I subscribe to Bear, and the upgraded plan comes with storage. Tempting as it is, I find myself hesitant. I feel Herman's commitment to the platform is genuine -- [his manifesto](tab:https://herman.bearblog.dev/manifesto/) speaks to real values. Yet after platform-hopping over the years, I've learned something fundamental: it's far easier when you own the "infrastructure" yourself. The calculus is simple. Every time you rely on someone else's storage, you're betting they'll remain solvent, committed, and aligned with your needs. Companies pivot. Policies change. Services sunset. But if your media lives on your own server, it lives on your terms. The setup is simpler than most people think. Cheap VPS options abound. Heck, you could even install FTP on an old laptop or Raspberry Pi, throw a tunnel over it using [Tailscale](https://tailscale.com/) or [Cloudflare](https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/networks/connectors/cloudflare-tunnel/), and link it anywhere online. Your files stay yours. No intermediary, no terms of service, no surprise migrations. The only requirement is discipline: maintain a consistent folder structure. Something like `static.example.com/images/2025`, `static.example.com/videos/2025`. That's it. Organized, accessible, sustainable. There's something else worth considering. You could pass this responsibility down -- to someone you trust, to your kid (if you have one and if they want to), or to whoever might maintain it after you. Your digital assets become something with actual longevity, not subject to any LLC's whims. I get it. This sounds like overkill. It's not.  A basic setup takes maybe an hour of setup time, then perhaps ten minutes of maintenance per year. The documentation exists everywhere -- Tailscale's [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@Tailscale) alone has everything you need (golden tbh). If you're genuinely interested, feel free to [email me](https://mighil.com/contact). We can figure out what actually makes sense for your situation. > Also read: [Re: self-hosting static assets](https://reedybear.bearblog.dev/re-self-hosting-static-assets/)