TL;DR
Self-hosting gained mainstream attention in 2025, but the move was met with rising hardware costs and several high-profile shifts in self-hosted software behavior. Users faced price spikes for memory and storage, vendor changes that limit or monetize features, and unexpected project decisions that undermine trust.
What happened
Throughout 2025 the author observed growing interest in self-hosting alongside mounting practical obstacles. Adoption signals included more people using Immich for backups, Gitea and Forgejo gaining traction after GitHub began charging for self-hosted runners, and mainstream creators promoting self-hosted setups. At the same time hardware costs jumped: DRAM prices were reported roughly three to four times higher vs. September 2025, NVMe and flash prices rose sharply (one seller’s Samsung 990 Pro 1TB moved from about €100 to €150 in a month), and vendors signaled reduced consumer GPU availability. Single-board computers and older DDR4 gear were also affected. Parallel to cost pressures, several well-known self-hosted projects changed direction in ways that frustrated users — examples cited include Plex monetizing remote streaming and selling data, MinIO removing its admin UI and shifting the open-source edition to maintenance, and Mattermost imposing a 10,000-message cap. The author’s conclusion: expect more churn and be prepared to migrate.
Why it matters
- Rising component prices increase the cost barrier for people who self-host at home or on small infrastructure.
- When self-hosted software vendors monetize features or alter licensing unexpectedly, users lose predictable control over their deployments.
- Abandoned or limited open-source variants force migrations, raising operational and data-portability burdens.
- Mainstream interest in self-hosting raises stakes: more users may be exposed to sudden project changes and hardware scarcity.
Key facts
- The author reports DRAM prices roughly 3–4× higher compared with September 2025.
- Framework increased RAM pricing to $10/GB across its laptops; the author expects similar Desktop pricing adjustments.
- Under the cited pricing, 128 GB of RAM would cost approximately $1,280, near 65% of a $1,999 Framework Desktop price.
- A Samsung 990 Pro 1TB NVMe listed at about €100 in late November was selling for ~€150 at the same seller weeks later.
- Nvidia was reportedly planning to cut GeForce production by around 40% the following year (reported in the source).
- Raspberry Pi introduced an RPi 5 1GB model while raising prices for other variants.
- Plex added a paid license for remote streaming and, according to the author, began selling personal data.
- MinIO removed its admin UI and placed its open-source variant into maintenance without prior announcements.
- Mattermost imposed a 10,000-message limit on servers, a change that surprised and upset users.
- The author currently runs 69 containers across five computers, with two of those systems located off-site.
What to watch next
- How hardware price trends evolve through 2026 and 2027 — the author does not expect improvement in the near term.
- Whether additional self-hosted projects adopt monetization, feature limits, or maintenance-only policies similar to the examples cited.
- Garage as a potential replacement for users affected by MinIO’s changes — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Self-hosting: Running software and services on hardware you control rather than relying on third-party cloud providers.
- DRAM: Dynamic random-access memory, a type of volatile memory used by computers; its price can significantly affect system costs.
- NVMe: A high-performance storage interface for SSDs that offers faster data transfer than older SATA-based SSDs.
- Single-board computer (SBC): A small, complete computer built on a single circuit board (for example, Raspberry Pi), often used for hobbyist and low-power servers.
- Open-source maintenance: A project status where active feature development slows or stops and the codebase receives only fixes and limited upkeep.
Reader FAQ
Is self-hosting becoming more popular?
Yes; the source notes growing adoption examples such as Immich, increased interest in Gitea and Forgejo, and mainstream creators promoting self-hosting.
Are hardware prices a real problem for self-hosters?
Yes; the author cites DRAM up ~3–4× since September 2025, rising NVMe prices and supplier-driven changes that raise the cost of building or upgrading systems.
Can self-hosted software change rules or limit functionality unexpectedly?
Yes; the source documents instances where projects monetized features, removed interfaces, or imposed limits, undermining user expectations.
Is there a simple fix to these issues?
Not confirmed in the source.
Self-hosting is being enshittified Posted on 2025-12-29 Self-hosting is hard. I know this because I self-host as many services as I can.1 2025 was a big year for self-hosting. The…
Sources
- Self-hosting is being enshittified
- Self-Hosting is Rising and Linux Users are Leading This …
- The Hidden Costs of Self-Hosting
- Self-hosting isn't the solution everyone thinks it is
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