🧮 Decentralization Scoring System (v1.0)

This scoring system evaluates how decentralized and self-hostable a platform is, based on four core metrics.

📊 Scoring Metrics (Total: 100 Points)

Top Provider User Share (30 points): Measures how many users are on the largest instance. Full points if <10%; 0 if >80%.
Top Provider Content Share (30 points): Measures how much content is hosted by the largest instance. Full points if <10%; 0 if >80%.
Ease of Self-Hosting: Server (20 points): Technical ease of running your own backend. Full points for Docker/simple setup with good docs.
Ease of Self-Hosting: User Interface (20 points): Availability and usability of clients. Full points for accessible, FOSS, multi-platform clients.

📋 Example Breakdown (Estimates)

📧 Email (2025)

• Top Provider User Share: Apple ≈ 53.67% → Score: 4.5/30
• Top Provider Content Share: Apple likely handles >50% of mail → Score: 4.5/30
• Self-Hosting: Server: Easy (Leverage email hosting services) → Score: 18/20
• Self-Hosting: Client: Easy (Thunderbird, K-9, etc.) → Score: 18/20

Total: 45/100

🐹 Lemmy (2025)

• Top Provider User Share: lemmy.world ≈ 37.17% → Score: 12/30
• Top Provider Content Share: lemmy.world likely hosts ~37% content → Score: 12/30
• Self-Hosting: Server: Easy (Docker, low resource) → Score: 18/20
• Self-Hosting: Client: Good FOSS apps, web UI → Score: 18/20

Total: 60/100

🐘 Mastodon (2025)

• Top Provider User Share: mastodon.social ≈ 42.7% → Score: 11/30
• Top Provider Content Share: mastodon.social ≈ 45–50% content → Score: 10/30
• Self-Hosting: Server: Docker setup, moderate difficulty → Score: 15/20
• Self-Hosting: Client: Strong ecosystem (Tusky, web, etc.) → Score: 19/20

Total: 55/100

🔵 Bluesky (2025)

• Top Provider User Share: bsky.social ≈ ~90%+ (very centralized) → Score: 0/30
• Top Provider Content Share: Nearly all content on bsky.social → Score: 0/30
• Self-Hosting: Server: PDS hosting possible but very niche → Score: 4/20
• Self-Hosting: Client: Mostly official client; some 3rd party → Score: 10/20

Total: 14/100

🟥 Reddit (2025)

• Top Provider User Share: Reddit ≈ 48.4% → Score: 0/30
• Top Provider Content Share: Reddit hosts a significant portion of user-generated content → Score: 0/30
• Self-Hosting: Server: Not self-hostable (proprietary platform) → Score: 0/20
• Self-Hosting: Client: Some unofficial clients available → Score: 3/20

Total: 3/100

How Scores are Calculated

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 How User/Content Share Scores Work

This measures how many users are on the largest provider (or instance).

• 100% (one provider): If one provider has all the users, it gets 0 points.
• No provider > 10%: If no provider has more than 10%, it gets full 30 points.
• Between 10% and 80%: Anything in between is scored on a linear scale.
• > 80%: If a provider has more than 80%, it gets 0 points.

📊 Formula:

Score = 30 × (1 - (TopProviderShare - 10%) / 70%)
…but only if TopProviderShare is between 10% and 80%.
If below 10%, full 30. If above 80%, zero.

📌 Example:

If one provider has 40% of all users:
→ Score = 30 × (1 - (40 - 10) / 70) = 30 × (1 - 0.43) = 17.1 points

🖥️ How Ease of Self-Hosting Scores Work

These scores measure how easy it is for individuals or communities to run their own servers or use clients.

This looks at how technically easy it is to run your own backend (e.g., email server, Mastodon server) or User Interface (e.g., web-interface or mobile-app)

• Very Easy: One-command Docker, low resources, great documentation → 18–20 points
• Moderate: Docker or manual setup, some config, active community support → 13–17 points
• Hard: Complex setup, needs regular updates or custom config (e.g. DNS, spam) → 6–12 points
• Very Hard or Proprietary: Little to no self-hosting support, undocumented → 0–5 points

PS.

This is Version 1.0 so there are likely flaws and mistakes in it, feel free to help create the best version we can I've put it on https://github.com/NoBadDays/decentralization-score

I'm new to selfhosting, I've installed Turnkey nextcloud on my proxmox server, and done the basic setup, now I'm faced with this.

Any advice?

On Google if I search "Mens Boots" I immediately see lots of results from shops in Amsterdam and near me selling boots.

When I use DuckDuckGo the results are useless unless I add "Amsterdam" and then it only shows me Amsterdam results, instead of Google which would also show me shops from Germany etc. That has quick delivery times etc.

What are my options? (Non-American would be great)

cross-posted from: https://piefed.social/post/636389

remember...

I recently setup a immich server on a mini PC, and can access it through cloudflare etc.

It works pretty smoothly except for files bigger than 100mb (cloudflare limitation)

I have a few questions, if you can answer some please do.

1. What's your setup like? Do you have any tips/tricks for a newbie I should know about?
2. What's your backups like? Is your data safe if your house burns down?
3. Is there a cloudflare alternative I can use that will handle any file size from anywhere in the world without needing to tun on/off a vpn like tailscale?

(i would like to also set it up for my family, but for that is needs to work VERY smoothly, no needing to turn on and off VPN's to sync)