I’ve been building out my self-hosted infrastructure for a while now, and figured it’s time to document what’s actually running. Here’s the complete list of Docker containers keeping my digital life off big tech platforms.

System Management

Portainer – makes Docker management bearable. Web UI for managing containers beats command line for routine tasks.

Nginx Proxy Manager – handles reverse proxy and SSL certificates. Makes exposing services securely actually manageable.

Watchtower – keeps containers updated automatically. Controversial in some circles, but I’ve had zero issues with it.

Filebrowser – gives me web access to my server files. Simple, clean interface for when I need to grab something quick without SSH-ing in.

Monitoring and Backup

Uptime Kuma – monitors everything and alerts me when something breaks. Clean interface and reliable notifications.

Beszel – collects system metrics and monitoring data. Good for spotting issues before they become problems.

AdGuard Home – blocks ads and trackers at the network level. Every device on my network benefits without needing individual blockers.

Backrest – handles backups. Because running all these services without backups is just asking for pain.

Personal Cloud and Data

Seafile – is basically my personal Dropbox. File syncing across devices with version control. Rock solid.

Immich – backs up and manages all my photos. The AI features for face recognition and search actually work great. It’s becoming a legitimate Google Photos replacement.

FreshRSS – is my RSS reader. Yes, RSS is still alive and it’s still the best way to follow sites without algorithms deciding what you see.

Bitwarden – manages all my passwords. The self-hosted version uses multiple microservices but it’s worth the complexity for the peace of mind.

Linkding – handles all my bookmarks. Way better than browser bookmarks since I can search, tag, and access them from anywhere. Plus, they don’t disappear when I switch browsers.

Joplin – syncs my notes between devices. Markdown support, encryption, and it just works.

Wallos – tracks all my subscriptions. With everything being subscription-based these days, this keeps me from forgetting about that random service I signed up for six months ago.

Media and Entertainment

Jellyfin – handles movies, TV shows, and music streaming. It’s like having your own Netflix/Spotify combo that actually has everything you want.

Audiobookshelf – serves up my audiobooks and podcasts. The podcast features are particularly nice – auto-download, progress syncing across devices, the works.

Change Detection – watches websites for changes. Great for monitoring price drops, stock availability, or when that restaurant finally updates their menu.

Conclusion

This might seem like a lot, but once everything’s running, it’s surprisingly low maintenance. Docker makes it manageable, and the freedom of owning your data and services is worth the initial setup time.

Each service solves a real problem and replaces a commercial alternative. No monthly fees (except for the server and domain), no privacy concerns, no features disappearing because some company pivoted.

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