I also had a lot of difficulty setting up NextCloud. Based on the various reviews and comments, it seems like I may have actually dodged a bullet.

In general, as I’ve tried different self-hosting solutions, I’ve found that using a dedicated solution for each purpose has given me better results. I use Radicale for contacts and Calendar, Immich for photos, Jellyfin for media (Navidrome for music is great, but I ended up keeping my music library in Jellyfin because I liked the client apps better).

I’m using OwnCloud for filesync, although I’m also testing CopyParty, which is pretty phenomenal and stupid simple.

Tailscale is GOAT. Some people have speculated that it could be subject to enshitification some day. It’s managed by a for-profit company, but everything they do is open source. There are already well-tested forks like HeadScale if you ever have the need to self-host it in the future.

NextCloud seems great if you can get it working and provides a lot of services in one. Some people have said that causes bloat and slowdown, so there are two sides to the coin.

Syncthing is likely not a good option for a file server. It’s great if you want to have a shared file or folder on multiple devices, especially if you just want to transfer files quickly and seamlessly. It’s fantastic at what it does, but it’s not a file server. There are a lot of opportunities for error when using Syncthing.