Deployment-ready shortlist

Browse the full catalog.

These are the self-hosted apps we would actually feel good deploying, hardening, backing up, and owning with a client. Each entry includes the operational notes that matter once a service is no longer a weekend experiment.

13 Curated services
13 Coverage areas
100% Ops-first picks
What this page is for

Shortlist ideas quickly, then open each service card for ports, persistence requirements, and the operational footguns you need to think about before go-live.

AI AssistantAnalyticsAutomationBookmarksDashboardDocumentsERPFiles & CalendarMedia ServerMonitoringPDF ToolsPasswordsPhotos
Review lens Backups, upgrades, exposure, and day-two maintenance.
Best use Planning a starter stack or validating one critical app before rollout.
Outcome Fewer surprises once the service becomes business infrastructure.
Catalog notes

Every card is written from the operator's seat.

This is not a giant directory dump. It is a tighter list of tools that map well to real teams, recurring maintenance, and sensible self-hosting tradeoffs.

AI Assistant /openclaw

OpenClaw

Self-hosted personal AI assistant with channels and skills. Deployment options: Managed VPS, your VPS, your server, or team/enterprise rollout.

Replaces
ChatGPT -> OpenClaw
Ports 2 endpoint(s)
Storage 3 persistence area(s)
Notes 2 ops reminder(s)
Files & Calendar /nextcloud

Nextcloud

Self-hosted files, calendar, contacts, and lightweight collaboration.

Replaces
Google Drive -> Nextcloud Dropbox -> Nextcloud
Ports 2 endpoint(s)
Storage 3 persistence area(s)
Notes 2 ops reminder(s)
Passwords /vaultwarden

Vaultwarden

Lightweight self-hosted password manager compatible with Bitwarden clients.

Replaces
1Password -> Vaultwarden LastPass -> Vaultwarden
Ports 1 endpoint(s)
Storage 3 persistence area(s)
Notes 2 ops reminder(s)
Photos /immich

Immich

Self-hosted photo and video backup.

Replaces
Google Photos -> Immich iCloud Photos -> Immich
Ports 1 endpoint(s)
Storage 2 persistence area(s)
Notes 2 ops reminder(s)
Media Server /jellyfin

Jellyfin

Self-hosted media streaming for movies, shows, music, and home libraries.

Replaces
Plex -> Jellyfin
Ports 2 endpoint(s)
Storage 3 persistence area(s)
Notes 2 ops reminder(s)
Automation /n8n

n8n

Workflow automation platform for triggers, jobs, and internal integrations.

Replaces
Zapier -> n8n Make -> n8n
Ports 1 endpoint(s)
Storage 3 persistence area(s)
Notes 2 ops reminder(s)
Monitoring /uptime-kuma

Uptime Kuma

Simple self-hosted uptime checks and alerting for services you care about.

Replaces
UptimeRobot -> Uptime Kuma
Ports 1 endpoint(s)
Storage 2 persistence area(s)
Notes 2 ops reminder(s)
Documents /paperless-ngx

Paperless-ngx

Document archiving with OCR, search, and workflows for paper-heavy operations.

Replaces
Google Drive for scans -> Paperless-ngx
Ports 1 endpoint(s)
Storage 3 persistence area(s)
Notes 2 ops reminder(s)
Bookmarks /linkding

Linkding

Self-hosted bookmark manager.

Replaces
Raindrop.io -> Linkding Pocket -> Linkding
Ports 1 endpoint(s)
Storage 1 persistence area(s)
Notes 2 ops reminder(s)
PDF Tools /stirling-pdf

Stirling PDF

Web UI for PDF manipulation (merge, split, convert, etc.).

Replaces
Smallpdf -> Stirling PDF iLovePDF -> Stirling PDF
Ports 1 endpoint(s)
Storage 1 persistence area(s)
Notes 2 ops reminder(s)

Need something outside this shortlist?

Bring the app, the messy constraints, or the migration plan. We can validate whether it belongs in your stack and what it will take to run it safely.

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