Hey y’all, I was reading this self hosting user survey at selfh.st and noticed that some people said they self-host on a mobile phone.
I have an Android phone here I could use and I can picture setting up the phone and then just leaving it plugged in, in a corner somewhere. That seems like a good use for all that computing power but I’m not sure how to get started.
I found this article showing how we can use a phone for a web server:
https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/host-a-web-server-on-android
But is there any way to host other apps / services on a phone? Does it have to be rooted first?
Any pitfalls or other tips you can share when to doing this?
Thanks!
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Check out Termux. It lets you install nearly any linux software on your Android device. Probably a good place to start to get your toes wet.
Yah, this app is mentioned in the article I found too, but I didn’t realize it’s able to run these other services, not just apache / a web server. Thanks!
Hello, that’s perfectly possible, actually I was selfhosting on android until recently. You can find more info in this post: https://lemmy.world/post/5342541
Unless you need some heavyweight lifting and you’re ok with installing directly the applications (no docker, sorry), that’s a good portable homeserver.
My only suggestion: buy an ethernet adapter as the WiFi connectivity will drop sometimes.
Keep us posted!
I’ve always been hesitant to host any services on a device with a non-removable battery. Having a battery constantly charging and discharging isn’t great for it and could potentially be a fire hazard. I know modern devices have gotten much smarter about how they charge, so maybe it’s not as much of an issue anymore, but still something to be aware of depending on how old your phone is or how you modify the firmware.
Personally, with how cheap you can find a mini PC or SBC, I would just save up a bit (maybe even sell the device you’re planning to host on) and keep an eye out for deals. You’re going to get a lot more freedom and power with those devices, and not have to try to hack around the limitations of a mobile OS.
with how cheap you can find a mini PC or SBC,
Be careful with SBCs as they can be a money grab. When you sum it all, SBC + charger + cables + case you’ll end up with a price similar to an HP Mini i5-8th gen that is 10x more powerful and stable.
I’ve always been hesitant to host any services on a device with a non-removable battery. Having a battery constantly charging and discharging isn’t great for it and could potentially be a fire hazard.
I once had a phone that was being used as an NVR, and for a while it worked like a charm.
Except for the fact that since it was being run unattended, I hadn’t noticed the swelling battery pack. I only noticed it when i realized that my glass screen protector had popped off due to the bending of the phone… I did replace the battery, and the phone still works to this day, but I’ll never use a phone as a server/NAS every again.
Thank you, this is all solid advice.
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:
Fewer Letters More Letters NAS Network-Attached Storage NUC Next Unit of Computing brand of Intel small computers NVR Network Video Recorder (generally for CCTV) SBC Single-Board Computer
4 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 9 acronyms.
[Thread #265 for this sub, first seen 7th Nov 2023, 01:40] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]
Check out servers ultimate on the app store. They have over 60 services that you can host.
Interesting! Thanks
OnionShare is available for Android.
