ElfHosted | The Second Breakfast Megathread is served! 🍳

funkypenguinfunkypenguin Provider
in General

Hey LES, your second breakfast is served! 🍳

This megathread is intended to (a) introduce you to ElfHosted, managed hosting for open-source apps, as it is in 2026, and (b) keep questions and answers contained and consolidated.

I'm David, LOTR geek, and OSS-hosting and Kubernetes enthusiast. For 10+ years I've shared Funky Penguin's Geek Cookbook, a collection of "recipes" to self-host popular OSS apps on Docker Swarm and (later) Kubernetes. That led me to my current role doing Kubernetes-focused consulting work, and ElfHosted grew out of it, from a weekend project to what's now my primary focus.

What is ElfHosted?

ElfHosted is managed hosting for open-source apps: Stremio addons, Plex, Emby and Jellyfin, Immich, AI agents and dozens of everyday tools. You pick an app (or a bundle) from our store, and a few minutes later it's running on its own instance, on your own subdomain. We build the images, keep the apps updated, monitor them and back them up nightly. You get one login across all your apps, and a dashboard where Sam, our AI helper, can troubleshoot and restore things for you (asking first).

What people run with us:

  • Stremio addons: private instances of AIOStreams, Comet, MediaFusion and friends
  • Media streaming: Plex, Emby or Jellyfin streaming with Balrog, Zurg and the *arrs, plus YouTarr and Navidrome
  • Books and audiobooks: Audiobookshelf, Storyteller, Kavita, Komga
  • Photos: Immich
  • AI agents: Hermes and OpenClaw, AI allowance included
  • Everyday apps: Vaultwarden, Mealie, Uptime Kuma, FreshRSS and dozens more, via Flex

We run datacenters in the US, Canada, Europe and Australia. Test your ping and throughput to each one at speed.elfhosted.com, which also picks out your fastest.

Aren't you just profiting off OSS developers' work?

From day #1, it's been important to me to sponsor the open-source developers behind the projects we use and host, where possible, and it isn't tied to sales: developers get our support whether or not we sell their app. Our current sponsorships are listed on our sponsorship page, and we have more in the pipeline.

We've been supporting the Stremio community with free public instances of addons since early 2024 (the current collection is listed in our Stremio addon guide), and we run public demos for projects like Storyteller.

Why so expensive for one app?

Not every app costs the same to run or support. A Plex stack streaming 4K needs real bandwidth and CPU, and tends to generate plenty of support questions, while a bookmark manager barely registers on either. Our pricing reflects that, so it varies by app and bundle: our Core Stremio addons, for example, are $6/mo. Support is the other big cost. We're not willing to compromise on it, and good support takes people and time, which is overhead a bare container doesn't carry. It's also why we have a stellar support reputation on Trustpilot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. On top of that, many of our plans are value-added bundles, with third-party accounts (a debrid or Usenet seat) and an AI allowance included.

That said, with AI's progress this year, it's become cheaper to support users who'd rather help themselves, so we launched Flex plans: a set of "slots" into which you can fit a wide range of our hosted apps, swapping them in and out as you please, with daily automated backups, and Sam, your own dedicated AI agent instance which can troubleshoot and help manage your apps.

How do trials work?

Almost everything has a $1, 7-day trial on a real instance, not a sandbox. Whatever you set up keeps running if you stay, and the regular subscription starts on day 8.

One thing to know: cancelling during a trial ends it straight away and removes your apps at that moment. So keep it running until you've decided, then cancel from My Account if it isn't for you. (Paid subscriptions are different: cancel any time and you keep access until the end of the period you've paid for.)

Black Friday bonus: any trial started 23 to 30 November runs until 1 January 2027, and you can trial again even if you've trialled before.

What we're not

  • A VPS provider. Need root, raw ports or your own code? Get a VPS, you know where. 😉
  • Self-managed. No SSH: everything is deployed via our store and control panels, and you reach your apps on a dedicated subdomain. Your data isn't locked in, though: apps keep their normal export formats.
  • A generic infrastructure provider. Each app is built, secured and tuned in-house to run on our platform, so you can't bring your own image. Want an app we don't have? Request it on our enhancements tracker.
  • A content provider. We host apps, never media. What you do with them is covered by our Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy, and rights holders can report copyright issues on our copyright page.
  • A reseller platform. It's for you and your household. Sharing with family is fine; selling access isn't (our policy).

Flex details and pricing are in the next post. Questions, tough ones included, are welcome below!

Cheers!
D

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