Surveying the Field
As we began designing Tealok, we faced an important question: What’s already out there, and how can we do better? This series is our answer.
When Eli and I started Gleipnir earlier this year, we knew one thing for certain: we wanted to address the growing frustrations with today’s tech landscape. People are increasingly dissatisfied with platforms that prioritize monetization over meaningful innovation, locking users into ecosystems that offer convenience at the cost of control, privacy, and trust.
As we began designing Tealok, we faced an important question: What’s already out there, and how can we do better?
This series is our answer. Over the next few posts, we’ll explore the existing landscape of self-hosting solutions, looking at the tools, platforms, and philosophies that have shaped the space. We’ll analyze what has worked, where challenges remain, and how Tealok fits into this ecosystem.
The Problem: A Broken Relationship Between Users and Platforms
The tech industry has drifted away from serving its users. In the pursuit of profit, many platforms have adopted models that treat users as the product, harvesting behavioral data to sell to advertisers. This approach incentivizes companies to maintain control over users rather than empower them.
For people seeking an alternative, the idea of self-hosting—running software on their own hardware—has emerged as a compelling solution. Self-hosting promises freedom from surveillance, control over data, and the ability to customize tools to fit individual needs. But while the concept is attractive, the reality is often daunting. Most self-hosting solutions are designed for highly technical users, leaving others behind.
What This Series Will Cover
In this series, we’ll examine the self-hosting landscape to understand what’s working, what’s not, and where there’s room for improvement. Each post will take a deep dive into a specific tool, platform, or concept, including:
- Established Platforms: We’ll explore solutions like Sandstorm, UmbrelOS, and FreedomBox, breaking down their features, strengths, and limitations.
- Emerging Players: Newcomers like Olares and HexOS have brought fresh ideas to the table—what can we learn from their approaches?
- Community-Driven Efforts: Open-source initiatives like YunoHost and the broader “Awesome-Selfhosted” movement demonstrate the power of collective effort, but do they meet the needs of non-technical users?
How We’ll Evaluate the Field
To make sense of this space, we’ll assess each platform using the following criteria:
- Ease of Use: Can a non-technical user set it up and maintain it without frustration?
- Scalability: Does the solution grow with the user’s needs, or does it hit a wall at a certain point?
- Alignment of Incentives: Are the developers’ goals aligned with the users’ needs, or are there hidden trade-offs like data harvesting?
- Community and Support: Is there an active community to help users and keep the project alive?
- Longevity: Has the project demonstrated resilience over time, or is it at risk of stagnation or abandonment?
We’ll also reflect on how these platforms approach common challenges, such as simplifying setup, maintaining security, and providing a seamless user experience.
Why This Matters
Understanding the self-hosting space is critical for anyone frustrated with the current state of technology. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a family looking for privacy-focused tools, or a business seeking alternatives to SaaS, this series will provide valuable insights.
At Gleipnir, we believe that technology should serve people—not exploit them. By mapping this landscape, we’re not just charting the competition; we’re laying the groundwork for Tealok to address the gaps others have left behind. This series will clarify how Tealok is different, what it offers, and why it’s uniquely positioned to make self-hosting accessible to everyone.
Join Us on the Journey
We invite you to follow along as we explore the self-hosting ecosystem, one platform at a time. Each post will delve into a different corner of this space, offering lessons learned, best practices, and a vision for how self-hosting can truly empower users.
Stay tuned for our first deep dive, where we’ll take a closer look at Sandstorm, one of the pioneers in this space, and examine what it can teach us about creating solutions that last.
