Beginner in setting up local storage on rpi reddit / selfhosted ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ConfusedYeti17 · 2023-12-30 15:50 Thanks for humoring my beginner post. Problem: I have too many photos/videos (8-10 gb) and some files (< 1 gb) and am looking for a reliable and convenient storage solution where the data is easily accessible and don’t want to pay monthly dues to the big companies for storage. I intend to continue adding to this drive, so easy access is key. It at least needs to be local, as I don’t intend needing access to these files outside the house. My wife and I have a Mac and a windows computer and so the solution needs to be able to communicate well with both, and I am trying to avoid needing to have a collection of external hard drives to manage all this. Solution (I think): set up a local server using my raspberry pi to store all the files. Questions: through my research, it looks like the simplest way of doing this is by creating a server and using an external hard. It looks like to do this and keep the system reliable I would need to set up a RAID to make sure the hdd doesn’t crash and corrupt my data. This seems a bit more complicated and would require purchase of a second external hdd. Other alternatives I’ve seen are self hosted own cloud or next cloud, which looks like it would be free for home use. My concern with these solutions is that there is a lot more bloat than what I’m looking for. Wanted to get your thoughts on the path that makes the most sense given my situation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LifeLeg5 · 2023-12-30 16:37 if it's your only storage solution and you have no prior experience, just stick with setting up an off-the-shelf 2-3 bay NAS instead of setting one up with an RPI. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- thesarthakjain · 2023-12-30 17:32 You can definitely use your pi for hosting a NAS (I do too) but wouldn't highly recommend it if you're an absolute beginner. But here's a few things you will need for a basic setup: Open Media Vault (to make an SMB share) and maybe nextcloud (a google photos like solution for hosting your media). You can also learn docker to make hosting easier but isn't really a necessity. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eirikr70 · 2023-12-30 18:25 Depending on how comfortable you are with tech, and also depending on your budget, you can easily set up a local server based on your Pi for sharing files on your local network, with no security questions as far as it remains local. I would anyway recommend that you buy a second hard drive to at least make a daily copy of your data (or build real backup strategies for your data and your system) : hard drives have a lifetime and a death. You have to be ready when you HDD dies. If you decide to go down that path, I can give you some advice. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ConfusedYeti17 · 2023-12-30 19:59 I’m interesting in learning more about this path ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eirikr70 · 2023-12-30 21:59 I suggest that you set up a Samba server. You have ton install the OS with the imager you find on [this page](https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/) (don't forget to set up the parameters, especially the fixed IP address and the password, before you start flashing the OS). Then you can set up the share following this guide : [**https://pimylifeup.com/raspberry-pi- samba/**](https://pimylifeup.com/raspberry-pi-samba/) If you are comfortable enough, I recommend that you replace the SD card with an SSD, since SD cards are the most fragile part of the Raspberrys. If you are storing your data on one or two HDDs (one for the data, one for the backup), you should invest somme money in a USB hub because the Raspberry won't be able to power the HDDs (it will although be able to power the SSD if you use one).