It All Started with a © Raspberry Pi… 🍓💻
It all started the day I watched Linus Tech Tips explain how to block ads at a network-wide level using a tiny device called a Raspberry Pi Zero. At the time, it was the first version of the Raspberry Pi Zero, and all I needed was an inexpensive board, a few hours of watching videos, trial and error, some headaches, and a bit of hair-pulling.
Back then, I didn’t realize that the world was mostly running on x86 architecture, not ARM, making this journey a bit more complicated than I had anticipated. But I charged forward.
The First Steps into Self-Hosting 🚀
The first challenge? Burning the image onto an SD card.
Luckily, I had already been using Linux for a few years, so I had a decent understanding of how to install software on Ubuntu with the GNOME desktop. But even with that experience, my first attempts at setting up Pi-hole were completely unsuccessful.
I thought to myself:
“I must have a defective board.”
But the reality was much simpler:
I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.
So, I rewatched the video—several times—and went deeper down the rabbit hole of self-hosting (a term I didn’t even know existed at the time). A quick search led me to several tutorials on setting up Pi-hole, a fantastic tool for blocking ads across an entire network.
Success… and Then Failure Again 😅
After a couple of days and dozens of failed attempts, I finally managed to set up my network-wide ad blocker.
It was working! No more intrusive ads, no more tracking scripts running wild. I had control over my own internet experience.
But then, a few months later, disaster struck.
An SD card is NOT a reliable storage device.
My Raspberry Pi Zero failed, and I had to start over from scratch. And, of course, I had already forgotten how to set up Pi-hole.
It was frustrating. It felt like all my progress had been erased.
But instead of giving up, I saw an opportunity.
The Beginning of a Passion 💡
That first Raspberry Pi might have failed me, but in reality, it did something much more valuable: It ignited a passion for self-hosting and DevOps that I still pursue today.
This small, frustrating, and eye-opening experience led me down the path of self-hosting. What started as a simple ad-blocking experiment turned into an obsession with running my own services, setting up better infrastructure, and learning everything I could about automation, virtualization, and system administration.
I realized something important: self-hosting wasn’t just about getting rid of ads—it was about taking control.
Control over my own data.
Control over my own tools.
Control over the way I interact with the internet.
With each failed attempt, I learned something new. I discovered the power of Linux servers, containerization, virtualization, automation, and the countless possibilities that come with managing my own infrastructure.
And that’s what I want to share with you.
Your Journey Starts Here 🌍
If you’re reading this and feeling overwhelmed by the thought of self-hosting, I get it. I was there too.
But here’s the thing: every expert was once a beginner. Every person who runs a homelab, who manages cloud infrastructure, or who builds automation workflows started somewhere—usually with a lot of mistakes, confusion, and trial and error.
The key is to keep going. To embrace the failures, learn from them, and improve.
Start with something simple—maybe Pi-hole, like I did. Play around with a Raspberry Pi. Get comfortable with the command line. And then, slowly but surely, you’ll build the confidence to take on bigger projects.
Self-hosting isn’t just a hobby—it’s a mindset. It’s the belief that you can take control of your digital life, rather than relying on corporations to do it for you.
🚀 So, are you ready to start your own adventure?