Repository: github.com/funkybooboo/openhaven

OpenHaven is a convention-driven cloud orchestrator that makes self-hosting as simple as using SaaS. Choose your domain, connect your cloud accounts, and deploy a complete personal cloud with email, file storage, password management, git hosting, and AI - all running on infrastructure you own and control.

Key Features

  • Multi-Cloud Cost Optimization: Automatically uses the cheapest provider for each service, achieving 75-85% cost savings vs SaaS ($5-10/month vs $40-65/month)
  • Convention Over Configuration: Opinionated defaults like Ruby on Rails for cloud infrastructure - nothing is locked, customize anything
  • True Sovereignty: You own the cloud accounts, data, and billing. OpenHaven is just a convenience layer you can remove anytime
  • Zero Vendor Lock-In: Everything is open source, all infrastructure exportable as Terraform
  • Comprehensive Service Stack: Email (Mailcow), Files (Nextcloud), Passwords (Vaultwarden), Git (Gitea), VPN (WireGuard), AI (Ollama), and more

Technology Stack

  • Infrastructure: Terraform (cloud provisioning), Docker Compose (orchestration)
  • Reverse Proxy: Traefik with automatic SSL (Let’s Encrypt)
  • Identity/SSO: Keycloak (OAuth/OIDC)
  • Compute: Hetzner Cloud (cost-optimized VMs)
  • Storage: Backblaze B2 (S3-compatible, cheapest)
  • DNS: Cloudflare (free tier, automated)
  • Database: PostgreSQL (industry standard)

Architecture Philosophy

OpenHaven is built on three core principles:

  1. User-Owned Infrastructure: Users own the cloud accounts, not OpenHaven. Grant limited IAM permissions, revoke anytime. If OpenHaven disappears, infrastructure continues running.

  2. Infrastructure as Code: Everything generated as Terraform, Docker Compose, and YAML configs. All code is human-readable, version-controlled, exportable, modifiable, and forkable.

  3. Multi-Cloud by Design: Uses the best provider for each service rather than locking to a single VPS. Object storage from Backblaze B2, compute from Hetzner, DNS from Cloudflare - more cost-effective and resilient.

Cost Comparison

Service SaaS Approach OpenHaven
Email + Calendar $5-10/month Included
File Storage (100GB) $2-5/month ~$0.50/month
Password Manager $1-3/month Included
Git Hosting $4-7/month Included
VPN $5-10/month Included
AI Chat $20/month Included
Office Suite $7-10/month Included
Total $44-65/month $5-10/month

Savings: $400-600/year - plus you own everything with no vendor lock-in or data mining.

Challenges & Solutions

The primary challenge was designing a system that balances simplicity with flexibility while maintaining true user sovereignty:

  • Problem: Most self-hosting solutions either require deep DevOps expertise or lock you into proprietary platforms
  • Solution: Created convention-driven approach with opinionated defaults (like Rails) that “just works” while keeping everything transparent and customizable. All infrastructure is generated as readable Terraform/Docker Compose that users can inspect, modify, or take over.

Another key challenge was achieving extreme cost efficiency across multiple services:

  • Problem: Running all these services traditionally costs $40-100+/month
  • Solution: Designed multi-cloud architecture that uses the cheapest provider for each service layer. Compute on Hetzner ($5-10/month), storage on Backblaze B2 ($0.50/month for 100GB), DNS on Cloudflare (free). This separation of concerns is both more cost-effective and more resilient than single-provider solutions.

Service Stack

OpenHaven deploys a comprehensive suite of best-in-class open source services:

  • Keycloak - Enterprise-grade OAuth/OIDC SSO
  • Nextcloud - Files, calendar, contacts, notes with S3 backend
  • Mailcow - Complete mail server (Postfix, Dovecot, Rspamd, SOGo)
  • Vaultwarden - Bitwarden-compatible password manager
  • Gitea - Lightweight Git hosting with CI/CD
  • OnlyOffice - Microsoft Office-compatible document editing
  • WireGuard - Modern VPN with QR code setup
  • Ollama + Open WebUI - Self-hosted AI chat (privacy-first)
  • Traefik - Automatic SSL and reverse proxy

Current Status

OpenHaven is in early development (v0.1.0 - Documentation Phase). Currently establishing vision, architecture, and roadmap with comprehensive Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) and technical specifications.

Roadmap:

  • v0.2.0: Minimal control plane (Keycloak, Vaultwarden, Gitea)
  • v0.3.0: File storage & productivity (Nextcloud, OnlyOffice, WireGuard)
  • v0.4.0: Email & communication (Mailcow)
  • v0.5.0: AI & developer tools (Ollama, Open WebUI)
  • v1.0.0: Production-ready with comprehensive monitoring

The vision: Make OpenHaven the “Rails of personal cloud infrastructure” - the obvious choice for anyone who wants to self-host with SaaS-level convenience.