The bad news: you also cannot just flip a switch and be done.

Google is sticky because it is not one product. It is an ecosystem. Gmail talks to Calendar. Calendar talks to Android. Android talks to Photos. Photos talks to Drive. Chrome quietly syncs your whole digital life in the background. By the time most people decide they want out, Google is less of a tool and more of a nervous system.

That is why most de-Google guides fail. They are either too ideological or too naive. They tell you to self-host your entire life over a weekend, then vanish before your email deliverability breaks, your photo metadata gets mangled, and your family refuses to install three new apps.

So here is the practical version.

This guide is for people who want more privacy, more ownership, and more control, but still want their setup to work on Monday morning.

First rule: do not migrate everything at once

The biggest mistake people make is trying to replace Gmail, Drive, Photos, Docs, Maps, Android, YouTube, and Search all in one shot.

That is how you end up with a half-broken setup and a fast return to Google.

Instead, break the migration into layers:

1. Identity layer: email, calendar, contacts, passwords

2. Storage layer: files, backups, photos

3. Daily tools: browser, search, maps, notes, office docs

4. Mobile layer: Android, Play Store, push notifications, app replacements

If you move in that order, the process gets a lot easier.

Step 1: get your own domain before doing anything else

If your digital identity lives at yourname@gmail.com, Google owns the address that every bank, SaaS product, and important login knows.

That is a bad place to be.

Before you migrate email, buy a domain you control and move your life there. That way, even if you switch providers later, your identity stays stable.

A custom domain is the real escape hatch. Not Proton. Not Fastmail. Not self-hosting. The domain.

If you do only one thing after reading this article, do that first.

Step 2: do not casually self-host email

This is the part where a lot of homelab content gets irresponsible.

Yes, you can self-host email. No, most people should not.

Running a mail server is not like running Immich or Plex. Receiving email is one thing. Delivering it reliably is another. You are dealing with spam reputation, reverse DNS, DKIM, SPF, DMARC, blacklists, and the reality that a lot of IP ranges are treated with suspicion by default.

If you enjoy email infrastructure as a hobby, great. Run Mailcow or Stalwart Mail and accept the tradeoffs.

If you want a sane life, use a hosted mail provider with your own domain.

Best practical options

– Fastmail: best all-around practical choice

– Proton Mail: strong privacy-first option

– Mailcow: best-known serious self-hosted suite

– Stalwart Mail: modern and promising, but still a more advanced path

My practical advice: hosted email, self-host everything else.

That gets you 80 percent of the independence with 20 percent of the pain.

Step 3: replace Google Drive with something that matches your real use case

A lot of people say they want to leave Google Drive when what they really mean is one of three things:

– I want Dropbox-style file sync.

– I want shared folders and family storage.

– I want a mini Google Workspace.

Those are not the same problem.

If you want the broad Google replacement

Use Nextcloud.

Nextcloud is the default answer for a reason. It gives you file storage, sharing, calendar, contacts, optional office editing, and enough ecosystem depth to become the center of your self-hosted life.

If you mostly want fast file sync

Use Seafile.

Seafile is often lighter and faster for pure file sync. It is less of a whole ecosystem and more of a sharp tool.

If you do not want to self-host this part

Use Proton Drive, Filen, or Tresorit.

The key thing here is not perfection. It is getting your data out of Google and into a setup you actually trust and control.

Step 4: move your photos before Google Photos gets more emotionally expensive

Google Photos is one of the hardest services to leave because it is one of the best Google products ever made.

That is exactly why so many people stay.

The best self-hosted replacement right now is Immich.

Immich is the first self-hosted photo product that feels like a serious Google Photos replacement instead of a side project with a web UI. Mobile auto-upload works. Search is decent. Facial recognition exists. Albums, timelines, maps, and sharing are there. It feels like something you can actually live with.

If you already run Synology and want the simpler route, Synology Photos is also a respectable option.

If you want a hosted privacy-first alternative instead of self-hosting, Ente is the best option in this category.

Important warning

Google Takeout is messy.

If you are migrating years of photos, expect metadata weirdness, duplicate handling issues, and extra cleanup. Do not delete your original export. Keep an untouched archive of everything before you start importing into Immich or anything else.

This is one of those categories where backups matter more than ideology.

Step 5: accept that Google Docs is harder to replace than Google Drive

Leaving Google Drive is easy compared to leaving Google Docs.

