AI DISCLOSURE
The point of this project is better ownership and control of my data. Handing that data to another third party would undermine it, so AI assistance (Claude) is limited to planning and repo management.
INTRO
I have been on the Google bandwagon ever since creating my Gmail beta account in 2005. I have loved the connected ecosystem, the innovation and the ability to tinker under the hood. The last handful of years locking & gating features have been disheartening though. Force feeding Gemini into every corner of their business is the final straw for me. I have found myself saying “nobody is asking for this” too often.
It’s time to start chipping away at the daunting task of decentralizing my Google foundation with a self-hosted stack.
THE GOAL
Reduce the dependence on Google to a deliberate, minimal footprint while keeping a sensible balance of privacy, security and convenience.
This is not a purity project. Google stays as a useful service provider where it earns its place, but it stops being the foundation that everything rests on.
SUCCESS CRITERIA
Remove all identified single points of failure that could arise from a hypothetical Google account lock out.
EXTRA CREDIT: Get the family to fully adopt at least one new product (exs. Immich, Vault Warden, NAS storage)