12 mo. ago • 100%

Should I buy a domain for Nextcloud self hosting?

I want to set up a server on an old laptop at home to synchronize my Obsidian notes and some pdfs. I'll install Nextcloud AIO but I have a question about domain.

Do I need to buy a domain name for the sync to work properly? I created a dynamic dns account on Noip but I don't know if this is a temporary solution or permanent?

If the domain is necessary, is it enough to just buy a domain or do I need to buy a hosting package or something?

11 comments

From the Nextcloud AIO GIthub page:

"Can I use an ip-address for Nextcloud instead of a domain?

No and it will not be added. If you only want to run it locally, you may have a look at the following documentation: local-instance.md"

3
- Thank you, I have read these but I didn't understand well because of my English.
  
  I couldn't get AIO work with Tailscale. I install Nextcloud Snap, it works well now.
  
  1
Not required, but I have found it easy to do and easier to access your server from outside you home network. I use a domain along with a dynamic IP service. Plus I can use sub-domains for other self-hosted applications that I want to access outside my home network. Recently I added nginx proxy manager to manage all the inbound traffic to the various servers and sub-domains.

3
- Even if I buy a domain, will I need a static or dynamic ip?
  
  1
  
  Depends on your ISP and what country you are in. My guess a dynamic IP service is cheaper than the price of a static IP from your ISP. I think I pay roughly $10 a year for dynamic IP service.
  
  3
  
  Don't need a static IP. You can have a service running that updates your domain to point to your new IP automatically when/if it changes
  
  3
If you just want to access it with your own devices from anywhere, check out tailscale. I'm using it to access my desktop from anywhere and it works perfectly without having to screw around with DDNS.

2
- I've been trying for hours, but I can't start Nextcloud. I get "port 443: Name does not resolve" error. I opened port 443 but I can't forward it to the Tailscale IP. Unfortunately, I cannot find enough information about Tailscale/Nextcloud on the web.
  
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- Thank you very much. I think this would be a better solution than DDNS, and it's free.
  
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I have a dyn account and it works for me. No hosting at all. That said, its price has gone up a lot since I first got it. My ISP rarely changes my IP on me, so I could probably get away with no hosting at all and just use my IP address as the nextcloud, but I didn't know that back when I started using it.

2
- Thank you.
  
  1

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