Self-Hosting

Three locomotive engines race along parallel tracks toward a single glowing home server rack on a workbench

Node vs Bun vs Deno in 2026: The Self-Hosting Verdict

For self-hosting real apps in 2026, pick Node.js 24 LTS for stable long-running processes, Bun 1.3 for install speed, and Deno 2.8 for single-binary deploys. On my own box, Bun installs an 847-package monorepo in 1.2 seconds versus npm’s 32, but Node still wins the 3am stability test.

Key Takeaways

  • Node.js 24 LTS stays the safest default for long-running production processes.
  • Bun installs dependencies 20 to 40 times faster than npm in real projects.
  • Deno compiles to a single 28MB binary, the simplest self-host deploy there is.
  • Node now ships a test runner, watch mode, and TypeScript, closing the gap.
  • Native C/C++ addons work in Node and Bun but not in Deno.

Three runtimes now fight for the same job: running your server-side JavaScript. Node.js is the 16-year incumbent. Bun bets on raw speed. Deno bets on security and a single binary. This post compares them for one specific use: self-hosting a real app on hardware you own, not a synthetic hello-world race.

Three differently sized water reservoirs piping into a single server rack, illustrating SQLite, MariaDB, and PostgreSQL scaling ceilings.

Self-Hosted Databases in 2026: Postgres vs SQLite vs MariaDB

Picking a self-hosted database in 2026 comes down to one question: when does it force you to migrate? SQLite holds until about one write-heavy app server (~10 GB, single writer). PostgreSQL 18 is the default that almost never makes you move. MariaDB 12.3 LTS earns its spot mainly when you already live in the MySQL world.

Key Takeaways

  • SQLite serializes writes, so one busy app server is its real ceiling.
  • Postgres 18 is the default that almost never makes you migrate later.
  • MariaDB fits best when you already run MySQL tooling.
  • SQLite runs with no daemon and almost no RAM, while Postgres needs tuning.
  • The SQLite to Postgres jump is a planned move, not an emergency.

What are the best self-hosted databases for web apps in 2026?

For a self-hosted web app, three engines cover almost every case: PostgreSQL is the do-everything default, SQLite is the embedded single-file engine, and MariaDB is the MySQL-compatible community fork. All three are open source and free to run on your own box.

Podman vs Docker for Self-Hosting: I Measured the Difference

Podman vs Docker for Self-Hosting: I Measured the Difference

For self-hosting on Linux in 2026, Podman is the better default. It has no daemon, runs rootless out of the box, and its Quadlet unit files make containers behave like any other systemd service on your box. I say that as someone whose own stack still runs on Docker . After years of reading that Podman is lighter, faster, and safer, I installed it next to Docker and measured the difference on my own hardware. Some claims held up: rootless Podman with pasta networking (Podman’s user-mode network layer) beat rootful Docker’s bridge on download throughput in every run. There is also no daemon holding memory between deployments. One claim did not survive: the often-repeated “Podman starts containers about 50 ms faster” was a statistical tie on my machine.