Server Setup: Back Story

Short Answer: Cause I like it!

I purchased my first computer, a Raspberry Pi 4, after landing my first job. This was during the Raspberry Pi shortages following COVID-19, and it cost me around ₹17500 ($210 or €175) . Being somewhat new to Single Board Computer, I was eager to try out the Raspberry Pi 4. Additionally, I bought a 2 TB external HDD, which I'm still using for storage. People often asked me why I chose to set up a home server instead of just buying a cheap VPS. I explained that it is a matter of personal preference and you can pull the plug as a last resort. I have configured various services like Nextcloud, Servarr, and Jellyfin. To access them publicly, I utilized Cloudflare Tunnel, and everything was running smoothly.

I signed up for the Oracle Free Tier because I noticed in the Cloudflare Tunnel Terms of Service that using sites that serve media is prohibited. However, since Clouldflare have removed serving media restriction from their Terms, it might be worth trying again. The motive for buying VPS is to set up Tailscale VPN to access my services publicly. The server I deployed is ARM-based with 4 cores, 24 GB of RAM, and 200 GB of storage, all of which fall within the limits of their Free Tier.

I purchased a second-hand Lenovo M720q mini-PC with CPU upgraded to i5-8500 (it comes with i5-8400T from the factory) in May 2024 which cost me around ₹17848 ($214 or €178) to replace my Raspberry Pi 4. The performance upgrade was significant; for example, Nextcloud became more responsive, and Jellyfin can now transcode faster than I can watch. My download speed is primarily limited by my internet connection. I also bought a gigabit switch and repurposed the Raspberry Pi 4 for home monitoring. It now runs Pi-hole and Home Assistant. Additionally, I created two ESPHome nodes: one monitors the conditions inside the server cabinet, while the other tracks the environmental conditions outside. Recently I sold my Raspberry Pi 4 and purchased a Raspberry Pi 5 with additional peripherals for ₹12633 ($152 or €126) , migrating all the services from the Raspberry Pi 4 to the Raspberry Pi 5.