Storage is straightforward. Collaborative editing is where things get messy.

If you want a self-hosted docs setup, the practical stack is:

– Nextcloud + OnlyOffice

– or Nextcloud + Collabora

That is the closest thing to a serious Google Docs replacement in the self-hosted world.

Will it match Google Docs exactly? No.

Will it be good enough for many people, teams, and families? Yes.

If your documents are mission-critical and formatting-sensitive, export carefully and keep PDF copies of important files. If you collaborate heavily with non-technical people, expect a little friction. This is one area where Google still wins on polish.

But for many users, slightly less polished but under your control is still the right trade.

Step 6: calendar and contacts are easier than they look

This is one of the better parts of the migration.

Calendar and contacts are built on sane standards: CalDAV and CardDAV.

That means once you move out of Google, you are no longer trapped in one vendor’s weird ecosystem.

The cleanest self-hosted option is Nextcloud Calendar + Contacts. If you use Fastmail or Proton, their hosted calendar options are fine too.

On Android, a tool like DAVx5 makes the sync story much better.

This part is rarely the hardest technical challenge. The real challenge is remembering how many other services quietly depend on your Google calendar and contact list.

Step 7: stop using Chrome as the glue

A lot of people think they are leaving Google because they switched search engines.

Then they keep using Chrome signed into a Google account.

That is not leaving. That is redecorating.

If you want to reduce Google dependence, move your browser sync and password habits too.

Better browser options

– Firefox: best open-web, privacy-friendly default

– Brave: good if you need Chromium compatibility without Google sync

Better search options

– Kagi: best paid option if you want quality and privacy

– DuckDuckGo: easiest free default

– Startpage: useful if you want Google-like results with more distance

– SearXNG: fun for self-hosters, but more of a power-user tool

Also: move your passwords into Bitwarden or Vaultwarden instead of letting Chrome stay the center of your life.

Step 8: be realistic about maps

This is one of the hardest categories to replace cleanly.

For many users, Organic Maps is the best simple answer. OsmAnd is more powerful if you want offline-heavy control and do not mind extra complexity.

Are they as good as Google Maps everywhere? No.

Business listings, reviews, transit, and regional coverage can still lag depending on where you live.

This is a good example of where the right move is not pretend the replacement is perfect. The right move is understand the tradeoff and choose your pain.

Step 9: Android de-Googling is a spectrum, not a purity test

If you want the strongest de-Googled mobile setup today, GrapheneOS is the best answer, as long as you are willing to use supported Pixel hardware.

If you want something a bit broader or less strict, CalyxOS and /e/OS are also real options.

For apps:

– F-Droid for open-source apps

– Aurora Store for Play Store access without a Google account

– selective use of sandboxed Google services only when necessary

This is the point where a lot of de-Googling guides become fantasy.

Some apps still expect Google. Banking apps can be annoying. Push notifications can be weird. Ride-sharing, DRM, wearables, and Android Auto can become annoying fast.

So do not optimize for ideological perfection. Optimize for reduced dependence with acceptable friction.

That is the grown-up version.

Step 10: admit that YouTube does not really have a true replacement

There are alternatives. There are privacy-friendly frontends. There is PeerTube. There is NewPipe, FreeTube, Invidious, and Piped.

All of that is useful.

But none of it changes the reality that YouTube’s content network is still YouTube’s content network.

So for this category, the practical move is usually not replace YouTube completely. It is use better clients, reduce tracking, and diversify where you publish and subscribe.

That is still progress.

A practical de-Google stack that normal people can actually live with

If I had to recommend one realistic setup for most ezhosted readers, it would be this:

– Email: Fastmail or Proton Mail with your own domain

– Files / calendar / contacts: Nextcloud

– Document editing: Nextcloud + OnlyOffice

– Photos: Immich

– Passwords: Bitwarden or Vaultwarden

– Browser: Firefox

– Search: Kagi or DuckDuckGo

– Maps: Organic Maps

– Phone OS: GrapheneOS if you are serious, otherwise reduce Google use on standard Android

– Apps: F-Droid + Aurora Store

– Video: YouTube with privacy-friendly clients; PeerTube where it makes sense

That is the sweet spot.

Self-host what self-hosting is actually good at. Outsource what is painful. Use open standards where possible. Own your domain. Keep backups. Reduce lock-in. Do not turn your personal infrastructure into a second job unless you actually enjoy that.

