Comparison with Self-Hosting Platforms

How Auberge compares to established self-hosting platforms — and why it exists.

Context

Several platforms make self-hosting accessible: web UIs, one-click installs, app stores. They solve real problems for real users. Auberge takes a different approach — a Rust CLI that drives Ansible playbooks to deploy native systemd services on a minimal VPS. No web UI, no app store, and no containers unless upstream leaves no choice.

This page explains where these platforms excel, where their priorities diverge from Auberge’s, and what motivated building something new.

YunoHost

YunoHost is a Debian-based distribution with a web UI, LDAP-based SSO, one-click app installs, and integrated backups. Maintained since 2012 by a French nonprofit, it’s the most mature community-driven option.

Strengths:

• Web UI for everything — install/remove apps, manage users, configure domains
• SSO via LDAP — one account per user across all apps
• Integrated backup with BorgBackup support (encrypted, deduplicated, remote)
• Large app catalog (~500 packaged apps) with community-reviewed security config
• Only 2 CVEs in core project history

Different trade-offs:

• Installs Nginx, Postfix, Dovecot, Metronome (XMPP), LDAP, Dnsmasq, and SSOwat as base services — useful if you need them, overhead if you don’t
• The base stack isn’t swappable (can’t replace Nginx with Caddy, can’t remove the mail server)
• Expects to own the machine — running custom services alongside it (Headscale, custom DNS) means working around the abstraction
• Recovery means restoring from backup rather than re-running a playbook on a fresh box
• Some apps I use aren’t packaged: Headscale, Blocky, Colporteur, Bichon, Grimmory

YunoHost is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to self-host without thinking about infrastructure. It covers the most ground with the least effort.

Umbrel

Umbrel (umbrelOS) is a Docker-based home server OS with a polished app-store UI, primarily focused on Bitcoin nodes and media servers.

Strengths:

• Beautiful, consumer-friendly UI
• Large containerized app catalog (~300 apps)
• Active community and ecosystem

Different trade-offs:

• Shifted to PolyForm Noncommercial “Source Available” license — can’t be freely forked or redistributed
• No HTTPS by default — a concern for any VPS exposed to the internet
• Designed for dedicated hardware on a LAN, not internet-facing VPS deployments
• Docker-only architecture with a proprietary management layer

The licensing change is a dealbreaker for FOSS-principled setups, and the LAN-first design makes it a poor fit for VPS deployments.

CasaOS

CasaOS is a lightweight Docker management UI that installs on top of Debian/Ubuntu, developed by IceWhale Technology (ZimaBoard makers).

Strengths:

• Lightweight and easy to install on existing systems
• Clean UI for managing Docker containers
• Low barrier to entry for beginners

Different trade-offs:

• LAN-oriented design — the web UI has no HTTPS, and on a fresh VPS install the setup page is exposed on the public IP without authentication
• No built-in backup system, LDAP/SSO, or Let’s Encrypt management
• IceWhale is shifting focus to ZimaOS (their commercial NAS OS), raising questions about CasaOS’s long-term maintenance
• For someone comfortable with a CLI, it adds a UI layer but not much operational tooling

CasaOS works well as a home media server on a local network. For internet-facing VPS deployments, the security model needs additional hardening.

ZimaOS

ZimaOS is CasaOS’s successor — a full standalone NAS operating system from IceWhale.

Different trade-offs:

• x86-only, bare-metal only — meant to be flashed as the sole OS, primarily on Zima hardware
• NAS-focused features (RAID, ZFS/Btrfs, GPU passthrough) that are irrelevant to lightweight VPS deployments
• Overwrites customizations on update

Interesting for a home NAS appliance, but not designed for the VPS use case.

Why Auberge exists

The platforms above solve real problems. Auberge targets a narrower set of priorities:

• Native services: systemd services on a 2-4GB VPS; containers only where upstream supports nothing else
• Full control: every service, every config file, every firewall rule
• Reproducibility: if the server dies, auberge deploy --all on a fresh box gets you back
• Minimal attack surface: only the services you chose, nothing else
• Pick your tools: Caddy over Nginx, Blocky over Dnsmasq, Headscale for mesh networking — opinionated defaults, but the Ansible roles are yours to modify
• FOSS licensing: AGPL-3.0, no commercial pivot risk

Auberge is selfware — software I built to manage my own infrastructure. My needs drive every decision. That said, if you share similar priorities — minimal footprint, reproducibility, direct control — you might find it useful too. Contributions, feedback, and ideas are welcome. The Contributing guide is a good place to start.

The platforms above do more than I need in some places, less in others. Auberge is shaped around my specific priorities.

Comparison at a glance

	Auberge	YunoHost	Umbrel	CasaOS
License	AGPL-3.0	AGPL-3.0	PolyForm NC	Apache 2.0
Architecture	Native systemd	Native (Debian)	Docker	Docker
Web UI	No (CLI only)	Yes	Yes	Yes
VPS-suitable	Yes	Yes	No	Risky
Base RAM overhead	~0 (just your services)	~300-500MB	~200-400MB	~100-200MB
Reproducible	Yes (Ansible)	No (restore from backup)	No	No
SSO/LDAP	No (per-app auth)	Yes	No	No
Backup	Built-in	Built-in + Borg	Manual	Manual
App catalog	Curated	~500 packaged	~300 containerized	~100 containerized
Customizable	Fully	Limited	Minimal	Moderate
HTTPS	Caddy (auto)	Let’s Encrypt (auto)	Not by default	Not by default