Compared to third-party tools, hosting apps and services on your own hardware requires a certain level of technological expertise. And the complexity goes up a notch when you try to run containers on bare-metal server distros instead of hosting them on typical desktop operating systems like Windows 11.

Or that's usually the case, unless you consider building a workstation centered around YunoHost. Whether you're a newcomer to the home server space or a hardened self-hosting enthusiast looking to put your dinosaur PC to good use, YunoHost is worth checking out!

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What's YunoHost?

And why should you use it?

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Named after the "Y U No Host" meme, YunoHost is a lightweight operating system that's designed to make self-hosting services as painless as possible. Thanks to its low hardware requirements, YunoHost can run on practically any system. Although it's simple enough for complete beginners, you shouldn't let its easy-to-navigate UI deceive you. The OS is armed with a massive app suite, ranging from popular services such as Nextcloud, Firefly III, and Bitwarden to more obscure applications like Shiori and Kiwix.

Better yet, a large subset of the tools available on YunoHost's application store are aimed at developers, making it a convenient platform for coders who want a no-nonsense means to run FOSS apps. As if that's not enough, the YunoHost UI also lets you set up custom domain names, thereby eliminating the need to work with complex scripts and configuration files.

Creating a bootable drive for YunoHost

As is the case with most operating systems, the first step in YunoHost's installation process involves creating a bootable drive. We've chosen Balena Etcher for this project, but you can also go with Rufus and other flashing tools.

Head to the YunoHost website and download the ISO file that's compatible with your PC's architecture. Download the setup.exe file for Balena Etcher and use it to install the tool on your PC. Run Balena Etcher with admin privileges. Click on the Flash from file button and choose the YunoHost ISO file you downloaded earlier.

Pick the flash disk you want to use as the bootable drive inside the Select storage option.

Tap Flash and wait for Balena Etcher to finish writing the OS files onto the USB drive.

Switching the boot order in the BIOS

Once the bootable drive is ready, it's time to modify the boot order of your old PC using the BIOS. To do so,

Power on your PC and repeatedly tap the Delete key as it boots up. Head to the Boot tab in the BIOS and make sure the USB drive appears under Boot option #1.

Save the changes before exiting the BIOS.

Installing YunoHost

The YunoHost installation wizard will appear once you're out of the BIOS. This is where you'll need to modify some settings to set up the OS.

Pick the Graphical install option.

Choose the Language for your YunoHost setup.

Be sure to hit

Next after each step. Select the Location of the system running YunoHost.

Pick the Keymap settings followed by your Timezone.

Assuming you plan to allocate a drive to YunoHost, choose Guided - use entire disk as the partitioning method before picking your drive.

Unlike other operating systems, the YunoHost installer doesn't display a confirmation message and will begin setting up the OS files right after you select the boot drive.

Accessing the web UI

After a restart, your PC should boot into YunoHost. But you're not done with the installation part just yet. That's because YunoHost has one final round of settings that you need to modify inside its web UI.

Copy the IP address of your YunoHost system from the terminal-like interface and paste it into a web browser on another device connected to the same network as your server PC. Enable the I agree toggle and hit Begin.

Unless you want a custom domain name for your YunoHost server, select the domain for local usage/test option and enter the Domain name.

Type the Username, Full Name, and Password.

Choose OK when YunoHost shows the post-installation confirmation message.

Once the script has finished running, enter the Username and Password from earlier to log in to the YunoHost web UI. Click on Applications and hit Install to browse all the apps you can install on YunoHost.

When you've found a service you'd like to self-host, click on it and tap Install once you're done making the necessary changes to the app's Install settings.

Transforming your obsolete hardware into a reliable YunoHost workstation

With that, you're free to tinker with all the services YunoHost has to offer. For beginners, I recommend starting off with simple apps like Calibre-web, Paperless-ngx, and Jellyfin before moving on to WireGuard, CiviCRM, and other tools. But if your workloads involve virtual machines rather than containers, you'd want to look into Proxmox, XCP-ng, or Harvester, though you'll need a beefy PC for the last one.

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