this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2025
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Please take this discussion to this post: https://lemmy.ml/post/28376589

Main contentSelfhosting is always a dilemma in terms of security for a lot of reasons. Nevertheless, I have one simple goal: selfhost a Jellyfin instance in the most secure way possible. I don't plan to access it anywhere but home.

TL;DR

I want the highest degree of security possible, but my hard limits are:

  • No custom DNS
  • Always-on VPN
  • No self-signed certificates (unless there is no risk of MITM)
  • No external server

Full explanation

I want to be able to access it from multiple devices, so it can't be a local-only instance.

I have a Raspberry Pi 5 that I want to host it on. That means I will not be hosting it on an external server, and I will only be able to run something light like securecore rather than something heavy like Qubes OS. Eventually I would like to use GrapheneOS to host it, once Android's virtual machine management app becomes more stable.

It's still crazy to me that 2TB microSDXC cards are a real thing.

I would like to avoid subscription costs such as the cost of buying a domain or the cost of paying for a VPN, however I prioritize security over cost. It is truly annoying that Jellyfin clients seldom support self-signed certificates, meaning the only way to get proper E2EE is by buying a domain and using a certificate authority. I wouldn't want to use a self-signed certificate anyways, due to the risk of MITM attacks. I am a penetration tester, so I have tested attacks by injecting malicious certificates before. It is possible to add self-signed certificates as trusted certificates for each system, but I haven't been able to get that to work since it seems clients don't trust them anyways.

Buying a domain also runs many privacy risks, since it's difficult to buy domains without handing over personal information. I do not want to change my DNS, since that risks browser fingerprinting if it differs from the VPN provider. I always use a VPN (currently ProtonVPN) for my devices.

If I pay for ProtonVPN (or other providers) it is possible to allow LAN connections, which would help significantly, but the issue of self-signed certificates still lingers.

With that said, it seems my options are very limited.

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[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago (13 children)

Run in at home and get Tailscale setup with a Headscale server, or just use Tailscale straight out of you want. That's the simplest.

A better option would be getting an OpenWRT router and start building proper infrastructure for doing something like this. You'll have many different options for decentralized and NAT traversing VPNs with this option. GL.Inet Flint is a great choice.

[–] Charger8232@lemmy.ml 0 points 3 weeks ago (12 children)

Run in at home and get Tailscale setup with a Headscale server, or just use Tailscale straight out of you want. That’s the simplest.

I have no idea how to do this. Do you have any resources? Does it cost a subscription fee?

A better option would be getting an OpenWRT router

This is what I have planned. OpenWrt Two my beloved

You’ll have many different options for decentralized and NAT traversing VPNs with this option. GL.Inet Flint is a great choice.

I also don't know how to do this. Resources are much appreciated :)

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (11 children)

Okay, so let me explain a bit:

Tailscale is a commercial client that is semi-FOSS. It's built on Wireguard, which is FOSS, but the cloud hosted architecture does cost money after I think 5 clients.

Headscale is a FOSS implementation of Tailscale, and totally free to host, skipping the above.

Tailscale itself is super easy to use, and you just install it on a node, register it, and then it has access to any other device on that secured network. So if you install it on your Jellyfin machine at home behind your normal firewall, then install it on your phone, you'll be able to connect to it without forwarding ports for messing around with much.

It should be that simple.

[–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 3 weeks ago

Iirc it supports 100 clients on the free tier, but even that is a soft limit -- I've heard that they will accommodate more devices if you ask (and you're in a non-commercial setting)

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