Software as a service (SaaS) is a relatively new thing for software, having started out maybe 10-15 years ago.
The SaaS model has some very attractive features for you as a user, the primary one being that you do not have to worry about hosting the app yourself.
This is a convenience, or dare I say luxury, that you end up paying for.
Every single month you have to pay your "rent" to the provider. If you stop paying, you're giving up access to the software.
That may sound fair at first sight, but maybe it's not. What if you've paid this subscription for the past 3 years?
In the words of people smarter than us, shouldn't you own that shit by now?
See, we're not the only ones who think this way. Many have experienced subscription fatigue.
People are tired of paying and paying and paying and in the end owning nothing.
What happens if they change the product in a way you dislike? You can't revert back to the old product. You're left paying for what *they* want to give you.
What about when these VC-backed companies die? Most of them do. And you're left with no other choice but to go find an alternative, disrupting your workflow.
These are the inherent costs of the SaaS model to you as a user.
But what if you could run the software yourself?
Well, you can. In 2024, technologies like Docker and providers like Digital Ocean have made it easier than ever to self-host web applications.
It doesn't take hours and hours of training. It doesn't even take hours to set up or a lot of work to maintain long-term.
It's as easy as making a github account and doing a few clicks in a UI.
That's it. No terminals or weird IT shit. I promise.
Now, you can join the self-hosting revolution or, if you don't trust my promise, click here to see for yourself that self-hosting is easy.
Join the self-hosting revolution