I am trying to use my old laptops for self-hosting. One has a 6th gen Intel Core i3 (4GB ram), the other has an 11th gen Intel Core i5 (8GB ram). I have previously tried both ubuntu server and desktop but couldn’t get it to work well. For the former I found it difficult to remote ssh and the latter I had difficulty installing Docker containers. (I’m not very good with the command line)

I would like to find an OS that is easier to setup with less of a neccesity for the command line (I would still like to learn how to use it though, I don’t want to get rid of it entirely!). I’ve heard of CasaOS, is that a good option? It seems quite easy to use. What about other alternatives?

  • Günther Unlustig 🍄@slrpnk.netEnglish
    141·
    12 days ago

    I can recommend you Debian, since it’s the “default” for many servers and has a lot of documentation and an extremely big userbase.

    For web interfaces, I can recommend you, as you already mentioned, CasaOS and Cockpit.

    I used CasaOS in the beginning and liked it, but nowadays, I mostly use Cockpit, where I have the feeling that it integrates the host system more, and allows me to do most of my maintenance (updating, etc.) quite easily.

    • sbird@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      3·
      12 days ago

      Thanks, that was really helpful :D

      I’ll try CasaOS then, and later maybe I could move to Debian once I get better at the command line!

      • BruisedMoose@piefed.socialEnglish
        4·
        12 days ago

        For what it’s worth, CasaOS isn’t actually an operating system. It absolutely works as an easy way to install and manage your self-hosted apps if you aren’t comfortable with the command line, but you still need to have a working Linux installation.

        Yunohost is kind of similar as far as making things easier, but it operates as a standalone OS, so might be more what you’re looking for.