Noob - NextcloudPi/Plus or VM or Snap?

ℹ️ Support 📦 Appliances (Docker, Snappy, VM, NCP, AIO)
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Hi!
I am new to Nextcloud, and already confused.

My goals:
-Install and use Nextcloud on my x86 home server, which also serves other needs like SMB, Plex, VM for Torrenting (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS Desktop, Intel 8th Gen i3, 8GB RAM, 240GB Samsung SATA SSD)
-Use it on LAN and via mobile Internet when not at Home
-HTTPS + Lets Encrypt
-Usecases are E2EE Sync + Cloud storage, CalDAV, CardDAV, Bookmark Sync, Notes, SMS Sync, etc.
-Strong Security as this will serve pretty personal data, media and documents
-Most important: AS EASY AS POSSIBLE! I have (Very) basic Linux knowledge (switch from Windows to Ubuntu a month ago), and my network tech knowledge is equally bad.

My questions:
-What is easier: VM, Snap or NextcloudPlus/Pi for debian?
-What has the best build in security? And fast+easy updates?
-What is easier to configure security and network wise?

Right now i am leaning towards the NextcloudPlus/Pi, but the setup on a debian based distro seems to be just a small side feature, with 99% of the docs focused on other platforms (logically, starting as RasPi project).
The VM should be easy too, but i dont know how easy it is to setup the network side of things (VM to WAN, etc., i have 0 knowledge of VM+network tech).
The snap seems to be pretty well documented, but i read it is hard to tweak…

I wanted to use owncloud and now nextcloud for many many years, always shied away because i sensed it would be a nightmare to deal with webserver software. But even with those new and easier methods, i am overwhelmed… Can anybody help me here?

Thanks in advance, and a nice evening!

EDIT: To be clear… With X86 i do mean AMD64… :slight_smile: As opposed to ARM based NCP.

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on ubuntu native

or as docker container (yet without online office)

1 Like
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Thank you Reiner for your answer!

You seem to offer 2 additional ways to install nextcloud, and while they seem pretty well documented, it only adds to my confusion.

Even though the Setup may be (compareable) easy, i dont have the knowledge to actually understand the tech behind it. And with ANY tech and software exposed to the internet, an admin who does not 100% understand what he is doing it IMHO security nightmare.

Therefore i am looking for a mix of a preconfigured, relative secure and easy to deploy setup.
This is why the NextcloudPi/Plus option has catched my eye. Not only is is easy to install, but also with many many tweaks, feature and security-wise that i would never be able to reproduce myself without years and 100s of hours of training.
BUT as i said, i dont find any real documentation on NextcloudPi on X86, only for the other archs.

Also the VM option would be interesting too, but i would need to find guides how to manage the WAN <-> VM network stuff.

So can anybody point me to those guides on 1) NextcloudPi on X86 and 2) VM <-> WAN/Network config and general Nextcloud prebuild VM documentation?

Thanks again!

EDIT: Plus NextclouPi has build in DynDNS Clients, and basicly all extra stuff i could possibly need… I just need some detailed documentation on NextcloudPi + X86! I only find a super short website that tells the command to install it, but nothing beyond that. Where can i find more infos on NextcloudPi for my X86 Setup and the differences to the standard ARM guides?

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I am using an Odroid C2 with an image from Carsten Rieger: NextcloudOC2 image for Odroid C2
It’s running remarkably well given the low expense and power consumption. It’s still slower than commercial cloud of course especially if your home connection is slow.
I would recommend this if it’s not mission critical and more for personal use by a professional in his/her spare time. The C2 is more powerful than the Pi.

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Thank you for your answer! As i just updated my post here my last edited question for NCP:

EDIT: Plus NextclouPi has build in DynDNS Clients, and basicly all extra stuff i could possibly need… I just need some detailed documentation on NextcloudPi + X86! I only find a super short website that tells the command to install it, but nothing beyond that. Where can i find more infos on NextcloudPi for my X86 Setup and the differences to the standard ARM guides?

I am just concerned to use NCP on X86 because of low documentation on that arch. Am i overly fearful about this? How is the experience of the users here with NCP on X86?

EDIT: I planed to use a ODroid, but have now gone the X86 route because i did need a X86 server anyway for SMB, VM, Plex, etc. and as i plan to use many NC Apps, i didnt want to risk being left with too less performance. My ARM QNAP NASs have left no good image of ARM+Servers. Dont know if i this is a false perception though. But i prefer the power and the options of a full X86 based Ubuntu System…

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you could run NCP in a docker container on ubuntu for your file-serving needs, have you considered your x86 hardware? The container would probably make it easy to keep backups through snapshots of the NCP container.