10 Self-Hosted Apps to Boost your Productivity
These self-hosted apps have helped me become much more productive in both work and play time.
This whole self-hosting journey has lead me to back to one fact. I have found some applications I never knew I needed and through these apps I have become much more productive and organized.
Here's 10 apps that have boosted my own productivity.
Homepage
Let's start things off with how I organize all this chaos. Homepage is how I manage all of the self-hosted apps I use.
Homepage - A Stylish Self Hosted Startpage Dashboard
Homepage is a elegant startpage dashboard configured by YAML files. Let's take a closer look and set it up using Docker Compose.
Ghost CMS
Ghost has helped me zen out and clear my mind. I use Ghost CMS on this very website and I couldn't speak more highly about it. It's fast, easy to install and I really like the built in email subscription feature.
Self Host a Ghost Blog on Your Homelab Using Docker
Hosting your own website is fun and satisfying knowing you are in complete control of your data. Not only that but you are saving money by not paying for 3rd party hosting services.
Vikunja
I use Vikunja to keep track of tasks and errands. It's a great way to remind me of things I want to get done around the house and for work related projects.
Vikunja - The Self Hosted To-Do App to Organize Your Life
Vikunja is a open source, self hosted to-do portal with a bunch of awesome features like email reminders, category tags, notes and more.
Bookstack
Bookstack is an application I have talked about since I started Noted. I use Bookstack as my personal wiki for storing all kinds of information ranging from simple code snippets to more advanced how-to guides.
Bookstack - More than a Self Hosted Wiki
Bookstack is my all time favorite wiki that I have been using for nearly 3 years. Let's check it out!
NocoDB
I was in need of a contact form and I discovered NocoDB. It's a great application for not only that but also viewing databases I use as a smart spreadsheet.
Create a Contact Form using the Self-Hosted NocoDB and GMail SMTP
Create a free, self-hosted contact form using NocoDB and GMail SMTP.
Excalidraw
If you want to draw comprehensive diagrams and have fun while doing it, Excalidraw is the app you need to try. I use this all the time for drawing diagrams for work and play. You can see the simple self-hosted server and application diagram I drew recently.
Draw and Map your Self Hosted Services using Excaladraw
You'll have a blast drawing your self-hosted diagram using the self-hosted and open source Excalidraw. Here's how I did it.
HedgeDoc
I am not great when it comes to Markdown. So for that I use HedgeDoc as my little Markdown cheatsheet. I use it to mock-up README's for Github and even posts for Ghost CMS.
HedgeDoc - A Collaborative Markdown and Note Taking App
Create and collaborate in Markdown using the Self Hosted HedgeDoc.
Sharex and Zipline
I take a lot of screenshots. Mostly for writing guides here on Noted and sometimes for work related tasks. Zipline makes the whole process of screenshotting absolutely awesome. I use Sharex to take the screenshots and Zipline as the host for them. Whenever I take a screenshot it automatically gets uploaded to my Zipline server and the url is copied to my clipboard. It makes sharing screenshots fast and easy.
ZipLine - A Self Hosted ShareX Server
Self host your own screenshots, video clips, code and URL shortener in one FOSS application. Let's take a look at ZipLine for ShareX.
Stirling PDF
StirlingPDF is the Swiss army knife of PDF tools. However, I mostly use this app for signing PDF files digitally.
Stirling PDF - The Self Hosted PDF Swiss Army Knife
Stirling PDF is your one stop shop for all things PDF. Converting to and from, cropping, merging, watermarks, signing and so much more. Let's setup and self host Stirling PDF.
IT-Tools
Often times I find myself using IT-Tools for converting Docker run commands into Docker Compose. But that is only 1 of 71 tools in the suite! It's great for developers and can help you quickly convert, create and find things in code and everyday tasks.
Maximize Your Workflow with Self-Hosted IT-Tools Collection for Developers
Boost your efficiency with the streamlined tools in IT-Tools. A must-have collection for developers.
Final Notes and Thoughts
There are more apps and the list could go on and on but for now, I invite you to browse through our App Directory. If there's something I missed or have not covered here on Noted, let us know in the comments below!