# Welcome

You may know how to install a program on your computer, but might not even know where to start when asked how the cloud works. This is to be expected – that's how they were designed!

![Home Page V2.png](https://hub.subspace.services/uploads/images/gallery/2025-06/scaled-1680-/home-page-v2.png)

Modern [open-source software](https://hub.subspace.services/books/an-open-ecosystem/page/an-open-ecosystem "An Open Ecosystem") can offer [familiar online services](https://hub.subspace.services/books/services/chapter/selecting-your-services "Selecting Your Services") and put you in complete control. Host a [personal website](https://hub.subspace.services/books/wordpress "Personal Websites"), build a [private cloud](https://hub.subspace.services/books/owncloud "Personal Cloud"), or share with an [online community](https://hub.subspace.services/books/hardware/page/workstation-computer "Communication & Community"). Connect your server to the World Wide Web with a [domain name](https://hub.subspace.services/books/world-wide-web/chapter/domain-name-system "Domain Name System") and modern router, or access all your services while away using a [virtual private network](https://hub.subspace.services/books/privacy-security/page/virtual-private-network "Virtual Private Network").

<span class="icon-header" style="background-color: #268bd2;"><span class="material-symbols-outlined" style="height: 100px !important;"> cloud</span>[What is the Cloud?](https://hub.subspace.services/books/your-personal-cloud/page/what-is-the-cloud)</span>

In this five-part series, we will learn about the “cloud” – from the ground up – and use this new knowledge to [build our own server](https://hub.subspace.services/books/hardware/page/what-is-a-server "What is a Server?"). Aside from your curiosity, all you need to bring is an unused computer system – an excellent reason to [explore the low-cost Raspberry Pi or repurpose an old computer](https://hub.subspace.services/books/your-personal-cloud/page/computer "Computer").

<details id="bkmrk-%C2%A0"><summary>Table of Contents</summary>

<table border="1" class="align-center" id="bkmrk-stylus_laser_pointer" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 600px; border-width: 0px; height: 261.6px; border-spacing: 5px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 7.02367%;"></col><col style="width: 92.9744%;"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 43.6px;"><td class="align-center" style="height: 43.6px; border-width: 0px; padding: 5px;"><span class="material-symbols-outlined">Flag</span>

</td><td class="align-left" style="height: 43.6px; border-width: 0px; padding: 5px;">[**0. Your Personal Cloud**](https://hub.subspace.services/books/your-personal-cloud "Your Personal Cloud")

- [Welcome](https://hub.subspace.services/books/your-personal-cloud/page/welcome "Welcome")
- [What is the Cloud?](https://hub.subspace.services/books/your-personal-cloud/page/what-is-the-cloud "What is the Cloud?")
- [Getting Started](https://hub.subspace.services/books/your-personal-cloud/page/getting-started "Getting Started")
- [Background](https://hub.subspace.services/books/your-personal-cloud/page/background "Background")
- [Understanding the Requirements](https://hub.subspace.services/books/your-personal-cloud/chapter/understanding-the-requirements "Understanding The Requirements")
- [About the Author](https://hub.subspace.services/books/your-personal-cloud/page/about-the-author "About the Author")

</td></tr><tr style="height: 43.6px;"><td class="align-center" style="height: 43.6px; border-width: 0px; padding: 5px;"><span class="material-symbols-outlined">Host</span>

</td><td class="align-left" style="height: 43.6px; border-width: 0px; padding: 5px;">[**1. Hardware**](https://hub.subspace.services/books/hardware "Hardware")

- [What is a Server?](https://hub.subspace.services/books/hardware/page/what-is-a-server "What is a Server?")
- [Community Impact ](https://hub.subspace.services/books/hardware/page/community-impact "Community Impact")
- [Quick-Start Examples](https://hub.subspace.services/books/hardware/chapter/quick-start-examples "Quick-Start Examples")
- [Layers of Computing](https://hub.subspace.services/books/hardware/page/layers-of-computing "Layers of Computing")
- [Firmware Configuration ](https://hub.subspace.services/books/hardware/chapter/firmware-configuration "Firmware Configuration")

</td></tr><tr style="height: 43.6px;"><td class="align-center" style="height: 43.6px; border-width: 0px; padding: 5px;"><span class="material-symbols-outlined">Terminal</span></td><td class="align-left" style="height: 43.6px; border-width: 0px; padding: 5px;">[**2. Software**](https://hub.subspace.services/books/software "Software")

