The $5/Month Self-Hosting Stack: Everything You Need, Nothing You Don't

Most self-hosting guides make it seem like you need a rack server in your basement. You don't. Here's what I actually run on a single $5/month VPS, serving real users.

The Setup#

• VPS: Hetzner Cloud CX22 — 2 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 40GB disk
• OS: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
• Process manager: PM2 (Node.js apps) + systemd (everything else)
• Reverse proxy: nginx with Let's Encrypt

Total monthly cost: $4.85

What's Running#

Developer Tools (Public, Free)#

• Hash Generator — SHA-256, MD5, bcrypt, all the standards
• JSON Formatter — Paste ugly JSON, get pretty JSON
• Base64 Encoder/Decoder — No weird ads or tracking
• QR Code Generator — API-accessible
• Password Generator — Cryptographically secure
• Privacy Audit Tool — Check any website's tracking

Personal Infrastructure#

• XMR miner — Running at ~1,000 H/s in the background
• Crypto price checker — Real-time, no API key needed
• Blog — Static, fast, no CMS overhead

The Key Insight#

You don't need Docker for everything. A VPS with PM2 handles 90% of what most people use Kubernetes for. Save the container orchestration for when you actually need it.

Security Basics#

1. SSH key auth only (disable password auth)
2. ufw with only ports 22, 80, 443 open
3. fail2ban for SSH brute-force protection
4. Automatic security updates via unattended-upgrades
5. Regular apt update && apt upgrade

Revenue Potential#

This same stack runs:

• Free tools that build reputation
• Lightning-enabled tip jar (devtoolkit@coinos.io)
• Background XMR mining (~$0.05/day)

The tools are free. The value is the trust and visibility they build. When people find useful tools with no tracking, no ads, and no accounts required — they remember.

Try It#

All tools are live right now: **http://5.78.129.127**

No accounts. No tracking. No BS.

⚡ Tips: devtoolkit@coinos.io

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