Is Self-Hosting an Entire OS Stack Feasible for a Growing Startup?

From our experience, sticking with self-hosting makes sense up to a certain point. Once you hit scale, it might be time to switch to a managed cloud solution. The tradeoff between control and convenience is key. Focus on delivering value to your users—if self-hosting starts to hinder that, it’s time to reconsider.

If everything's up and running smoothly and you have clear documentation for onboarding and backups, then you're set for a while. But if your setup can't handle a quick disaster recovery or system rebuild, it might be wise to reconsider. Hiring or outsourcing might not be such a bad idea at that point. It's better to have a reliable service than trying to juggle everything yourself.

A lot of this comes down to whether you want to make managing your OSS stack a full-time job. If you're a larger startup, you'll have to think about access management and maintenance. Also, think about potential security issues like zero-day vulnerabilities if you don’t stay updated. There’s quite a bit of responsibility in choosing and maintaining this glasshouse of tech.

Sure, you can self-host, but it takes a significant investment of time and effort. You should weigh how much time your team spends managing these systems versus focusing on your core business. If managing OSS takes away from your main goals, it might just be worth paying for a managed service instead.

You definitely need to think about what you're trying to achieve. While open source tools can be great and cost-effective, remember, you're not getting paid to pick them just because they're OSS. It's all about finding the right tool for your specific needs. If setting everything up starts taking more resources than simply paying for a service, then you might need to consider your options carefully.