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A worker's co-op and self-hosting for anyone. <3
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README.org

nassella

A worker's co-op and self-hosting for anyone. <3

nassella is the working name for the worker's co-op as well as the current in-development software project, which is: to build a system that enables anyone to self-host a specific set of apps.

A worker's co-operative

I want to build a workplace where the goals are differently aligned from that of a more common tech workplace.

Goals

  • worker control: 1 worker = 1 vote

  • long-term, stable sustainable job's for members

    • prioritize less work hours over growth/profit

  • voluntary and open membership

    • no discrimination including:

      • gender
      • social
      • sexuality
      • racial
      • political
      • religious

  • provide a safe and inclusive work environment

    • members must feel safe to make mistakes and voice different opinions
    • communication should be direct and specific
    • expectations must be explicitly communicated
    • boundaries must be listened to and respected
    • members must not speak to or cooperate with law enforcement
  • provide opportunities for members to learn and grow

  • remain independent and autonomous

    • outside capital, if any, may not have control
  • cooperate with other cooperatives

  • concern for community

    • actively engage with local communities
    • actively manage environmental impacts
    • seek out, involve, and learn from diverse groups

Bylaws

  • Impactful decisions and bylaws can only be made by a vote of all members (consensus)
  • Hiring and firing of a member can only be made by a consensus vote of all members
  • The co-op and its members may not enter into any agreements that would cause the change of worker control

Product

The goal is to produce a product that enables less-technical people the ability to self-host applications in a secure and auto-updating manner. Self-hosting for anyone!

Potential Qualities

  • secure

  • auto-updates

    • host system
    • container layers
    • container apps
  • manages dns records
  • manages ssl certs

  • reproducible (in a config standpoint)

    • config is declarative
  • load balances as needed
  • collects and displays logs from all apps in a useful format
  • data volumes/storage independent from containers
  • can off-site backup automatically
  • updates are run through CI before being made available
  • can be moved between providers (no vendor lock-in)

Potential Tech For Self-Hosted Cloud Infra

  • DNS Registration

    • Terraform via supported registry

  • DNS Config

    • Terraform

  • resource management (VPS's etc)

    • Terraform

  • LB for apps

    • docker-compose + caddy

  • SSL

    • LB + caddy

  • apps

    • docker-compose

  • OS

    • flatcar linux

Potential Tech for Deployment and Config Node

Can be run locally or as a SaaS

  • docker contained webapp for deploying/configuring/updating?

  • needs to generate/init and store:

    • terraform config and state
    • docker-compose config (this can be embedded in terraform config)

  • can be used to:

    • select apps
    • resources (manage)
    • view logs (stored on self-hosted infra)

Potential Revenue Model

  • End users pay for:

    • a one-off version This would enable using the product to create a self-hosted instance with the apps of the users choosing. It would still include automatic bi-weekly OS updates (via flatcar OS) but otherwise may not include automatic updates for the platform.
    • a monthly subscription This would enable full automatic updates for the product, the self-hosted instance, all apps running on the self-hosted instance.
  • Open source? Likely the product itself can be open sourced (AGPL) and made freely available. The target end user is not someone that would be likely to setup and run it on their own anyways but it would be an option if they didn't like changes made to the product in the future and they gained technical experience or hired someone to manage their own control node themselves.
  • Target end user: Companies or individuals that would like to have more control or save on costs relative to pure SaaS solutions but do not have the technical knowledge, time, or appetite for risk that would lead them to run their own self-hosted infrastructure.
  • Supporting open source: 1% of gross revenue donated back to the apps used by end users and the company? This could help create a self-perpetuating ecosystem. For example, if users use this product to self-host NextCloud, then some of that money can be sent back to NextCloud making NextCloud better which in turn will help the end user as well.

Potential Apps

  • NextCloud
  • Matrix
  • Bitwarden
  • Immich
  • Jellyfin
  • Gitea
  • GitLab
  • Cal.com

Current status

A rough prototype of a docker compose based app running on flatcar linux.

Unresolved Areas

In general, these have all been thought about and seem to be solveable but still need more specific technical solutions.

  • backups
  • logging
  • monitoring / alerting
  • exporting
  • migrating between platform providers (VPS providers, etc)
  • updating
  • CI system
  • docs/auto-setup for app features like helping users configure their phone to connect to NextCloud's calendar for example