🏠 How to Run Nostr, Web3, and IPFS From a Single Home Server

Want to own your data and host your own network? Here’s how you can use one home server to run a Nostr relay, Web3 site, and IPFS node — without renting cloud infrastructure or relying on big tech.

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💡 What You’ll Be Hosting

On one self-controlled server (like a mini PC or Linux box), you’ll be running:

Service	Purpose	Tech Stack
Web Server	Hosts your website or DApp frontend	NGINX or Caddy
Nostr Relay	Decentralized, censorship-resistant posts	nostr-rs-relay
IPFS Node	Decentralized content storage	go-ipfs
Web3 Domain	Point your .x domain to local content	Unstoppable Domains + IPFS

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🌐 Your Connection: Use Dynamic DNS

Most home internet connections use a dynamic IP, which changes. To make your services available online:

1. Register with a free Dynamic DNS provider like DuckDNS
2. Set your router to forward ports:

• 80 and 443 for web
• 7447 for Nostr
• 4001 for IPFS (optional)

Your server becomes accessible at:

https://yourdomain.duckdns.org
wss://yourdomain.duckdns.org/relay

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🔧 Server Setup Overview

Install Ubuntu Server or any Linux distro, and set up the services:

1. 🖥️ Web Server (Caddy or NGINX)

Serve your main site and proxy to Nostr/IPFS:

Caddy Example:

yourdomain.duckdns.org {
  root * /var/www/html
  file_server

  reverse_proxy /relay localhost:7447
  reverse_proxy /ipfs/* localhost:8080
}

Caddy handles SSL automatically via Let’s Encrypt.

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2. 🌐 IPFS Node

Install IPFS to host your site content:

curl -O https://dist.ipfs.io/go-ipfs/latest/go-ipfs.tar.gz
tar -xvzf go-ipfs.tar.gz
cd go-ipfs && sudo bash install.sh
ipfs init
ipfs daemon

Add your site:

ipfs add -r /var/www/html

Get the hash and point your .x domain to it on Unstoppable Domains.

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3. ⚡ Nostr Relay

Run a personal or public Nostr relay using nostr-rs-relay:

sudo apt install git curl build-essential
curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh
git clone https://github.com/scsibug/nostr-rs-relay.git
cd nostr-rs-relay
cargo build --release
./target/release/nostr-rs-relay

You can also run it with Docker:

docker run -d \
  --name nostr-relay \
  -p 7447:7447 \
  -v $HOME/nostr-data:/app/data \
  ghcr.io/scsibug/nostr-rs-relay:latest

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🧠 Final Result

Once set up, you’ll have:

• Your Web3 domain (like floridalocal.xmr) pointing to IPFS-hosted content
• A live Nostr relay at wss://yourdomain.duckdns.org/relay
• A full website or app served from your home IP, secured with HTTPS

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🎯 Why Run It Yourself?

• 💬 Control your own data and identity
• 🛰️ Resist censorship
• 🧱 Host decentralized web apps or communities
• 💸 Eliminate monthly hosting fees
• 🛠️ Learn and build real sovereign infrastructure

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🧩 Tools You’ll Use

• Caddy – HTTPS-ready web server
• IPFS – Decentralized file sharing
• Nostr – Decentralized communication protocol
• DuckDNS – Free dynamic IP service
• Unstoppable Domains – Web3 identity and domain

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🛠️ Want Help?

Let me know if you want a starter config, script, or help integrating your own .x domain. This is how we build a free, resilient web — from the ground up.