SelfPrivacy
Free app that turns a Hetzner or DigitalOcean VPS into your own private cloud, deploying email, Nextcloud, VPN, and more from Android or desktop.
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SelfPrivacy is a free, open-source app that sets up and manages your own personal server in the cloud. Install it on Android, Linux, or Windows, give it API tokens for your hosting, DNS, and backup providers, and it provisions a NixOS server for you and deploys a suite of private services on your own domain: an email server with webmail, Nextcloud file storage, a Bitwarden-compatible password manager (Vaultwarden), Forgejo Git hosting, Jitsi Meet video calls, an OpenConnect VPN server, and more.
The project is built on a zero-trust principle: the SelfPrivacy developers never have access to your server, no registration or telemetry is required to use the app, and backups are encrypted before they leave your machine. Because the server is a standard NixOS machine, you keep full control — the docs even explain how to get root access via SSH, and the app can generate a recovery key so you can reconnect if you lose your device.
Where a stack of subscriptions like Google Drive, Gmail, Dropbox, Zoom, LastPass, or NordVPN puts your data in someone else's cloud, SelfPrivacy deploys open-source replacements on hardware you rent and control. The app is free; you only pay for the underlying infrastructure — roughly $5 per month for hosting (about $8 at Hetzner for a 2 vCPU / 2 GB machine), $8–15 per year for a domain, and a few dollars for backup storage. Setup is guided end to end in the app, so no console work or prior sysadmin experience is needed.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which platforms does the SelfPrivacy app run on?
Android (via F-Droid, Google Play, or APK), plus GNU/Linux and Windows desktop builds. iOS and macOS versions are on the roadmap but not available yet.
What do I need before setting up a server?
A domain, plus three API tokens: one for a DNS provider (deSEC, Cloudflare, or DigitalOcean DNS), one for a hosting provider (Hetzner or DigitalOcean), and one for Backblaze B2, which stores backups. The docs budget about $15 to start and roughly $5 per month for hosting and storage.
Which services can I deploy with SelfPrivacy?
Email with Roundcube webmail, Nextcloud, Vaultwarden for passwords, Forgejo for Git hosting, Jitsi Meet for video calls, Matrix and Pleroma or GoToSocial for social and chat, Mumble voice chat, Vikunja for tasks, HedgeDoc for notes, WriteFreely blogging, Prometheus monitoring, and an OpenConnect VPN server, among others.
How does SelfPrivacy handle backups?
Backups are automatic and encrypted before they leave your server, so the backup provider cannot read them. Backblaze B2 is the supported storage provider, keeping your snapshots in a separate data center from your server.
Can I access the server directly?
Yes. The server is a standard NixOS machine, and the official docs include a guide for getting root access via SSH. The app also generates a server recovery key — a list of words that restores your connection to the server if you lose your device.
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