device.
- Why it stands out
- A modern browser IRC client that stays connected for you.
Matterbridge
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Matterbridge bridges multiple chat networks together.
- What it does
- Relays messages between IRC, Slack, Discord, Matrix, Telegram and many more.
- What people use it for
- Connecting separate chat communities into one conversation.
- Why it stands out
- One bridge for dozens of protocols — talk across networks at once.
Stoat (formerly Revolt)
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Stoat (formerly Revolt) is an open-source chat platform.
- What it does
- Servers, channels and direct messages with a modern, Discord-like interface.
- What people use it for
- A Discord-style community chat you can self-host.
- Why it stands out
- The closest open-source match to Discord's experience.
WeeChat
GPL-3.0- What it is
- WeeChat is a fast, extensible terminal chat client.
- What it does
- Connects to IRC and other protocols with scripts and a relay for remote access.
- What people use it for
- Power-user IRC and chat from the terminal.
- Why it stands out
- Blisteringly fast and endlessly scriptable — a favourite of terminal users.
soju
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- soju is a self-hosted IRC bouncer.
- What it does
- Keeps you connected to IRC networks and replays history to your clients.
- What people use it for
- Staying online on IRC with full history across devices.
- Why it stands out
- A modern, lightweight bouncer for serious IRC users.
Continuwuity (Conduit fork)
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Continuwuity (a Conduit fork) is a lightweight Matrix homeserver.
- What it does
- Implements the Matrix protocol in Rust, so it runs in far less memory than Synapse.
- What people use it for
- Running a small Matrix server on modest hardware.
- Why it stands out
- A tiny Matrix homeserver — Matrix on a fraction of Synapse's resources.
act_runner
MIT- What it is
- act_runner is the runner for Gitea Actions.
- What it does
- Executes Gitea Actions workflows (GitHub-Actions-compatible) in containers.
- What people use it for
- Running CI for a self-hosted Gitea instance.
- Why it stands out
- Brings GitHub-Actions-style CI to Gitea with a familiar workflow format.
Gitea Packages
MIT- What it is
- Gitea Packages is the package registry built into Gitea.
- What it does
- Hosts packages (npm, Docker, Maven, and more) alongside your repositories.
- What people use it for
- Storing private packages without a separate registry.
- Why it stands out
- A package registry that ships with your Git server — one less service to run.
Conventional Commits
MIT- What it is
- Conventional Commits is a specification for readable commit messages.
- What it does
- Defines a structured commit format that enables automated changelogs and versioning.
- What people use it for
- Teams that want consistent history and automated releases.
- Why it stands out
- Turns commit history into a machine-readable record for tooling.
OWASP ZAP
Apache-2.0- What it is
- OWASP ZAP is the leading open-source web application security scanner.
- What it does
- Automated and manual scanning for web vulnerabilities, with a proxy for testing.
- What people use it for
- Finding security issues in web apps you are authorised to test.
- Why it stands out
- The standard free web-security scanner, maintained by OWASP.
T-Pot
GPL-3.0- What it is
- T-Pot is a multi-honeypot platform.
- What it does
- Runs many honeypots and visualises attacks against them.
- What people use it for
- Threat intelligence and observing real-world attacks.
- Why it stands out
- Turns a server into a sensor that shows you how attackers actually behave.
ocserv (OpenConnect)
GPL-2.0- What it is
- ocserv is an OpenConnect VPN server.
- What it does
- Provides a VPN compatible with Cisco AnyConnect and the OpenConnect clients.
- What people use it for
- VPN access that works with widely-deployed AnyConnect clients.
- Why it stands out
- AnyConnect-compatible and open source, so standard corporate VPN clients connect to your server.
SoftEther VPN
Apache-2.0- What it is
- SoftEther VPN is a multi-protocol VPN server.
- What it does
- Speaks several VPN protocols (SSL-VPN, L2TP, OpenVPN, SSTP) and traverses NAT well.
- What people use it for
- Flexible remote-access VPNs across restrictive networks.
- Why it stands out
- One server, many VPN protocols — useful where clients are locked down.
Prometheus node_exporter
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Prometheus node_exporter exposes Linux host metrics.
- What it does
- Reports CPU, memory, disk, network and more for Prometheus to scrape.
- What people use it for
- Monitoring every server in a Prometheus setup.
- Why it stands out
- The small agent that makes host metrics visible — essential with Prometheus.
Diun
MIT- What it is
- Diun watches for new container image versions.
- What it does
- Notifies you when a newer image is available for your running containers.
- What people use it for
- Knowing when to update self-hosted containers.
- Why it stands out
- Lets you update deliberately — alerts without auto-changing anything.
