Hey everyone! I'm setting up my own software development freelancing business and am currently in the planning stage. I'd love to get some insights from those who've been down this road before. Here's what I've got so far:
## Current Setup
I have two domains and two VPS/root servers:
- **myCompany.com** - This is going to be for admin control and my company website. It has 8 cores, 8 GB RAM, and a generous SSD.
- **myCompany.cloud** - This is where I'll host my client SaaS platform, equipped with 16 cores, 16 GB RAM, and even more SSD space.
I'll be creating more BaseForts later for high availability and will be mapping subdomains for each client application on BaseCamps. My subdomain strategy will look something like this:
- app1.client1.mycompany.cloud
- app2.client1.mycompany.cloud
- app1.client2.mycompany.cloud
## Planned Approach
1. **BaseFort servers** will handle the admin and control plane and I'll set up high availability later.
2. **BaseCamps** for client SaaS apps that can scale as needed.
I plan on using Dokploy on my BaseFort and deploying additional BaseCamps using its multiserver feature.
## Questions
1. Does this plan sound reasonable?
2. How do seasoned professionals typically approach this kind of setup?
3. What should I be mindful of when using Dokploy?
I'm really looking for feedback before diving deeper into this because I'm currently juggling two projects: one for a manufacturing company working on a custom ERP and another for a small hospital handling their patient onboarding and OPD prescriptions. I want to make sure my infrastructure supports my needs!
3 Answers
Your setup looks pretty complex for starting out! As a freelancer, it's usually better to use existing solutions like AWS or heroku rather than managing your own infrastructure. Unless you're planning to take on a lot of clients and handle sensitive data, self-hosting can introduce a lot of liability. For simplicity and speed, consider using platforms like Railway for your applications instead. Your main goal should be to focus on delivering value quickly without getting bogged down in server management. Just a thought!
Thanks for the insight! I hadn't considered the liability aspect with self-hosting and will definitely look more into streamlined solutions like Railway.
Self-hosting can be great for learning, but you might want to think about the long-term costs and efficiency. Have you checked out using Docker for your deployments? It streamlines things a lot! Also, putting Kubernetes on top could help you handle multiple apps more efficiently. If you’re using Dokploy, their docs cover setup well, so check that out too! Just make sure you’re keeping scalability and security forefront, especially for the custom projects you’re working on.
There’s nothing wrong with self-hosting if that’s your preference! Just be aware it's a bit more raw having several apps sing on your own setup. You might want to consider using k3s to add some flexibility for managing those apps. Consistency in your strategy will help a lot as you grow!
Totally understand the concern! In my early days, I learned the hard way about managing my own infra. Clients often don't care about the backend server as long as they get results. Using existing platforms made my life way easier while still allowing for growth.