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Leonieke .:. Vitaulium

All about Taking Control

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Time to take control, time to make sure I am the owner of my own data, and it’s time to keep away from third party “free” applications and services. It is a work in progress, but I’ll get there in the end!

Update 2025.08.21

See a new post Step by Step

Update 2025.06.22

Progress!

I have adjusted the table below to show the current situation.

Update 2025.05.24

See new footnotes 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

(On a same/similar topic: Finding My Way in the Fediverse, Back to Self Hosting an Instance, Rebuilding My Site, More Control)

Overview

Service Big Tech Alternative Status Self hosted
Audiobooks Audible1 Audiobookshelf own server, via yunohost yes
Ebooks Proton Drive Calibre Web own server, via yunohost yes
Files Google Docs ProtonDrive2/NextCloud Hetzner3 main files/folders transferred yes
Kindle Amazon no clue I can purchase ebooks via my local bookstore 4  
Location Google Maps μlogger own server, via yunohost testing5
Maps Google Maps OSMAnd transferred saved locations yes
Mail Gmail ProtonMail2 automated forwarding, not yet fully transferred6 no
Messages WhatsApp Signal slow going, need to convince others no
Microblogging Twitter GoToSocial7 own server, via yunohost yes
Music Youtube Music no clue    
Notes Google Notes NextCloud Notes Hetzner, shared storage yes
Photos, backup Google Photos Immich new mobile photos backed up, waiting for Google Takeout of all photos yes
Photos, editing Adobe Photoshop/Lightroom Darktable / Gimp cancelled subscriptions, removed software yes
Photos, hosted   Immich own server, via yunohost8 yes
Photos, incidental Instagram GoToSocial own server, via yunohost yes
Podcasts Pocket Casts Audiobookshelf own server, via yunohost yes
RSS reader   FreshRSS own server, via yunohost yes
Search Google Search DuckDuckGo implemented9 n/a
Tasks Google Tasks NextCloud Tasks Hetzner, shared storage yes
Translate Google Translate LibreTranslate own server, via yunohost yes
Uptime Uptime Robot Uptime Kuma own server, via yunohost testing
Website(s) Gitlab Pages My Webapp own server, via yunohost yes

Side Quest/Project

  • install *nix on old macbook, play around perhaps with arch linux and ansible
  • host local server instead of rented VPS
  • move from Digital Ocean to Hetzner

Tips

I need to check out the following sites:

Footnotes

  1. My Audible subscription is still running, I want to pay authors and I want an easy way to purchase & download audiobooks. ↩

  2. I know, I know, Proton is being weird atm. I have not yet decided how I feel. I might have to look into running my own mailserver. ↩ ↩2

  3. I’m checking out NextCloud, in combination with CryptPad. ↩

  4. When buying ebooks from my local bookstore, I have to use a de-DRM option for some titles, but there is an active work-around. ↩

  5. Biggest struggle? Trying to get an automation working, so that μlogger will track my position, but the app is not active whenever I’m within my own wifi. ↩

  6. I will look into running my own email server (I think). ↩

  7. For more details, see Hello GoToSocial! ⁂ ↩

  8. I moved away from Flickr when it was sold one too many times, and since then I’ve hosted my photos via Piwigo, Chevereto, Photoprism and now lately Photoview. The Photoview app in yunohost is broken and I cannot get the upgrade installed without errors: a work in progress! I need to figure out how to embed/link/make albums more publicly available. ↩

  9. Via the ⁂verse, I have heard about Mojeek and other search engines; more reading to do! ↩