KeyDB
BSD-3-Clause- What it is
- KeyDB is a high-performance, multi-threaded fork of Redis.
- What it does
- Offers Redis compatibility plus multi-threading and active replication.
- What people use it for
- Redis workloads that need more throughput per node.
- Why it stands out
- Multi-threaded Redis performance without changing your application.
Klaro (cookie consent)
BSD-3-Clause- What it is
- Klaro is an open-source cookie-consent manager.
- What it does
- Shows a consent banner and blocks non-essential scripts until consent.
- What people use it for
- GDPR-style cookie consent without a paid service.
- Why it stands out
- Handles cookie consent properly and self-hosted — no third-party dependency.
LibreSpeed
LGPL-3.0- What it is
- LibreSpeed is a self-hosted internet speed-test tool.
- What it does
- Measures download, upload, ping and jitter from a web page.
- What people use it for
- Running your own speed tests on your own network.
- Why it stands out
- A private speed test with no ads and no third-party data collection.
OpenSpeedTest
MIT- What it is
- OpenSpeedTest is another self-hosted speed test.
- What it does
- Provides a simple browser-based network speed test you host.
- What people use it for
- Testing connection speeds from your own server.
- Why it stands out
- Lightweight and easy to deploy for quick speed checks.
OpenAI Python SDK
Apache-2.0- What it is
- The OpenAI Python SDK is the official Python client for OpenAI-compatible APIs.
- What it does
- Calls chat, embeddings and other endpoints from Python.
- What people use it for
- Building model-powered features in Python — including against our AI Router by changing the base URL.
- Why it stands out
- The standard Python client; point it at any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, including a self-hosted one.
OpenAI Node SDK
Apache-2.0- What it is
- The OpenAI Node SDK is the official JavaScript/TypeScript client for OpenAI-compatible APIs.
- What it does
- Calls chat, embeddings and other endpoints from Node.js and the browser.
- What people use it for
- Building AI features in JavaScript/TypeScript, including against our AI Router.
- Why it stands out
- The standard Node client; change one base URL to use your own or a self-hosted endpoint.
nginx-rtmp-module
BSD-2-Clause- What it is
- nginx-rtmp-module adds live streaming to Nginx.
- What it does
- Accepts RTMP ingests and republishes them as RTMP/HLS/DASH.
- What people use it for
- Self-hosted live video ingest and delivery.
- Why it stands out
- Turns an ordinary Nginx box into a live-streaming server — a proven restreaming workhorse.
Butt (broadcast using this tool)
GPL-2.0- What it is
- BUTT (Broadcast Using This Tool) is a cross-platform streaming audio encoder.
- What it does
- Sends a live audio stream to Icecast/Shoutcast servers.
- What people use it for
- DJs and stations sending a live broadcast.
- Why it stands out
- The simple, reliable way to push a live audio stream.
SoX
GPL-2.0 / LGPL-2.1- What it is
- SoX (Sound eXchange) is the "Swiss Army knife" of audio processing.
- What it does
- Converts, records and applies effects to audio from the command line.
- What people use it for
- Audio format conversion and processing in scripts.
- Why it stands out
- The audio equivalent of ffmpeg — tiny and immensely capable.
Joplin Server
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- Joplin Server is the self-hosted sync backend for the Joplin notes app.
- What it does
- Syncs notes and shares them between users of your own Joplin server.
- What people use it for
- Syncing Joplin notes through infrastructure you control.
- Why it stands out
- The official sync server, so your notes never touch someone else's cloud.
act_runner
MIT- What it is
- act_runner is an open-source project in the self-hosting toolchain we run or support.
- What it does
- Provides the features described on its official site — a open source under MIT project you can run yourself.
- What people use it for
- Part of a self-hosted stack; the official site lists the exact use cases and worked examples.
- Why it stands out
- It is open source under MIT, so you can inspect, self-host and keep using it — see the source before you commit.
GitLab Runner
MIT- What it is
- GitLab Runner executes GitLab CI/CD jobs.
- What it does
- Runs pipeline jobs for GitLab, in Docker, shell or Kubernetes executors.
- What people use it for
- Running GitLab pipelines on your own infrastructure.
- Why it stands out
- Keeps CI compute on your own machines instead of consuming hosted minutes.
The Lounge
MIT- What it is
- The Lounge is an open-source project in the self-hosting toolchain we run or support.
- What it does
- Provides the features described on its official site — a open source under MIT project you can run yourself.
- What people use it for
- Part of a self-hosted stack; the official site lists the exact use cases and worked examples.
- Why it stands out
- It is open source under MIT, so you can inspect, self-host and keep using it — see the source before you commit.
