How to get started

Every My Own Suite install ends in the same place: a machine running the full platform, ready for you to create your owner account in the browser and start installing apps. The only real decision is where that machine lives.

The two paths

A cloud server you rent

A small virtual server at a hosting provider (like DigitalOcean). The provider supplies the hardware, power, and internet connection; MOS installs itself on top.

The easiest way in, for now

Until MOS managed hosting arrives, this is the smoothest route: the machine comes ready-made, nothing in your home needs setting up, and the install is mostly waiting. If you wouldn’t call yourself technical, start here.

• Good because: no hardware to buy, reachable from anywhere immediately, running in ~15 minutes.
• The trade: a monthly bill (roughly the price of the subscriptions you’re replacing), and your disk physically sits in a datacenter — encrypted-at-rest per your provider, but not in your house.

Your own hardware at home

A spare computer, a mini PC, or an old laptop that becomes your family’s server. You prepare a USB installer stick, boot the machine from it, and MOS installs itself.

• Good because: full physical ownership, no monthly fee, and this path unlocks the built-in real domain + HTTPS setup for your home network.
• The trade: you supply the machine, and reaching your apps from outside your home network is a separate topic (MOS keeps your suite private by default rather than exposing it to the internet).

What you need

	Cloud server	Own hardware
Machine	Ubuntu 24.04 server, 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM or better	64-bit PC with 4 GB+ RAM you can dedicate (its disk will be erased)
Cost	From roughly $20–25/month	One-time hardware, if any — old machines work
Extra kit	A hosting-provider account	A USB stick (8 GB+)
To prepare the install	Nothing to install first — you paste one command on the server	A free USB writer — Rufus on Windows runs without installing, balenaEtcher elsewhere
Time	~15 minutes	~45 minutes including the download
A domain name?	Not required — a working web address is generated for you	Not required — your suite lives at mos.home on your network

Early beta

MOS is ready for evaluation and non-critical use, but recovery, security hardening, diagnostics, and hardware support are still maturing. Keep independent copies of anything irreplaceable.

Pick your guide

Both guides spell out every step, and neither needs a development toolchain. The cloud-server guide also includes a full video walkthrough from start to finish; the own-hardware one is written steps only for now.

Install on any cloud server The fastest path — one command in your provider's browser console, on any host with fresh Ubuntu 24.04 servers.

Install on your own hardware Download the installer image and turn a spare machine into your server.

Whichever path you choose, finish with Your first sign-in — it covers creating your owner account and finding your way around.