Self-Host
Run it yourself. We’ll meet you there.
SocialWeb is designed to be self-hosted. The managed cloud option exists for convenience — the protocol-level privacy properties are identical either way.
Why self-host
Three reasons to run your own.
Complete control.
Your data lives on your hardware. You decide what runs, what stays, and what gets deleted. No shared infrastructure, no platform rules you didn't write.
No shared infrastructure.
A self-hosted SocialWeb instance is yours alone. There is no multi-tenant database where your subscriptions sit next to a stranger's. The server is a single-occupancy space.
Your data, your terms.
Export it, migrate it, delete it — any time, with no involvement from SocialWeb. We have no copy, no backup, no access. You own the data in the most literal sense.
Architecture
What a self-hosted instance looks like.
Your server runs the SocialWeb backend: it fetches RSS feeds, proxies web searches, and hosts group chat conversations. The SocialWeb mobile and web clients connect to it directly over HTTPS. From a user perspective, the experience is identical to the managed cloud. The difference is that no one else has a key to the building.
Requirements
What you’ll need.
- A Linux serverVPS or home server. 1 vCPU and 512 MB RAM is sufficient for personal use.
- DockerThe SocialWeb backend ships as a single Docker image.
- A domain nameNeeded for HTTPS. Any registrar works; point an A record at your server.
- About 15 minutesFrom a fresh VPS to a running instance.
SocialWeb’s group chat is built on an open extension to RSS. The full specification is published separately.
Read the protocol spec →