Main website: https://www.skolma.com
This host: https://freyja.skolma.com
This wiki: https://wiki.skolma.com

• de-google yourself - but applies to many large providers
• privacy and online identity - tips to reduce your footprint and sharing

cant do much 'serving' on the internet without your own domain and dns control.
choosing a domain can be fun/fustrating, take your time, and check the renewal fees, and transfer constraints.. eg some country.tlds have limitted hosting options, and strict regulations on who can own, and identity may need to be public.
shop around, it's the internet, there are always deals.
ensure the dns hosting/registrar supports DNSSEC and does not have additional charges, as you will need many record types for ssl-certificate and smtp management.

self-hosting is best, keeps you fully in control
however not always practical, and may have constraints imposed by your home internet and provider arrangement, eg no_smtp or carrier-nat.

when looking for a cloud provider i look for simplicity of services, breadth of support, and data-centre locations.

i have a preference for free and opensource software, and try to use/implement where i can.
but, life is never that simple, and we need to use the best tool for the job.

in order of preference for a new task:

1. OpenBSD - Can do it all, however maybe too 'opinionated' for some, and some careful hardware selection is required. clean and simple. often seen as a security-os, it's much more than that.
2. FreeBSD - A great all-rounder with access to some killer enterprise features, and enough packages for most to get things done. plenty of info and support available, and you don't need to look far to bump into a host.
3. Linux - Probabaly what most people think of, cant go wrong really, makes both an excellent server or desktop system, the greatness and stupidity if the vast choice.
4. MacOS - Considered one of the best desktop platforms, it has integration second to none, if you can afford the price.
5. Windows - like it or not, it's everywhere, and it's ok, although recent releases are raising questions.

My Systems

Fail2Ban and PF Firewall using 'anchors'
Sendmail MTA

Stationary