this post was submitted on 24 Mar 2026
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So we have an old computer lying around and I wanna put it to good use. It’s an Apple laptop from like 2016. I don’t have the money for a VPS as I have no job, I’ve had trouble with cards in the past, and I only have a few dollars on my gift cards. I was thinking I could use just the computer and have it run 24/7 despite being inefficient, potentially, but what about hosting it on my own network and the CSAM/weird content issues that I have to face?

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[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 20 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Hosting does not attract CSAM on its own. Anonymous uploads do. Only host services that you find useful yourself, and maybe sharing it with friends, and that's a reasonably safe start.

[–] atheqtpie@piefed.blahaj.zone 4 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Tusen takk, kompis! I wanna run a Lemmy server, do you think I can still do it with just a bare computer and no VPS?

[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I don't have experience with hosting lemmy specifically, but from what I hear it doesn't require much other than being a bit RAM-hungry. Add some swap space, use the instance primarily for yourself, and you should be good.

[–] Eirikr70@jlai.lu 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

You can. But it will be easier if you have a static IP.