As I've interacted with different services over the past year, I've realized that there are plenty of things that people over-simplify about self-hosting. This includes the technical skills often required, as well as the many ways to self-host various software.

I'm glad I chose Docker containers for my self-hosting journey, since they let me use the hardware I already had. That said, this doesn't mean every service is easy to deploy — some require certain skills and knowledge. However, with these self-hosted containers, even very new beginners can get started easily.

Wallos

A self-hosted subscription tracking app

Wallos is a subscription-tracking app that lets you add recurring payments and bills via a web interface. I know it's a great container to try for beginners because it was the very first self-hosted app I tried, and I was able to get it up and running with minimal self-hosting knowledge using Docker Desktop.

You can get it started using either a Docker run command or Docker Compose. Once it's started, use your machine's IP address and the container's port (defaulting to http://localhost:8282) to access the service. There, you can set up your profile information and password.

The reason I suggest it for beginners is that you don't need to know anything about networking, coding, or database intricacies to get it working.

OmniTools

A simple suite of self-hosted tools

If you're looking for open-source tools that can save you money, then OmniTools gives you access to utility tools that usually require a paid subscription or premium software. It's also dead simple to set up in a container.

You can see if any of its tools appeal to you before choosing to self-host it by visiting the OmniTools website. It has a variety of image tools (including compression, conversion, and background removal) and useful PDF tools. It also has a variety of video and audio tools, along with other handy utilities.

While you can find some of these tools spread across different websites, OmniTools has a few benefits. First off, because you're self-hosting it, your data is under your control. You don't have to worry about malicious files or your data being used to train algorithms. Secondly, all these tools are consolidated into a single, lightweight utility.

Usually, when it comes to self-hosting, privacy benefits come at the cost of convenience. Many tools require you to have quite a bit of technical knowledge, too. But with OmniTools, you can easily get access to some pretty useful utilities without much technical knowledge at all.

Immich

Self-hosted photo management

Immich is a slight step up in terms of technical knowledge compared to Wallos and OmniTools, since it is a service composed of multiple containers. Don't let this dissuade you, though; it just means you can't set it up with a Docker run command — instead, you need to use Docker Compose.

This involves using a Docker Compose .YML file and a.ENV file, and running the Docker command from the relevant folder in your terminal, but Immich provides great example files you can use. These files require minimal tweaking, making Immich great for beginners who aren't very familiar with compose file syntax.

When I created my Immich containers, I just changed the time zone settings and default password. I used a slightly different process than the steps in the documentation because I was using Windows rather than Linux.

For example, instead of using commands to create the relevant folder and files, I created the folder in Windows' File Explorer. I saved the example files in the documentation to the new folder (renaming example.env to just .env), made the relevant tweaks using a text editor, then launched Command Prompt in the folder and ran the command docker compose up -d.

In no time, I was able to get Immich running despite my newness to self-hosting. I recommend this container to beginners because it offers plenty of functionality, yet remains incredibly powerful and useful without requiring much technical knowledge. You should note, though, that you won't be able to access it from outside your home network without additional knowledge and configuration.

Rwmarkable

Simple notes and checklists

There are a few things I like about the checklist and note-taking app Rwmarkable: its documentation is detailed, its example compose file includes helpful notes, and its developer is incredibly responsive to GitHub posts.

I also like that it lets you create notes however you like, including using a rich text editor. This also makes it easy to copy and paste content, such as tables, from the web, which is one of the frustrations I've had with some Markdown and open-source tools in the past.

But besides the software itself being very user-friendly, the container is also very easy to deploy. This is one of the more recent services I've deployed, so I understood more of what was going on in the commands and compose file. However, I also didn't need to tweak anything to get it working, which makes it useful for beginners.

Self-hosting can be easy with the right containers

There are some basic things you will need to know to get started with self-hosting, such as how to access your command line and launch Docker (though Docker Desktop provides a GUI). But those skills can be learned in less than an afternoon through online tutorials, allowing you to get started with container self-hosting incredibly quickly.

I know because that's what I did without any coding, Docker, or networking experience — and with minimal exposure to Linux. This doesn't mean there weren't hiccups along the way, but these containers have been some of the easiest to deploy in my experience, while still providing useful functionality.