How dangerous is it to host a website from my server

[jsnotlout1]

I see people saying it's an awful idea and saying it's a great idea. So I'm not sure.

I would run it behind a reverse proxy. probably through Cloudflare and purchasing a domain.

 

Am I better off using a hosting provider?

 

I have a lot of game servers running, they are attached to a domain name most of the time, and they each run in a user that only has permissions for that users folder on ubuntu. Many of them get funneled through my NGINX proxy, just so I can have a quick way to disconnect them all

[Eigenvektor]

1 hour ago, jsnotlout1 said:

I see people saying it's an awful idea and saying it's a great idea.

I assume you mean a computer in your home, connected to the internet through your private internet connection?

 

Servers generally need good upstream more so than downstream. A lot of residential connections don't have that. Additionally, your ISP might not allow hosting servers on residential plans and even if they don't actively prevent it, things like cgNAT might make it impossible anyway. Last but not least, attacks on the server or worse a breach will directly affect your private network.

 

All of that said, I'd generally recommend running a server using a hosting provider, who also typically have staff on-site to deal with hardware issues 24/7.

[jsnotlout1]

4 minutes ago, Eigenvektor said:

I assume you mean a computer in your home, connected to the internet through your private internet connection?

 

Servers generally need good upstream more so than downstream. A lot of residential connections don't have that. Additionally, your ISP might not allow hosting servers on residential plans and even if they don't actively prevent it, things like cgNAT might make it impossible anyway. Last but not least, attacks on the server or worse a breach will directly affect your private network.

 

All of that said, I'd generally recommend running a server using a hosting provider, who also typically have staff on-site to deal with hardware issues 24/7.

Fair points. I'm not on a cgnat, so that would be an issue, but I already have a lot of work keeping all my game servers up. I enjoy the inner workings of running stuff, but I think you make a good point about the staff dealing with any major outages and stuff. Also, I forgot about the ISP rules, They probably don't want me to do it.

 

Im leaning towards a hosting site, I just have to find one that lets me do what I want for a reasonable price

[jaslion]

4 minutes ago, jsnotlout1 said:

Fair points. I'm not on a cgnat, so that would be an issue, but I already have a lot of work keeping all my game servers up. I enjoy the inner workings of running stuff, but I think you make a good point about the staff dealing with any major outages and stuff. Also, I forgot about the ISP rules, They probably don't want me to do it.

 

Im leaning towards a hosting site, I just have to find one that lets me do what I want for a reasonable price

Also well security. Game servers are web facing however they do tend to be less commonly looked at as an intrusion point.

 

A web server? Ha we did tests when I was in college still within 24 hours garbage was on the systems and it was HELL to build a just about difficult enough system to get through that the automated systems from wherever on the internet gave up. Aka make it think longer than a minute or so

[Eigenvektor]

35 minutes ago, jsnotlout1 said:

I enjoy the inner workings of running stuff, but I think you make a good point about the staff dealing with any major outages and stuff.

If it's just for your private enjoyment that's one thing. If you have a popular site or game server that needs reliable uptime then you really don't want to be the person that has to get up in the middle of the night to fix a hardware issue, no matter how much you enjoy tinkering.

 

35 minutes ago, jsnotlout1 said:

I just have to find one that lets me do what I want for a reasonable price

Depends on what exactly your requirements are. I have a small Linux machine (vhost) that's around 10€ a month. If I could find the time/motivation to reinstall it and switch to an ARM based vhost it could actually be a bit cheaper (I think 6.50€ or some such).

 

28 minutes ago, jaslion said:

A web server? Ha we did tests when I was in college still within 24 hours garbage was on the systems and it was HELL to build a just about difficult enough system to get through that the automated systems from wherever on the internet gave up.

Yes, a web server is going to be attacked by bots immediately. My own server's logs can attest to that. The primary goals appear to be things like phpMyAdmin. You will need to stay on top of security updates and avoid commonly exploited software, such as PHP. Additionally, any web based management interface that is internet facing is a complete no-go. Anything management related should always be done through a VPN and/or SSH using certificate based authentication.

[manikyath]

the risks with home host are more implications for ISP license agreements, and *if* things get compromised they may be able to get additional access within your LAN.. if that's their goal at all.

 

webhosting is always a target for attacks, the question is how you feel about willingly putting a target inside your house, when realisticly putting that target in a location designed to house targets isnt shockingly expensive.

[Eigenvektor]

1 hour ago, manikyath said:

designed to house targets isnt shockingly expensive.

Speaking of cost, that's another thing to consider. How much do you pay for hosting per month VS how much do you pay upfront for the hardware and the server's electricity (and technically internet connection) per month?

 

Speaking of ISP: Even without an attack, hosting at home will impact your own available bandwidth. What happens if you want to watch Netflix while somebody is uploading a large file to your server? You can prioritize the traffic, of course, but which one is more important?