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Hot take: Most PeerTube instances shouldn’t just hand out accounts to anyone—and here’s the reality check. Running a PeerTube server isn’t like YouTube. There’s no trillion-dollar corporation footing the bill. Instead, small community admins juggle:

The major points are:

  • Storage costs (video files add up fast!)
  • Moderation work (spam, trolls, and legal risks)
  • Bandwidth limits
  • Abuse handling (because yes, people will test boundaries) Yet, a lot of sign-up requests sound like (at least from what I see on my instance):

"I wanna upload videos." "I’m starting a Roblox channel."

Sorry, but that’s not enough. Admins aren’t obligated to give free hosting to strangers. A good admin looks for people who:

  • Fit the community’s vibe (e.g., a coding-focused instance won’t host gaming streams).
  • Show effort—like sharing a portfolio or explaining why their content adds value.

Example: If you applied with a sample of your work or a clear plan? Hell yes, I’d consider you. But if your pitch is just "I want free hosting," why should the community foot the bill?

TL;DR: PeerTube isn’t a free-for-all. "I just wanna upload stuff" isn’t a good reason. Bring something to the table.

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[-] haui_lemmy@lemmy.giftedmc.com 4 points 1 week ago

I have a peertube server. People who want to use the infrastructure are obligated to help foot the bill. Pretty easy.

[-] RockLobstore@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 days ago

What do you host there that people couldn’t find on YouTube etc ?

[-] haui_lemmy@lemmy.giftedmc.com 1 points 5 days ago

I personally or generally on peertube?

In case you ask why one should "use" my infrastructure: i'm talking about uploading, not watching. Everyone can watch on my peertube server and it federates to a lot of other instaces.

Hosting on my peertube server means high uptime, no corpos, pragmatic but strong moderation, extreme bias towards democracy and against fascism.

this post was submitted on 07 May 2025
35 points (100.0% liked)

Peertube

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A free software to take back control of your videos

Peertube is an open, federated alternative to Youtube without advertising or tracking. On this site, you can find a good Peertube instance, with good rules, good moderation and most importantly a friendly community.

https://joinpeertube.org/

founded 5 years ago
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