# Source: https://juno.build/docs/comparison/vs-self-hosting.md

# What makes Juno a great self-hosting alternative

For years, developers had two choices: host everything themselves, or rely on a managed platform.

Traditional self-hosting gives you full control â but also means managing servers, patching systems, setting up reverse proxies, configuring SSL, securing databases, watching logs, scaling when traffic hits, and fixing things at 2 AM.

Juno gives you the control and privacy of self-hosting, without the operational overhead. You get your own execution environment and data ownership â without maintaining machines, containers, or cloud networking.

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## Control Without the Maintenance

Self-hosting means running and operating the entire stack:

*   Provisioning a VPS or bare metal server
*   OS updates and security patches
*   SSL and reverse proxy setup
*   Deployment pipelines and build tooling
*   Managing databases, backups, and certificates
*   Monitoring uptime and infrastructure health

With Juno, you still control your deployments â nothing runs or changes without your action â but you don't need to manage operating systems, server processes, firewall rules, or runtime security layers.

*   **You own the container and trigger upgrades**
*   **No OS maintenance or server configuration**
*   **Built-in environment hardening**
*   **Independent execution with no third-party access**

Same autonomy â dramatically less work.

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## Feature Comparison

| Feature | Traditional Self-Hosting | Juno |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Infrastructure | VPS / bare metal | Self-contained container (no servers) |
| Setup | Manual | CLI + Git-based deployment |
| Maintenance | High (patches, security, upgrades) | None (platform handles it) |
| Core Services | Install & secure yourself | Built-in auth, datastore, storage |
| Availability | Single server unless custom setup | Replicated across independent nodes |
| Best For | Full-time operators / sysadmins | Developers who want control without ops |

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## Cost Considerations

Self-hosting looks cheap on day one, but adds ongoing hidden costs:

*   Time spent on ops
*   Downtime risk
*   Security responsibilities
*   Scaling complexity

Juno uses simple usage-based pricing for compute and storage. No machines to maintain, no surprise maintenance time, no infrastructure overhead.

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## When Juno Makes the Most Sense

**Best fit for developers who want:**

*   Self-host-level control without running servers
*   A private, isolated execution environment
*   Built-in authentication, database, and storage
*   Production-grade reliability without ops work

**Self-hosting still fits when:**

*   You enjoy running servers
*   You need bare-metal control
*   You want to manage every layer yourself

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## The takeaway

Self-hosting gives you freedom â and a lot of maintenance.

Juno gives you the same ownership and control, but lets you focus entirely on building rather than operating infrastructure.

If you want the privacy and autonomy of running your own server, without becoming your own DevOps team, Juno is the modern alternative.

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## Ready to try Juno?

Ready to explore Juno? [Start building](/docs/intro.md)