Final advice: break up in phases, not in anger

You do not need to leave Google in one dramatic night.

You can do it in layers.

Move email identity first. Then files. Then photos. Then browser habits. Then your phone if you want to go deeper.

The goal is not to become a purity-maxing privacy monk.

The goal is to build a setup where:

– your important data lives under your control,

– your identity is portable,

– your tools are replaceable,

– and one company does not get to quietly sit in the middle of your whole life.

That is what a good breakup looks like.

Why Choose The IP API?

Before diving into the technical details, let’s explore why The IP API is a great choice for your application:

• Easy Integration: Designed for developers, The IP API offers intuitive documentation and straightforward setup.
• Accurate and Reliable Data: Get precise geolocation data for users worldwide.
• Lightning-Fast Response Times: Ensure seamless user experiences with quick API responses.
• Scalable Solutions: Handle millions of requests with confidence.

Sign Up for an Account

To get started, visit theipapi.com and sign up for an account. Once registered, you’ll gain access to your API key, which is essential for making requests.

For now, we have only one API Endpont:

https://api.theipapi.com/v1/ip/%7BIP_ADDRESS%7D?api_key={API_KEY}

Make Your First API Call

Let’s make a simple API call to fetch geolocation data for an IP address:

Example (Using cURL):

curl -X GET "https://api.theipapi.com/v1/ip/8.8.8.8?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY"

Example Reponse:

{
  "status": "OK",
  "body": {
    "asn": {
      "asn": 15169,
      "asn_description": "GOOGLE, US",
      "country": "US",
      "created": "2005-11-23T02:48:10.000Z",
      "network": "8.8.8.0/24",
      "org_name": "Google LLC",
      "rir": "ARIN",
      "updated": "2019-10-31"
    },
    "company": {
      "address": "1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA, US",
      "name": "Google LLC",
      "network": "8.8.8.0 - 8.8.8.255",
      "route": "8.8.8.0/24"
    },
    "ip": "8.8.8.8",
    "location": {
      "city": "Mountain View",
      "country": "United States of America",
      "country_code": "US",
      "latitude": 37.405992,
      "longitude": -122.078515,
      "region": "California"
    }
  },
  "response_time_ms": 1
}

Handle Responses and Errors

The API returns data in JSON format, making it easy to parse and use. Be sure to implement error handling for scenarios like invalid IP addresses or exceeding rate limits. Here’s an example:
Sample Error Response:

{
  "status": "Error",
  "error": "No API Key Provided",
  "response_time_ms": 0
}

Suggested Error Handling (Python):

import requests

url = "https://api.theipapi.com/v1/ip/8.8.8.8"
params = {"api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY"}
response = requests.get(url, params=params)

if response.status_code == 200:
    data = response.json()
    print(data)
else:
    print(f"Error: {response.status_code}, {response.json()['error']}")

Optimize API Usage

Now that you’ve integrated The IP API into your application, start thinking about:

• Caching: Store frequent IP lookups locally to reduce API calls and improve performance.
• Rate Limits: Check your plan’s rate limits and optimize requests accordingly.
• Batch Requests: Use batch endpoints to process multiple IP addresses in a single request.

For further assistance, visit The IP API’s support center.

Happy coding!

You need to see that cool trick they are using to run that many LXC Containers: they virtualize Proxmox inside Proxmox, and on each of the nexted Proxmox they pin up a lot of LXC Containers. Super cool and super interesting. Enjoy!

By the way, if you haven’t seen a previous video 250 Virtual Machines on a Proxmox Mini PC from the same channel, check it our as well!

Unifi Enterprise Fortress Gateway

25G Cloud Gateway with 500+ UniFi devices / 5,000+ client support, 12.5 Gbps IPS routing, and complete high availability.

Features include:

• Runs UniFi Network for full-stack network management
• Shadow Mode High Availability with automatic failover provides uninterrupted connectivity
• 12.5 Gbps routing with IDS/IPS
• License-free, real-time inspection of encrypted packets with NeXT AI Inspection (SSL/TLS decryption)
• (2) 25G SFP, (2) 10G SFP, and (2) 2.5 GbE RJ45 ports (all LAN/WAN remappable)
• (2) included hot-swap PSUs for power redundancy

To learn more, watch the video review below from Mactelecom Networks:

Unifi Mobile Router Industrial

Features include:

• Built-In WiFi Access Point
• PoE/PoE+ input and output
• has a weatherproof cover included, so you can mount it both indoors and outdoor
• unlocked, so you can choose the LTE provider you prefer
• GPS Location Tracking so that you can install it on a mobile unit (for example car/truck) and monitor its movement

Learn more about this device at the Unifi website or watch the video below:

Both devices look more enterprise/industrial, but I can see them being used at the Homelab as well, for some specific Homelab power users.

