There are so many options to get started with self hosting that I feel myself stuck in the “paralysis of choice”. For a novice, does anyone have a good resource for the equivalent of good/better/best paths that cover the “basics” (In my mind this is hosting images, music, video, connected home controls, search and email)?
Thinking something like first try path A, if you feel comfortable and your HW can handle A, then try path B, etc. I guess a it of a tutorial mode feeling where you get exposed to key boxing blocks initially and then you are released into the large open world on your own.
I know the advantage of this movement is the choice and the well distributed variety, but just feels hard to start.
I have an old laptop, an SFF workstation and a NAS to play with.
Any suggestions?


OP, I failed to mention one of the most important things you can do as a novice or even as a seasoned vet: take prolific notes. Write down everything. All the commands, all the steps, you’ve used in conjunction with setting up whatever service you choose, everything. What I do is while I’m in the middle of deploying something, I write everything down. Upon a successful deployment, take those notes, clean them up, and include them in my 3,2,1 back up scheme. Don’t be lulled into the notion that you’ll be able to remember everything 6 months down the road. You wont! That’s the devil talking Bobby Boucher. Take notes. They’ll save your ass in the future.