I started self-hosting around 2022–2023 with Nextcloud. I wanted to move away from Google services and the growing pile of subscriptions, so I took an old crypto mining rig that was collecting dust and turned it into a server for myself and a few other people.
It grew a piece at a time, with used parts and spares I already had. Then I got nostalgic for IRC. I spent a lot of time there in my early teens, and those communities were formative for me. I wanted to make room for that kind of connection again.
The community started coming together around 2024. In 2025 it got dedicated hardware and a firmer footing; 2026 was the year it really took off.
MansionNET comes from being fed up with an internet that keeps getting more centralised: more data collection, more subscriptions, and more demands to hand over ID just to participate. I wanted a simpler place, open to anyone willing to treat others well, that puts community first and makes good use of hardware instead of throwing it away.
The core services run at home in Serbia, on hardware I own and operate. This is a place I look after personally, with help from the people who make it a community.
— Avatar, founder & operator