FileBrowser is free and open source software (FOSS) that allows us to self host files in our own private cloud. This can be deployed in a cloud compute instance (you pay monthly fees) or better yet, on your own hardware (such as an old computer you have laying around, for free). It’s extremely easy to deploy your own private file server using FileBrowser via a Docker container. Read more about their software here:
Below is a guide to help you deploy your private file server, including installation of the base server operating system, in this case Debian 12 Linux, a super stable and excellent option. You may wish to deploy yours on nearly any other type of system though, FileBrowser works with just about all Linux distros, so Ubuntu, Linux Mint and many others will work fine. FileBrowser even deploys on a Raspberry Pi single board computer (ARM based chip). Recommend a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with 8GB RAM for best performance. For a standard desktop or laptop, 8GB or more of RAM is recommended, however for instances with very large storage drives (8TB+), you may wish to upgrade to 16GB RAM or higher, although not necessary.
Click the link below to download the guide:
FileBrowser Installation Guide (Debian 12 host)-GrapheneGoat.com
While FileBrowser is extremely useful, it is a very simple file server, you can do basic file storage and management but is limited on other features. This is ideal for someone that just wants a super quick and easy way to save their files on a local server, and be accessible via the internet. The guide covers purchasing a custom domain to use for this project (or use an existing one), setting up Cloudflare to securely access your server from anywhere, and full deployment of FileBrowser via Docker. It’s crazy easy!
For those that need more robust features for things like collaboration, and other rich features, consider other FOSS options such as Nextcloud, which is also fairly easy to deploy using the Docker version. Hit the back button or visit this page to learn about all of the other FOSS options for data hosting and management.