I'm planning to move away from Microsoft services and would like to replace OneDrive with something I can host myself. I have a technical background and have used computers for many years, but I'm new to self-hosting.
My idea is to run a storage server at my home and another at my parents' house, possibly adding a third at my brother's home later. The servers would synchronize periodically, perhaps once a day, so our files and family memories would remain available if one location suffered theft, hardware failure, or a fire.
I'd like the system to work much like OneDrive, with clients for Linux, Windows, Android, and iPhone. It should support uploading and browsing files from phones and computers. Ideally, each family member would have a separate private area while still using the same overall service.
I'm looking for recommendations for the software, suitable low-power hardware such as a NAS, Raspberry Pi, or small server, and important issues I should understand before starting. Is this approach practical, and what common mistakes or requirements might I be overlooking?
4 Answers
A Synology NAS could be the easiest route if you prefer a polished appliance instead of building and maintaining a server. It provides storage management, user accounts, synchronization tools, and mobile apps. The tradeoff is higher upfront cost and less flexibility than using ordinary hardware with Linux.
Nextcloud on a Debian server is probably the closest fit. It has desktop clients for Linux and Windows, mobile apps for Android and iPhone, web access, user accounts, and separate file areas with permissions. You can also add features such as calendar, contacts, photo management, and document editing later.
Be careful to distinguish synchronization from backup. If a file is accidentally deleted, corrupted, or encrypted by malware, that change may propagate to every synchronized server. Keep versioned, preferably offline or otherwise isolated, backups as well. Also plan for encrypted connections, strong authentication, disk redundancy, monitoring, recovery testing, and a way to access the system if one location loses internet service. For hardware, a small x86 mini-PC with mirrored disks is generally more capable than a Raspberry Pi, though a Pi can work for a modest setup.
OpenMediaVault is a good option if you mainly want a NAS. It can manage disks and shared folders, and you can create separate users and permissions for each family member. Network shares work well from computers and media devices, but you may want to pair it with Nextcloud for the OneDrive-style phone and web experience.
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