I’m looking to create a space for a small subreddit that I moderate that has maybe a couple hundred active users at most. I feel like the documentation provided here leaves a lot up to assuming the reader has prior knowledge of hosting a web service. I don’t have any such prior knowledge so I’m hoping I can ask here. Please bear with me as I fumble my way through asking questions about a thing I’m doing for the first time.

I am thinking this is accomplished with a computer set up at my location, like a tiny little AWS in my bedroom running by the sheer force of my internet connection, and the hopes and dreams for my community. Or am I completely misunderstanding what it means to host an instance?

-Does the local machine store files like pictures posted by users? If yes I assume this means I should build a computer with sufficient storage to meet this demand.

-Does the lemmy install via ansible require the local machine to run an operating system? Or does ansible fill that role? I’m assuming the former based on the documentation for ansible, and that it should be a linux distro but I’m dense, so I’m asking.

-Is it required that the instance be federated to and visible to other instances? I would like for it to be isolated and somewhat private.

-The local machine would be connected to my personal business ISP connection. Could the instance be traced to my physical location? If so, what would be necessary to mitigate that?

-Am I entirely out of my depth? I can follow a guide real well, and problem solve, I just have no experience.

Thank you for your time!

  • the_boxhead@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    I wouldn’t start with trying to run an instance. Just find a server that suits you (either rules or location etc) and create your community on that.

  • Fiech@discuss.tchncs.de
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    1 year ago

    If you just want to recreate a subreddit, which in lemmy terms is a community, you can do so on most instances, if you have a user account on there.

    For this, you do not need to run you own instance. Unless you want to host stuff that is against the TOS of regular instances or you want complete and total control of the server, you can create the community on one of the many instances already running.

    Setting up an instance for only a single community is a) overkill and b) slims the chance that other users will find and join your community.