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What's the common definition of self-hosting these days? I've always considered self-hosting to mean I'm managing hardware, but its clear the author here sees

What's the common definition of self-hosting these days? I've always considered self-hosting to mean I'm managing hardware, but its clear the author here sees it more as a self-managed OS and infrastructure. It actually feels very similar to the whole MPA vs SPA debate in web development. Maybe I'm just getting old, but self-hosting and SPA have specific meanings I learned years ago that seem to be getting redefined now rather than coming up with new names.

PH95VuimJjqBqy 3y ago
that would imply renting a VPS isn't self-hosting, which I think is clearly incorrect. If you wanted to communicate that you're dealing with hardware I would imagine you would say co-locating or talk about your datacenter.
- _heimdall 3y ago
  On-prem is a really specific term for onsite hardware. Though I don't think its as clearly accepted that renting a VPS is self-hosting. If that is the meaning now that is a more modern meaning, in my experience VPS was not part of a self-hosting concept before cloud providers were so common. At that time the options were your own hardware or a rented VPS, they couldn't both be self-hosting. Today that's less clear, hence my question of what is the common meaning today.
  - PH95VuimJjqBqy 3y ago
    self-hosting as a term existed before VPS's did and it generally meant putting hardware in your house and running it off of that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-hosting_(web_services) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-hosting_(web_services) > The practice of self-hosting web services became more feasible with the development of cloud computing and virtualization technologies, which enabled users to run their own servers on remote hardware or virtual machines. If you buy their definition, it seems inline with the idea that self hosting is more about the software than the hardware these days.
    - _heimdall 3y ago
      Glad I'm not going crazy at least! That's my memory of self-hosting before VPSs as well. I was a little surprised by the article but maybe it is just a redefinition over time as the industry changes.
layer8 3y ago
Self-hosting doesn’t necessarily imply that it’s on-premises, or that you own the hardware. It means that you are fully managing the software side of things (everything that is “on the host”) and have full control over that.
- paxys 3y ago
  This thread is the first time I'm hearing this definition. Self hosting has always meant using your own hardware. Cloud/VPS/VMs/shared hosting or whatever else have never qualified.
  - layer8 3y ago
    For me it’s the opposite: VPS are the standard solution, since it’s difficult to self-host behind a consumer ISP. Wikipedia seems to agree [0]: “The practice of self-hosting web services became more feasible with the development of cloud computing and virtualization technologies, which enabled users to run their own servers on remote hardware or virtual machines.” [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-hosting_(web_services) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-hosting_(web_services)
    - paxys 3y ago
      Going by this definition a company running their services on a cluster of EC2 instances is also "self-hosting", which makes the term meaningless.
      - layer8 3y ago
        See this older version of the page: https://web.archive.org/web/20170727020916/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-hosting#Website_management https://web.archive.org/web/20170727020916/https://en.wikipe... The original difference was between using a service like WordPress vs. running an instance of the WordPress software yourself. Who owns the hardware it’s running on or where it is located is largely irrelevant for the definition. Here is another reference: https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/s/self-hosting.htm https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/s/self-hosting.htm

PH95VuimJjqBqy 3y ago

that would imply renting a VPS isn't self-hosting, which I think is clearly incorrect. If you wanted to communicate that you're dealing with hardware I would imagine you would say co-locating or talk about your datacenter.

_heimdall 3y ago
On-prem is a really specific term for onsite hardware. Though I don't think its as clearly accepted that renting a VPS is self-hosting. If that is the meaning now that is a more modern meaning, in my experience VPS was not part of a self-hosting concept before cloud providers were so common. At that time the options were your own hardware or a rented VPS, they couldn't both be self-hosting. Today that's less clear, hence my question of what is the common meaning today.
- PH95VuimJjqBqy 3y ago
  self-hosting as a term existed before VPS's did and it generally meant putting hardware in your house and running it off of that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-hosting_(web_services) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-hosting_(web_services) > The practice of self-hosting web services became more feasible with the development of cloud computing and virtualization technologies, which enabled users to run their own servers on remote hardware or virtual machines. If you buy their definition, it seems inline with the idea that self hosting is more about the software than the hardware these days.
  - _heimdall 3y ago
    Glad I'm not going crazy at least! That's my memory of self-hosting before VPSs as well. I was a little surprised by the article but maybe it is just a redefinition over time as the industry changes.

layer8 3y ago

Self-hosting doesn’t necessarily imply that it’s on-premises, or that you own the hardware. It means that you are fully managing the software side of things (everything that is “on the host”) and have full control over that.

paxys 3y ago
This thread is the first time I'm hearing this definition. Self hosting has always meant using your own hardware. Cloud/VPS/VMs/shared hosting or whatever else have never qualified.
- layer8 3y ago
  For me it’s the opposite: VPS are the standard solution, since it’s difficult to self-host behind a consumer ISP. Wikipedia seems to agree [0]: “The practice of self-hosting web services became more feasible with the development of cloud computing and virtualization technologies, which enabled users to run their own servers on remote hardware or virtual machines.” [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-hosting_(web_services) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-hosting_(web_services)
  - paxys 3y ago
    Going by this definition a company running their services on a cluster of EC2 instances is also "self-hosting", which makes the term meaningless.
    - layer8 3y ago
      See this older version of the page: https://web.archive.org/web/20170727020916/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-hosting#Website_management https://web.archive.org/web/20170727020916/https://en.wikipe... The original difference was between using a service like WordPress vs. running an instance of the WordPress software yourself. Who owns the hardware it’s running on or where it is located is largely irrelevant for the definition. Here is another reference: https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/s/self-hosting.htm https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/s/self-hosting.htm