Matterbridge
Apache-2.0- What it is
- Matterbridge is an open-source project in the self-hosting toolchain we run or support.
- What it does
- Provides the features described on its official site — a open source under Apache-2.0 project you can run yourself.
- What people use it for
- Part of a self-hosted stack; the official site lists the exact use cases and worked examples.
- Why it stands out
- It is open source under Apache-2.0, so you can inspect, self-host and keep using it — see the source before you commit.
restic REST server
BSD-2-Clause- What it is
- restic REST server is a simple backend for the restic backup tool.
- What it does
- Provides an HTTP backend where restic can store encrypted backups.
- What people use it for
- A self-hosted destination for restic backups.
- Why it stands out
- Turns a small server into an off-site backup target for restic.
RustDesk Server
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- RustDesk Server is the self-hostable relay and rendezvous backend for RustDesk.
- What it does
- Coordinates and relays RustDesk remote-desktop connections through your own servers.
- What people use it for
- Fully self-hosted remote desktop, with no third-party relay.
- Why it stands out
- Completes the self-hosted story — remote access where even the relay is yours.
Synapse Admin
MIT- What it is
- Synapse Admin is a web admin UI for Matrix Synapse.
- What it does
- Manages users, rooms and media on a Synapse homeserver.
- What people use it for
- Administering a Matrix server without the command line.
- Why it stands out
- A friendly admin panel for a Matrix homeserver.
Klaro (cookie consent)
BSD-3-Clause- What it is
- Klaro (cookie consent) is an open-source project in the self-hosting toolchain we run or support.
- What it does
- Provides the features described on its official site — a open source under BSD-3-Clause project you can run yourself.
- What people use it for
- Part of a self-hosted stack; the official site lists the exact use cases and worked examples.
- Why it stands out
- It is open source under BSD-3-Clause, so you can inspect, self-host and keep using it — see the source before you commit.
CryptPad Forms
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- CryptPad Forms is the form/survey module of CryptPad.
- What it does
- Collects responses in an end-to-end-encrypted form.
- What people use it for
- Surveys and forms where responses must stay private.
- Why it stands out
- Encrypted form collection — the server cannot read the answers.
PhotoView
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- PhotoView is a simple, self-hosted photo gallery.
- What it does
- Scans a folder of photos and serves a fast, clean browsing UI.
- What people use it for
- A lightweight personal or family photo gallery.
- Why it stands out
- Point it at a folder and get a gallery — minimal and fast.
TubeSync
AGPL-3.0- What it is
- TubeSync is an open-source project in the self-hosting toolchain we run or support.
- What it does
- Provides the features described on its official site — a open source under AGPL-3.0 project you can run yourself.
- What people use it for
- Part of a self-hosted stack; the official site lists the exact use cases and worked examples.
- Why it stands out
- It is open source under AGPL-3.0, so you can inspect, self-host and keep using it — see the source before you commit.
LibrePhotos
MIT- What it is
- LibrePhotos is an open-source project in the self-hosting toolchain we run or support.
- What it does
- Provides the features described on its official site — a open source under MIT project you can run yourself.
- What people use it for
- Part of a self-hosted stack; the official site lists the exact use cases and worked examples.
- Why it stands out
- It is open source under MIT, so you can inspect, self-host and keep using it — see the source before you commit.
Bitwarden CLI
GPL-3.0- What it is
- The Bitwarden CLI is the command-line client for Bitwarden and Vaultwarden.
- What it does
- Accesses your vault from scripts and the terminal, and can self-host against Vaultwarden.
- What people use it for
- Automating secrets access and scripting against your vault.
- Why it stands out
- Brings your vault into scripts and automation, working with either Bitwarden or Vaultwarden.
SoftEther VPN
Apache-2.0- What it is
- SoftEther VPN is an open-source project in the self-hosting toolchain we run or support.
- What it does
- Provides the features described on its official site — a open source under Apache-2.0 project you can run yourself.
- What people use it for
- Part of a self-hosted stack; the official site lists the exact use cases and worked examples.
- Why it stands out
- It is open source under Apache-2.0, so you can inspect, self-host and keep using it — see the source before you commit.
WeeChat
GPL-3.0- What it is
- WeeChat is an open-source project in the self-hosting toolchain we run or support.
- What it does
- Provides the features described on its official site — a open source under GPL-3.0 project you can run yourself.
- What people use it for
- Part of a self-hosted stack; the official site lists the exact use cases and worked examples.
- Why it stands out
- It is open source under GPL-3.0, so you can inspect, self-host and keep using it — see the source before you commit.
ocserv (OpenConnect)
GPL-2.0- What it is
- ocserv (OpenConnect) is an open-source project in the self-hosting toolchain we run or support.
