Self-Hosted Cloud Storage in 2026: A Practical Setup That Just Works

Description and use

The author replaced paid Google One cloud storage with a self-hosted solution using TrueNAS Scale, Nginx WebDAV, ScsDriver, and Backblaze B2, achieving full data control and monthly savings of about $5.

Problem

The author wanted to replace paid cloud storage (Google One) with a cheaper, self-hosted solution without losing data.

Outcome

The setup costs about $5/month after the first year, far cheaper than paid cloud options, with full local control and reliable backups.

Workflow

• Install TrueNAS Scale on the mini PC
• Create a ZFS mirror with the two 8 TB drives
• Create a dataset and share it via WebDAV through Nginx
• Create a user with a strong password and an app password
• Install ScsDriver on Windows, mount the WebDAV URL as a drive
• Install Syncthing on phone or use iOS Files with WebDAV URL
• Set up Backblaze B2 via TrueNAS plugin to mirror the dataset nightly

Evidence

I have not lost a single file, and I am paying a fraction of what I used to.

Source

The machine runs the operating system, the WebDAV server (Apache + mod_dav or Nginx + dav), the file sync, and a handful of other services.

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Electricity: about 12 W × 24 h × 30 d = 8.6 kWh/month. At $0.15/kWh, that is $1.29/month.

Source

Backblaze B2 cold storage (one full mirror, ~6 TB) — about $3.60/month.

Source

Latency is fine for daily work. I edit photos and read code on the mounted WebDAV drive. The first file open has a half-second delay; subsequent reads are cached.

Source