It’s easy to dive deep into the rabbit hole of self-hosting services—trust me, I’ve been falling into this pit almost weekly since starting my YouTube channel over two years ago. But today, I want to talk about finding balance. If you have a service that’s working well, maybe it’s better to leave it alone instead of replacing it with the shiny new tool you just stumbled upon on a quiet Sunday.
For example, let’s say you have a VPN. It’s set up, and it’s working perfectly. Then, you discover a new VPN—a “better” VPN that everyone is raving about. Suddenly, FOMO kicks in, and you start setting it up right away. I know the feeling because I’ve done this countless times. However, I’ve started asking myself some critical questions before diving in:
• Does this new service offer features I will actually use?
• Will it create more work compared to my current solution?
• Is there anything wrong with what I’m already using, or am I just excited about trying something new?
Exploring and learning about new services is one of the joys of self-hosting, but this habit can easily disrupt your environment if you’re not careful. That’s why I’ve made it a point to use a sandbox environment—a “playpen” where I can experiment with new tools. I test them, learn how they work, and after about a week, if I find myself genuinely using and needing the service, only then do I integrate it into my main server or home lab. This approach keeps my home lab stable and as streamlined as a home lab can be, while still allowing me the freedom to learn and explore without breaking anything critical.
If you don’t already have a sandbox environment, I highly recommend setting one up. I use Proxmox to run a simple VM for testing, but an old laptop, Raspberry Pi, or similar device works just as well.
Keep it simple, keep it clean, but most importantly, keep learning.
