Do i need WHOIS privacy?

We cannot tell you what level of privacy you need.

BTW, for example .eu domains only have an emailaddress public in Whois and your preferred language. In that case I'd say there is good privacy.

Do i need SSL support?

Yes, just configure TLS for anything that you host. Letsencrypt exist, after all. It doesn't even cost you anything.

What else should i know before committing to buying a domain

If you ever use it for email, do not get rid of it. Just in case you later need to receive an email and to stop others from receiving your emails.

Do i need to use my actual details when registering a site? I dont like the idea of anyone being able to look up my personal information just because I have a domain for a server (but perhaps thats just the price of admission)

No need to enter valid data when registering a domain. If your data is invalid, many if not most NICs will revoke the domain. They require valid data to know who the customer is.