We published our top 10 self-hosted apps list earlier this year. Since then, customers keep asking: “Which ones should I actually run? What are the real resource requirements? Can I put them all on one VPS?”

Here’s the deeper dive — seven self-hosted apps we deploy regularly, with honest assessments of what works, what breaks, and how much server you need.

The Lineup

App Category Min RAM Docker?
Vaultwarden Password manager 128 MB Yes
Paperless-ngx Document management 1 GB Yes
Immich Photo backup (Google Photos alt) 2 GB Yes
Ghost Publishing platform 512 MB Yes
Activepieces Workflow automation (Zapier alt) 1 GB Yes
Stirling PDF PDF tools 512 MB Yes
Typebot Chatbot builder 1 GB Yes

Vaultwarden: Self-Hosted Bitwarden That Actually Runs Light

Bitwarden is the best open-source password manager, but the official server needs 2+ GB RAM and runs multiple services. Vaultwarden is a community rewrite in Rust that’s API-compatible with all Bitwarden clients but uses 128 MB RAM.

Why self-host passwords:

  • Full control over your vault data — no third-party breach risk
  • Works with all Bitwarden apps (desktop, mobile, browser extension)
  • Supports TOTP, file attachments, organizations, and Send
  • Under 50 MB disk space for the entire application
docker run -d --name vaultwarden \
  -v /opt/vaultwarden/data:/data \
  -e SIGNUPS_ALLOWED=false \
  -e WEBSOCKET_ENABLED=true \
  -p 8080:80 \
  vaultwarden/server:latest

Critical: Put this behind a reverse proxy with TLS. Vaultwarden over HTTP is a security disaster. And disable signups after creating your account.

Paperless-ngx: Kill the Filing Cabinet

Paperless-ngx scans, OCRs, and indexes documents. Drop a PDF into a folder (or email it), and Paperless reads it, tags it, and makes it full-text searchable. We see accountants, law offices, and small businesses using this to go paperless without trusting their documents to a SaaS provider.

What it does well:

  • OCR in 100+ languages via Tesseract
  • Auto-tagging based on learned patterns
  • Full-text search across all documents
  • Email consumption — forward receipts and invoices directly

The catch: OCR is CPU-intensive. Processing a 50-page document uses significant CPU for a few minutes. Don’t run this on a 1-core VPS if you’re processing batches.

Immich: Your Own Google Photos

Google Photos is convenient until you realize you’ve given Google 50,000 photos and they change the pricing. Immich is a self-hosted alternative with mobile auto-backup, face recognition, map view, and sharing — all the features that make Google Photos sticky.

What works:

  • Mobile apps (iOS/Android) with background upload
  • Machine learning for face/object recognition (runs locally)
  • Map view, memories, shared albums
  • Deduplication and RAW file support

Requirements: This is the heaviest app on the list. The ML models need 2+ GB RAM, and photo storage adds up fast. Plan for at least 4 GB RAM and generous disk space.

Ghost: Publishing Without WordPress Complexity

Ghost is a focused publishing platform — blogs, newsletters, and memberships. No plugin ecosystem, no theme marketplace, no security patches every week. Just writing and publishing.

When Ghost beats WordPress:

  • You want a clean writing experience with built-in newsletters
  • You need membership/subscription management without WooCommerce
  • You don’t need WP plugins — Ghost has fewer features but fewer headaches

When to stick with WordPress: if you need WooCommerce, complex layouts, or specific plugins. Ghost is deliberately simple. For WordPress hosting, our Managed WordPress plans handle the complexity for you.

Activepieces: Self-Hosted Zapier

Activepieces connects apps and automates workflows — “when a form is submitted, create a Jira ticket and send a Slack message.” Like Zapier, but self-hosted so your data doesn’t flow through a third party. Over 100 integrations.

Good for: teams that hit Zapier’s free tier limits, businesses with data residency requirements, anyone automating workflows with sensitive customer data.

Stirling PDF: PDF Tools Without the SaaS

Merge, split, compress, OCR, convert, watermark — all the PDF operations you’d normally use a sketchy online tool for. Stirling PDF runs locally, so your documents never leave your server.

Lightweight and useful: 512 MB RAM, Docker-ready, web UI. Drop it on your VPS and share the URL with your team. No accounts needed, no file size limits, no “upgrade to premium” popups.

Typebot: Conversational Forms and Chatbots

Typebot is a visual chatbot builder — drag-and-drop conversation flows that embed on any website. Use it for lead capture, customer onboarding, or support deflection.

Why self-host: chatbots collect customer data (names, emails, preferences). Self-hosting keeps that data in your control, which matters for PIPEDA compliance and customer trust.

Stacking Apps on One VPS

The most common question: “Can I run several of these on one server?” Yes, with planning:

Combo RAM Needed Notes
Vaultwarden + Stirling PDF 1 GB Lightest combo, fits on smallest VPS
Vaultwarden + Ghost + Stirling PDF 2 GB Personal productivity stack
All except Immich 4 GB Full productivity suite, no photo backup
Everything including Immich 8 GB Need headroom for ML models

Use Docker Compose to manage the stack, and an Nginx reverse proxy with separate subdomains for each app. Our VPS hardening guide covers the security basics before you expose anything to the internet.

Hosting Recommendations

A Cloud VPS handles most of these apps comfortably. For Immich with large photo libraries or Paperless processing document batches, upgrade to a plan with more CPU and RAM.

If you’re running these for a business with compliance requirements (PIPEDA, SOC 2), our infrastructure is SOC 2 Type II certified with Canadian data centres.

Need help deploying your self-hosted stack? Our Managed Support team handles Docker deployments, TLS setup, backups, and ongoing maintenance.