- [What is Linux?](https://hub.subspace.services/books/software/page/what-is-linux "What is Linux?")
- [An Open Ecosystem ](https://hub.subspace.services/books/software/page/an-open-ecosystem "An Open Ecosystem")
- [Installing an Operating System](https://hub.subspace.services/books/software/chapter/installing-an-operating-system "Installing an Operating System")
- [Configuring Debian](https://hub.subspace.services/books/software/chapter/configuring-debian "Configuring Debian")
- [Building Community](https://hub.subspace.services/books/software/page/building-community "Building Community")
- [Collectives and Identity](https://hub.subspace.services/books/software/page/collectives-and-identity "Collectives and Identity")
- [What is Docker?](https://hub.subspace.services/books/software/page/what-is-docker "What is Docker?")
- [Installing Docker](https://hub.subspace.services/books/software/chapter/installing-docker "Installing Docker")

</td></tr><tr style="height: 43.6px;"><td class="align-center" style="height: 43.6px; border-width: 0px; padding: 5px;"><span class="material-symbols-outlined">Cloud</span></td><td class="align-left" style="height: 43.6px; border-width: 0px; padding: 5px;">**[3. Services](https://hub.subspace.services/books/services "Services")**

- [What is a Service?](https://hub.subspace.services/books/services/page/what-is-a-service "What is a Service?")
- [Considerations](https://hub.subspace.services/books/services/page/considerations "Considerations")
- [Evaluating Safety](https://hub.subspace.services/books/services/page/evaluating-safety "Evaluating Safety")
- [Selecting Your Services](https://hub.subspace.services/books/services/chapter/selecting-your-services "Selecting Your Services")
- [Managing Services](https://hub.subspace.services/books/services/page/managing-services "Managing Services")
- [Home Page](https://hub.subspace.services/books/services/page/home-page "Home Page")

</td></tr><tr><td style="border-width: 0px; padding: 5px;"><span class="material-symbols-outlined">Build</span></td><td style="border-width: 0px; padding: 5px;">**[4. Monitoring &amp; Maintenance](https://hub.subspace.services/books/monitoring-maintenance "Monitoring & Maintenance")**

- [Sustainable Solutions](https://hub.subspace.services/books/monitoring-maintenance/page/sustainable-solutions "Sustainable Solutions")
- [Network Access](https://hub.subspace.services/books/monitoring-maintenance/chapter/network-access "Network Access")
- [Backup Solutions](https://hub.subspace.services/books/monitoring-maintenance/chapter/backup-solutions "Backup Solutions")
- [Administration](https://hub.subspace.services/books/monitoring-maintenance/page/administration "Administration")
- [Troubleshooting](https://hub.subspace.services/books/monitoring-maintenance/page/troubleshooting "Troubleshooting")
- [Cleaning](https://hub.subspace.services/books/monitoring-maintenance/page/cleaning "Cleaning")

</td></tr><tr><td style="border-width: 0px; padding: 5px;"><span class="material-symbols-outlined">Language</span></td><td class="align-left" style="border-width: 0px; padding: 5px;">**[5. World Wide Web](https://hub.subspace.services/books/world-wide-web "World Wide Web")**

- [What are Computer Networks?](https://hub.subspace.services/books/world-wide-web/page/what-are-computer-networks "What are Computer Networks?")
- [How to Remotely Connect](https://hub.subspace.services/books/world-wide-web/page/how-to-remotely-connect "How to Remotely Connect")
- [Virtual Private Network](https://hub.subspace.services/books/world-wide-web/chapter/virtual-private-network "Virtual Private Network")
- [Web Domain Name](https://hub.subspace.services/books/world-wide-web/chapter/web-domain-name "Web Domain Name")
- [Digital Stewardship](https://hub.subspace.services/books/world-wide-web/page/digital-stewardship "Digital Stewardship")
- [Security &amp; Privacy](https://hub.subspace.services/books/world-wide-web/chapter/security-privacy "Security & Privacy")
- [Router Configuration](https://hub.subspace.services/books/world-wide-web/chapter/router-configuration "Router Configuration")
- [What Next?](https://hub.subspace.services/books/world-wide-web/page/what-next "What Next?")

  
</td></tr></tbody></table>

</details>Through educational do-it-yourself guides we explore the [hardware](https://hub.subspace.services/books/hardware "Hardware") and [software](https://hub.subspace.services/books/software "Software") [requirements](https://hub.subspace.services/books/your-personal-cloud/page/computer "Knowing Your Requirements") for a home server, including [quick-start examples](https://hub.subspace.services/books/hardware/chapter/quick-start-examples "Quick-Start Examples"). This process uses [Debian Linux](https://hub.subspace.services/books/software/page/what-is-linux "Debian") and [Docker](https://hub.subspace.services/books/software/page/what-is-docker "Docker") to quickly self-host your [services](https://hub.subspace.services/shelves/services "4) Self-Hosted Services") through the browser-based interface.

[<button class="nav-button" type="button">Get Started</button>](https://hub.subspace.services/books/your-personal-cloud/page/getting-started "Getting Started")