Could be anything associated with the Fediverse, Lemmy, Mastodon, Pixelfed etc.

    • simple@lemmy.mywire.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      You don’t need any special hardware. I have my instance running on 1 CPU and 2GB of RAM just fine (granted, its just me there so there isn’t really any massive load).

      So yes, you can use your PC if you want. The only thing I’d say is that if you plan to have your instance federated (i.e. make posts from it, message people etc), you’d want to have it running all the time. Otherwise, if your PC is down and Lemmy isn’t running, your images and posts might not show up properly for people on other instances.

      Which is why most people prefer to rent a server or VPS (virtual private server, which is usually cheaper). Since you can have the server running 24/7.

      Other than that, you need a domain name. Again there are websites that can give you free domain names. But in my case I prefer to just buy a domain.

      If you check out https://join-lemmy.org/, there’s “Run a Server” option which goes over the steps.

      • hendrik
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        yeah, you should have a server for this. you will probably nnoy people when your instance goes offline, comes up again repeatedly. Also you’d need to fight with port forwarding dns etc on your local internet connection.

        • NaN@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          I think it’ll also annoy people when your instance is invaded by spam bots.

          People should feel free to set one up, but I don’t think it is something most people should consider just because they haven’t figured out how to subscribe to a community on another instance. This seems more like a neat project for people who already know how to use the Linux command line than a tip for people who are thinking of joining an instance for the first time.

      • rm_dash_r_star@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Which is why most people prefer to rent a server or VPS (virtual private server, which is usually cheaper). Since you can have the server running 24/7.

        That’s probably the best solution. You can rent a base VPS pretty cheap which is perfectly adequate if you’re not looking to support a lot of users. That way you get a static IP, high speed connection, and 24/7 uptime with no fuss.