FreedomBox My Thoughts

I posted a video going over my inital experiences with the FreedomBox server software based on Debian. I want to relate my thoughts after using FreedomBox in a Vert Manager VM for awhile

I first recommend reviewing the Video, as it provides the basis for my thoughts. I did test additional applications beyond waht is presented in the video.

FreedomBox My Thoughts

Note these applications are current as of MAY 2025. This is not a complete list, but an example of what is available

WIKIS: Feather Wiki, Ikiwiki, MediaWiki, TiddliWiki

File Sharing: Bepasty, SAMBA, Sharing, Deluge

Communications: Coturn, Ejabberd, Janus, JXSC, Matrix Synapse, Mumble, Quassel

VPN: Open VPN, Wire Guard

Notes: Infinote,

Photo Management: Zoph

RSS: Miniflux, RSS-Bridge

Games: MineTest

EMail: Postfix/Dovecot, RoundCube,

Web: Nextcloud, Gitweb

FreedomBox My Thoughts

Applications should be considered the server part of a server client setup, in that your computer is the client to a server.

All application are part of the Debian repositories. This is why Freedombox is referred to as pure Debian. Because of this one needs to be aware that most are not going to be the latest versions. This is generally not a problem, except where the application can use additional plugins form outside the Debian ecosystem.

Nextcloud and WordPress are examples where one needs to perform due diligence and make sure any modules, extensions, and plugins are compatible.

One should also be aware that if an application is updated via the web, the version will no longer match what is in the Debian repositories.

FreedomBox My Thoughts

In general applications are easy to install. However one must read the instructions carefully. Most of the installations are somewhat limited.

Some of this will seem obvious to experienced users. However the experinced user is not the target audience.

For example when installing SAMBA, one should really create the directories to share first. Otherwise one will need to backtrack after installing. While one can install SAMBA with a single click, achieving ones desired configuration involves a lot of jumping around between different pages, and having an understanding of how SAMBA manages shares.

Some applications are easier than others to install. My advice would be to do a manual install and setup on a test server before trying it with FreedomBox. In soime cases having an understanding of how an application works will help one understand and troubleshoot the setup on FrredomBox

That being said, if one understands the applications, Freedombox can be an effective way to get a server up and running quickly with minimal fuss.