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What do I need to get from a webhoster if I want to host my own Diaspora* seed? Do I just need some webspace with ruby on rails capabilities?

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The installation requirements from the Github page:

In order to run Diaspora, you will need to download the following dependencies (specific instructions follow):

  • Build Tools - Packages needed to compile the components that follow.
  • Ruby - The Ruby programming language. (We're using 1.8.7. It comes preinstalled on Mac OS X.)
  • MongoDB - A snappy noSQL database.
  • OpenSSL - An encryption library. (It comes preinstalled on Mac OS X and Ubuntu.)
  • ImageMagick - An Image processing library used to resize uploaded photos.
  • Git - The fast version control system.

After you have Ruby installed on your system, you will need to get RubyGems, then install Bundler:

  • RubyGems - Source for Ruby gems.
  • Bundler - Gem management tool for Ruby projects.

That is realistically beyond what your typical webhost will offer. (Git and even Ruby are non-standard for many webhosts. MongoDB? Get outta here...)

You might be better off with a VPS.

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+1 for actually answering the question – Mark Henderson Sep 20 '10 at 1:17
Ouch! So the entrance barrier is pretty high. Nothing the average computer enthusiast would be able to handle himself. He actually does depend on the support of the hoster. – bitbonk Sep 20 '10 at 19:53
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up vote 1 down vote

I am sorry I cannot answer your question directly, but one thing you need to consider is the security flaws this pre-alpha release of Diaspora* has:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/09/16/diaspora_pre_alpha_landmines/

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-1 I am aware of this (it is pre Alpha after all) and it is not what I was asking. I just wanted to get an idea of what approximate costs and maintaince efforts we are talking here, when hosting a seed. – bitbonk Sep 20 '10 at 19:51
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