This seems to be an incredible and very versatile device that you can use in your Homelab for a long time, especially given its max memory support and 4 NVMe slots. You can either get a prebuilt version with AMD Ryzen 7, 8700G 32GB DDR5, and 1TB SSD or get a Barebone version and configure it to your needs.

We have a sample build you can use to get a machine with maximum memory and a great SSD, and in the future you add more SSD drives as your needs grow:

Direct links to parts used in this build:

• MS-A1 AMD Ryzen 7 8700G 32GB DDR5 1TB SSD – https://amzn.to/4cdWBWi
• Barebone – https://amzn.to/3ysG9Uv
• WD_BLACK 4TB SN850X – https://amzn.to/3Yqx2hJ
• Crucial RAM 96GB Kit (2x48GB) DDR5 5600MHz – https://amzn.to/4caDBbd
• AMD Ryzen 7 8700G – https://amzn.to/3Yrcohv

As mentioned, this seems to be a great device, and I’m really considering getting it as a replacement for the much bigger and WAY louder Supermicro 5019D-FTN4 AMD Epyc 3251 that I have rack-mounted.

Recently I found a device that has a lot of these qualities: Minisforum MS-01. It has a decent 13th Core i9 13900H Processor with 14C/20T, 24MB Cache, up to 5.4GHz, and can have up to 64 GB of DDR5 memory officially (and looks like it’s possible it can support 96GB unofficially, unconfirmed). Also, it has 2x 10Gbps SFP+ and 2x 2.5G RJ45 (one of which can be used as IPMI for remote management). Also, you can install up to 3x M.2 NVME SSDs (one of which could be U.2 NVME SSD). This looks almost perfect, but for some reason, I am still not convinced. Maybe if I get at least one more NVME, it would be an easier choice for me. And today, I found an interesting video from NASCompares: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MDzL2mxYcY, where he showcases an official (not yet released) upgrade card for this mini PC, which can transform 3xM.2 NVME into 6xM.2 NVME. Pretty exciting solution, and I’m waiting to see this in store.

Another great review of MS-01 (without the 6xSSD card) from Hardware Haven on YouTube

The outage was caused by software from CrowdStrike. And to get more info on what exactly happened, we curated a list of videos with explanations from different YouTubers we like:

Great video from Fireship:

After we published this blog post, Fireship published a new video with more detailed information on what exactly happened and also gave a few theories about why it might have happened:

The device looks really cool, especially with a 3D-printed enclosure Michael designed and printed. For this built you’d need:

• Raspberry Pi 5
• PENTA SATA HAT Expansion Board
• Raspberry Pi 5 Active Cooler
• 4 x Crucial MX500 500GB SSD drives (or you can even go for 4x2TB drives, if you want more disk space)
• and a few other smaller things, like screws and a 32GB SanDisk MicroSD Card

Please watch the full video for detailed instructions on how to build a NAS yourself. Enjoy!

Gateway features a 2.5 GbE WAN port and 4 2.5 GbE LAN ports, one of which is also remappable to WAN so that you can configure your internet with failover and/or load balancing. According to Ubiquiti, it’s also capable of 1.5 Gbps IDS and IPS throughput and has an onboard NVMe SSD for UniFi Protect.

You can configure your device to have a range of Site-To-Site VPNs; it can serve as a VPN server and client with a Policy-based WAN and VPN routing.

We’ll try to write a review when we get our hands on this device, but for now you can check out video reviews from some well-known YouTubers:

To get your Cloud Gateway Max, go here: https://amzn.to/42TSdeb

After watching this video, you’ll want to start experimenting with Kubernetes yourself.

Go and watch this cool video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yplBzPCghA

If you want to build a similar setup, you can pick up your hardware here:

• Beelink EQ12
• Crucial RAM 32GB DDR5
• Crucial P3 Plus 2TB
• Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Lite 8 PoE