- What it does
- Provides the features described on its official site — a open source under GPL-2.0 project you can run yourself.
- What people use it for
- Part of a self-hosted stack; the official site lists the exact use cases and worked examples.
- Why it stands out
- It is open source under GPL-2.0, so you can inspect, self-host and keep using it — see the source before you commit.
How to choose what to self-host first
Do not start with the hardest, most fragile service — start with the unglamorous, high-value, low-risk ones, then work down once the deploy-update-backup routine feels normal.
Tier 1 — start here
Uptime Kuma (monitoring), Vaultwarden (passwords), MinIO or Garage (a backup target) and n8n (automation). Small, safe, immediate value.
Tier 2 — the big wins
Nextcloud (files and office), Mattermost or Rocket.Chat (team chat), Immich (photos) and Navidrome or Audiobookshelf (media). Higher impact, still simple.
Tier 3 — if you need them
Gitea, Forgejo or GitLab CE (code), Prometheus + Grafana (deep monitoring), Zammad or osTicket (help desk) and Moodle (learning). Heavier, worth it at scale.
Tier 4 — be careful
Email hosting (the deliverability battle) and Matrix Synapse (a federated, public-facing service) are the least forgiving. Do them once the rest is comfortable.
Full reasoning in How to choose what to self-host and Self-hosting for a small business.
Frequently asked questions
Why is open source software better than a subscription?
Open source means you can inspect, change and run the software yourself, and you are not locked to one vendor. Once installed, it does not stop working if a company changes its pricing, shutters a service, or is acquired. You swap a per-user subscription for a flat server cost, and your data stays on hardware you control.
Is open source software safe and secure?
Because the source code is public, anyone can audit it — and widely-used projects are inspected by far more eyes than any closed product. Many are maintained by non-profits and foundations with security teams. The main responsibility that shifts to you is keeping software updated, which is straightforward with a regular update routine.
What does it cost to self-host open-source apps?
The software is free; you pay for the server. Most of the apps in this directory run comfortably on a small VPS, so the running cost is a flat monthly fee rather than per-seat or per-usage pricing that grows with your team or traffic.
Do I need to be technical to self-host these apps?
Some are one-click or Docker installs, others need a little Linux comfort. Every app in our catalogue links to a step-by-step guide with minimum specs. If you would rather not manage the server, our management service covers updates and backups for a flat fee.
Which open-source apps should I self-host first?
Start with the unglamorous, high-value, low-risk ones: an uptime monitor (Uptime Kuma), a password manager (Vaultwarden) and a backup target (MinIO). Then move to files and collaboration (Nextcloud), photos (Immich) and chat (Mattermost). Our "How to choose what to self-host" guide ranks them.
Can I run several of these apps on one server?
Yes. Most are containerised, so Docker lets you run several on one well-sized VPS, each isolated. Pick a plan for the combined RAM they need and use Docker Compose to manage them together.
Set up any of these on a HostingSwift VPS
Each guide covers why to self-host it, the minimum specs, a step-by-step install and practical tips.
- 📝 Self-host WordPress
- ☁️ Self-host Nextcloud
- 🎞️ Self-host Jellyfin
- 🦊 Self-host GitLab CE
- 🍵 Self-host Gitea
- 💬 Self-host Mattermost
- 🔗 Self-host n8n
- 👻 Self-host Ghost
- 🔐 Self-host Matrix (Synapse)
- 🪣 Self-host MinIO
- 🔑 Self-host Vaultwarden
- 📸 Self-host Immich
- 🎬 Self-host Plex
- 📺 Self-host Emby
- 🎦 Self-host Kodi
- 🎵 Self-host Navidrome
- 🐋 Self-host Funkwhale
- 🖼️ Self-host PhotoPrism
- 🎧 Self-host Audiobookshelf
- 📹 Self-host PeerTube
- 🔴 Self-host Owncast
- 🎥 Self-host MediaCMS
- 🗂️ Self-host Stash
- 🎯 Self-host Jellyseerr
- 🙋 Self-host Ombi
- 📄 Self-host Collabora Online
- 📝 Self-host ONLYOFFICE Docs
- 🔒 Self-host CryptPad
- ✏️ Self-host Etherpad
- 📘 Self-host HedgeDoc
- 🧭 Self-host Outline
- 📚 Self-host BookStack
- 🔖 Self-host Wiki.js
- 🗒️ Self-host Docmost
- 💜 Self-host Obsidian LiveSync (CouchDB)
- 🗒️ Self-host Joplin Server
- 🔨 Self-host Forgejo
- 🚁 Self-host Drone CI
- 🪵 Self-host Woodpecker CI
- 🎩 Self-host Jenkins