Privacy-First Self-Host
Identity, files, analytics, and secrets under operator control
For operators who prioritize data control: SSO, file sync, privacy-friendly analytics, team chat, and secrets—with explicit backup and access review practices.
Budget band
under-200 · self-host heavy
Components
| Tool | Role in stack | Required |
|---|---|---|
| authentik | SSO / IdP | yes |
| nextcloud | Files and internal collab | yes |
| vaultwarden | Password vault | yes |
| umami | Privacy-friendly analytics | yes |
| mattermost | Staff messaging | optional |
| wireguard | Admin VPN | yes |
| restic | Backups | yes |
Assumptions
- Technical operator available weekly.
- Legal counsel reviews privacy notices.
Risks
- SSO outage blocks many apps—need break-glass accounts.
- Self-host compliance still requires policies, not only tools.
Getting started
- Deploy Authentik and protect one app.
- Move staff files to Nextcloud with backup.
- Enforce VPN for admin UIs.
Audience
Roles: technical-operator, owner-operator, operations-manager
Problems: self-host-for-data-control, privacy-compliance, secure-door-access, centralize-knowledge
Workflows: access-provisioning, member-offboarding, compliance-review, backup-restore-drill
Last reviewed: 2026-07-17