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Looking to get started with the Hudu Self-Hosted solution? You've come to the right place.
Guides
Which guide should I use?
Based on your criteria and your desired goals, we have different guides you may want to use.
| Guide | Best For | Downsides of Guide |
| Standard Setup Guide for Self-Hosted | Most users. This setup bundles Hudu with a free LetsEncrypt SSL certificate that auto-renews. | You will need to keep ports 443 and 80 open from the outside. |
| Custom SSL Certificate Guide | Users who want to use their own SSL certificate, or users who want to keep everything internal (no outside access) in a secure manner | Requires a custom SSL Certificate |
| No SSL Certificate Guide | Users who want to keep their Hudu instance internal (no outside access) | This approach is not recommended for security reasons unless you are fully locking down your environment. |
Advantages of self-hosting
The advantages of self-hosting are numerous. Self-hosting creates possibilities that are non-existent in distribution methods. One significant benefit is the ability to control your documentation, without having to trust another party with sensitive information. Another benefit is the ability to control downtime, so your business processes are not at risk when another party is having technical issues.
Is it the same feature-set as Hosted?
Yes, both Hudu Self-Hosted and our Hosted version have the same feature capabilities.
Hosting options
We recommend that you self-host Hudu on a cloud provider such as DigitalOcean or Amazon Web Services, but you may also host Hudu on-premise. Our recommended approach to host Hudu on a cloud provider like DigitalOcean or Amazon Web Services are because these environments are similar to how we host Magic Cloud Instances. This means we have more knowledge on troubleshooting when issues arise. Ultimately, this is your decision, and know that many have hosted internally without any issues.
How long will setup take?
Usually, expect to allocate 30 minutes for setup. This will depend on your level of technical knowledge when it comes to networking, Docker, and server setup.
How long will maintenance take?
Expect maintenance to take ~20 minutes. Your Hudu instance will be down during this time, so make sure to do it at times when no one is accessing the service. Also, always make sure to validate that you have a current backup before updating.