Welcome to Clovyr
Learn more about what makes Clovyr different.
Find and use apps that treat you better.
What’s better?
Apps that don’t turn your work into their product are better.
Apps that don’t sell your data to advertisers, hedge funds, and governments are better.
Apps that put you in control are better.
The cost of convenience
Running apps that put you in control of your data (aka “self-hosting”) can be pretty difficult. Even if you have the technical know-how to do it yourself, it can still be a pain. Because of this, most of us rely on tech companies to run the nuts & bolts – the servers and infrastructure where our apps run – on our behalf, so we can focus on the fun and useful parts like creating content, connecting with friends and getting work done.
We end up paying for the convenience with our money (all those software-as-a-service subscriptions add up!), as well as our data. When we use a website or an app on our mobile device that’s operated by someone else, somewhere “out in the cloud,” we give the operator the ability to see not only what we choose to share in order to use the app, but also a treasure trove of additional information we might not even know is being shared — from the location of our mobile device throughout the day to lists of all the other websites we visit in a month.
While we might throw up our hands and decide that feeding our data to advertisers is a necessary evil of the modern world, there’s no way to stop that same data from being shared with or sold to other entities that repackage it into products and services that might eventually harm us. Insurance companies, financial institutions, governments, law enforcement, universities, and almost all of our employers buy services built with our collective data.
But Clovyr is here to change that.
Our goal is to help people and teams discover alternatives to data-hungry SaaS, and then make self-hosting those apps so simple that you forget you’re doing it.
Regardless of technical skill level, hosting provider, or patience level, everyone deserves apps that treat them better.
Time to choose your own adventure:
Which profile describes you?
You are well versed in self-hosting open-source software and want to understand exactly what’s different about Clovyr
If you have an account with a public cloud like AWS, Digital Ocean, or Linode, applications can be launched directly into your cloud account without sharing your API credentials with us (Clovyr, the company). Soon, we'll support direct deployment to other custom locations like home servers, Raspberry Pis, and more complex on-prem setups.
Clovyr is not another "fully managed service" that cuts corners by running your apps on your behalf - these are your apps, running directly on your infrastructure.
Unlike other orchestration engines, the Clovyr platform runs locally in your browser with nothing to install. Connectivity to your apps and infrastructure happens directly between your browser and your cloud provider. Clovyr never sees the data inside an application.
Clovyr never charges for open-source software, or to deploy an app elsewhere. You’ll need a free Clovyr account (only an email is required) to access some features where the functionality depends on locally generated keys, like accessing your apps from multiple devices. You’ll also have the option to enable additional features, like automatic end-to-end encrypted backups, as an inexpensive monthly subscription service.
Both on the application pages and before deployment, you can see an estimate of your preferred host’s monthly cost to run an application, based on a system configuration we’ve optimized to run that app efficiently. In all cases we’ve seen so far, the cost to run an app managed by the Clovyr platform is lower (often much lower) than the cost to run an app via an image found in a cloud’s marketplace.
Not sure if an app meets your needs yet? You can launch any app into Clovyr Hosting for a free trial period and if it meets your needs, easily port it over to your preferred host for free.
You don’t know much about self-hosting, but are interested in using more apps that are open source, privacy-conscious, free to use (not just freemium), and/or outside the big-tech bubble
If you wouldn’t know a cloud console from a clover field, no worries. Every app in the Clovyr Garden (our catalog of apps) can be given a home on Clovyr Hosting.
Basically, we can help you launch and run an app, as well as give it the space and storage it needs to operate. We create a VPS (virtual private server) just for your application, and give your browser control of it just like if you had your own cloud account elsewhere.
No other app platform does this like Clovyr does it — usually vendors that offer to help launch and mange self-hosted applications run your app mixed up with all their other customers’ apps, the company has access to everyone’s data inside the apps, and you may still have to install a program on your desktop or server to manage your applications.
With Clovyr Hosting, you can access your apps from any browser and you get the same privacy and control as a techie who navigates cloud infrastructure like a pro. App upgrades and encrypted backups are automatic and worry-free. We currently run all Clovyr Hosting apps on servers in the United States.
Clovyr Hosting offers flat, transparent pricing and monthly subscription plans. We never charge for open source software, only for the services Clovyr provides. Every app in the Garden can be tested out for free, no account sign up or credit card required.
In summary:
- Browse the Clovyr Garden to find apps built by companies and communities providing alternatives to expensive, data-hungry SaaS apps.
- Launch those apps into Clovyr Hosting or your existing public cloud account.
(Coming Soon: Launch into custom locations, from home servers to on-prem clusters) - Access your apps via your Library, visible from any browser connected to your account. One location to manage all your apps on any host.
That’s it! Thanks for learning more about Clovyr, and please let us know if you have any questions.
PS - If you’re a developer working on an open source app and are interested in making your app launchable by anyone via Clovyr, get in touch. We’ve got some tricks up our sleeves when it comes to decentralized distribution.
