Nextcloud Deployment
A private cloud service, built at home with open-source tools.
Overview
Nextcloud is an open-source platform that offers the same kind of file sync, sharing, and collaboration features you might expect from Google Drive or Dropbox. The difference is that it can be run entirely under my own control, with no third-party company holding my data. That’s important to me. I want to practice what I believe in when it comes to privacy and ownership.
This project was about taking that idea and making it real. I deployed Nextcloud on my Proxmox server using Docker, stabilized it with proper container networking, and secured external access through Cloudflare Tunnel. Today, it’s an active, usable service; my own cloud, running at: nextcloud.heckit.dev.
Technical Story
Getting here wasn’t as simple as clicking “install.” Containers were colliding over ports, services were failing health checks, and pieces of the AIO (all-in-one) stack weren’t talking to each other. I had to dive into logs, reverse proxy configs, and container internals to understand what was breaking and why.
The breakthrough came from untangling how the built-in domain check container was monopolizing port 443. By rerouting traffic through an Nginx sidecar proxy to Apache on port 8000, I restored stability and made the stack happy again. That unlocked the rest of the deployment and gave me a running instance I could start trusting with my files.
Current Status
- Nextcloud AIO stack deployed and stable on Proxmox.
- Internal routing via Nginx → Apache (port 8000).
- External access secured with Cloudflare Tunnel, no inbound ports open.
- Daily use syncing files across laptop, phone, and server.
Why This Matters
On the surface, it looks like just another cloud drive. But for me, it’s a proof of concept: I can take a complex open-source service, troubleshoot its quirks, and turn it into something reliable enough to use every day. It shows the same skills I bring to enterprise IT: problem solving, system integration, and secure design but demonstrated in a self-hosted, privacy-first way.
I didn’t just stand up another container. I built a service that aligns with my values, teaches me new lessons in networking and container orchestration, and proves that open-source tools can rival commercial ones when implemented thoughtfully.
⚡ Active now at nextcloud.heckit.dev. My own private cloud, running on my own hardware.