Core Components

• Gateway Server

  • Multi-tenant routing via slug
  • WebSocket request multiplexing
  • Request-response correlation
  • Heartbeat detection
  • Automatic cleanup of dead connections

• Android Agent

  • Local HTTP server (NanoHTTPD)
  • WebSocket client (OkHttp)
  • Auto-reconnect with exponential backoff
  • Slug registration
  • PING/PONG heartbeat support

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Key Features

• Automatic reconnect on network failure
• Heartbeat system to detect dead connections
• Multi-client support (multiple browsers per device)
• Request ID-based multiplexing over WebSocket
• Slug-based routing (/your-slug)
• Basic slug collision detection
• Real-time request forwarding

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Current Status

SelfHost is currently in v1 (Android MVP+) stage.

It supports:

• Static site hosting
• Multiple concurrent users
• Slug-based multi-device routing

Planned improvements:

• Request timeouts on gateway
• Authentication layer
• Slug ownership system
• Monitoring & analytics
• Custom domains
• Cross-platform agents (Windows, Linux, iOS)

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Android Agent Setup

1. Select your website folder.
2. Enter a unique slug.
3. Start hosting.
4. Share your public URL.

Example:

https://selfhost.com/mysite/

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Gateway Setup (Node.js)

1. Install dependencies:
2. Run the gateway:
3. Ensure your WebSocket URL matches the Android agent configuration.

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Technical Highlights

• WebSocket-based full-duplex tunnel
• Asynchronous request forwarding
• Concurrent request handling
• Path rewriting for subpath hosting
• Directory normalization (/slug → /slug/ redirect)

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Target Users (v1)

• College students needing instant demo links
• Hackathon participants
• Developers testing static projects
• Anyone who wants quick public hosting without cloud setup

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Vision

SelfHost aims to become a cross-platform edge hosting SaaS platform where any device can act as a deployable node.

Future roadmap:

• Multi-platform device agents
• Secure authentication
• Device clusters
• Distributed edge routing
• Paid hosting tiers

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Limitations (Current Version)

• Static site hosting only
• No authentication layer yet
• No rate limiting
• Not optimized for large file streaming
• Designed for light to moderate traffic

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Why SelfHost?

Traditional hosting requires:

• Cloud accounts
• Server setup
• DNS configuration
• Deployment pipelines

SelfHost removes all of that.

It makes hosting instant.

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🤝 Contributing

This project is actively evolving. Contributions, feedback, and ideas are welcome.