
Ask HN: Letting users self-host your server software. Why is it so complicated? - open-source-ux
It&#x27;s almost 2019 and if you want a <i>simple</i> way for your non-technical users or customers to self-install your software on a web server, you are simply out of luck.<p>How can this be?<p>In case you are tempted to suggest one of the following solutions, they are neither simple or easy (and would defeat many, if not most, users):<p>- providing docker images<p>- providing a list of command line instructions for installation<p>- using sandstorm or cloudron<p>Isn&#x27;t it kind-of crazy that even web-friendly languages like Python and Ruby are anything but simple if you want to bundle and distribute your web app for easy server deployment?<p>I don&#x27;t believe in conspiracies, but could it be that SaaS providers secretly prefer this situation? Why? Because anything to make the process of self-hosting an app as simple as a one-click WordPress install might tempt some customers down the self-install path.<p>Why aren&#x27;t one-click installs the norm? Just think of the countless opportunities it would unlock for developers to reach more users or customers. But no-one seems to have any interest in solving this problem.<p>Agree or disagree?
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wmf
You just can't make money from solving this problem. (And if you could then we
would have multiple competing wannabe monopolies.)

