---
link: https://bringyourown.computer
tags:
- domains
- ATProtocol
- pds
---
As one often does, I needed a domain and it's a nod to [[Bring Your Own Server]] pattern I've been tracking.
This is currently on a [KVM-1](https://cart.hostinger.com/pay/144f1cd7-4a92-4084-9a78-36130197e57e?_ga=GA1.3.942352702.1711283207) at [[Hostinger]] in a German data center.
## Personal Data Server
The main thing that this machine does is run a [[PDS]]
## Updates
* Nov 15th, 2024: Installed the server on Hostinger
* Dec 31st, 2024: [[Migrating accounts to my own PDS]] (no actual changes to the server)
* Jan 1st, 2025: Installed Tailscale as an exit node, setup [[Taildrive]] for file sharing
* TO DO: [[Twitter Archive to Bluesky AT Protocol Account]]
### Installing on Hostinger
This ended up being so simple I didn't really take notes. The [[Bluesky PDS]] has a one-liner install:
```
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bluesky-social/pds/main/installer.sh
```
The DNS was already on Cloudflare, so added the wildcard there. Here's my post right after I did it, from my newly created account:
I installed my own PDS on a new KVM-1 from Hostinger.
I had to comment out the OS version check in the installer (Ubuntu 22.04.1 messed it up).
DNS on Cloudflare. Domain from Spaceship.
Took like 15min total. This is easy!
— Boris (@boris.bringyourown.computer) November 15, 2024 at 6:43 PM
I took screenshots of new account creation via invite code and Bluesky Client:
Huh. So you can, like, just create your own PDS. And invite codes. And make new accounts.
[image or embed]
— BringYourOwn.Computer (@computer.bringyourown.computer) November 15, 2024 at 7:01 PM
The one thing that isn't setup is email. This is the syntax from the docs, in the `/pds/pds.env:
```
PDS_EMAIL_SMTP_URL=smtps://resend:@smtp.resend.com:465/
PDS_EMAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=admin@your.domain
```
I have a [[Mailgun]] account that I use for everything that I initially
#### Email with Mailgun
I [opened a github issue](https://github.com/bluesky-social/pds/issues/194#issuecomment-2567188011) and ultimately solved my own problem. URLencode the username, so %40 instead of an @ sign. I also reset the password to be a simpler one without any special characters.
```
PDS_EMAIL_SMTP_URL=smtps://username%40mail.example.com:(a password without special characters)@smtp.eu.mailgun.org:465/
PDS_EMAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=username@mail.example.com
```
Works!
## Installing Tailscale
Following the [install on ubuntu steps](https://tailscale.com/kb/1476/install-ubuntu-2404) Then, ran
```
tailscale up --advertise-exit-node
```
The idea being, can use this VPS to route traffic out of, and potentially host other things at home or office.
Got this note:
```
Warning: IPv6 forwarding is disabled.
Subnet routes and exit nodes may not work correctly.
See https://tailscale.com/s/ip-forwarding
Warning: UDP GRO forwarding is suboptimally configured on eth0, UDP forwarding throughput capability will increase with a configuration change.
See https://tailscale.com/s/ethtool-config-udp-gro
```
Ran the steps at the [listed url](https://tailscale.com/s/ethtool-config-udp-gro).
Also, want to backup PDS repo content using [[Taildrive]].
#### Taildrive Setup
I went ahead and used the give everyone access policy settings with [nodeAttr](https://tailscale.com/kb/1369/taildrive?tab=linux#add-nodeattrs-to-enable-taildrive-on-devices). That let me run this on the PDS, to share the entire PDS directory:
```shell
tailscale drive share pds /pds
```
Then, for MacOS, turn on the File Sharing GUI options:
```shell
defaults write /Users/$(whoami)/Library/Preferences/io.tailscale.ipn.macsys.plist FileSharingConfiguration show
```
Going to the Tailscale menu bar item and selecting settings, there is now a "Files" tab:
To access shared folders on the Mac, you [connect to the Taildrive server with the Mac Finder's built in WebDAV support](https://tailscale.com/kb/1369/taildrive?tab=macos+gui#access-directories-shared-with-taildrive).
> macOS will connect to the Taildrive WebDAV server and show a Finder window with your tailnet name as a folder. Inside that folder, Taildrive will load a folder for each device in your tailnet, and any shares that are active on the devices will appear within those folders.
This all worked, but unfortunately, no "pds" folder in here! OK, well I made `altariapdsbackup` as a local Mac folder.
Let's see about connecting from the other end, [from the Ubuntu PDS server](https://tailscale.com/kb/1369/taildrive?tab=linux#access-directories-shared-with-taildrive-3).
Going to need to install WebDAV support: `apt-get install davfs2`
Then run the mount command:
```shell
mount -t davfs http://100.100.100.100:8080 /mount/tailscale
```
Cool, it worked, I can browse to it, and yup, my Tailnet name `bmann.ca` is in there as a folder. Which is, unfortunately, empty.
OK, fine, I'll go back to [actually reading the policies section again](https://tailscale.com/kb/1369/taildrive?tab=linux#define-sharing-permissions). Pasted in some more policy language, hit save, and yup! All my devices are visible, with the `pds` folder shared.
I'll open up the blocks folder so we can see the blobs that are the images posted to my account:
Of course, the PDS software can display blobs, so I'll just use it to embed an image directly 😂
