Get Started



Getting started is easy.

Whether you’re a novice with tech just like we were. Whether you don’t know what you want to do. Or if this service is even right for you.

Fear not! This is a guided experience to equip and empower you with the same tools (and wherewithal!) to take on the world of open-source technology fearlessly! Open-source tech is open to anyone and everyone and we believe that putting it to use is the best thing to do! For us, for you, and for the world! Let’s bring it on!

This guide will give you an understanding of the nature of open-source technology, what it means to build with it, what your Dojo is, some of the best ways to get started, some of the security concerns to consider and how to keep things safe, and why this all worth it at the end of the day.

It won’t be hard, it may be a bit boring at times, but we guarantee you’ll learn something along the way AND be better prepared for the digital future!


Disclaimer

Our service is NOT a managed hosting service. We do not want to host your things in a centralized cloud because we believe in the importance of encouraging people to host their own in a more decentralized fashion. Our service is to equip you with the basics for confidently running your own cloud servers and get you started with some of the cool apps we deploy for you on top of it.

Please note that these apps are NOT our apps. These apps and their developers are are in no way affiliated with Work Dojos beyond our believing they are good apps and ones we are happy to recommend. These are open-source apps whose source code is posted publicly on Github.

As with most open-source apps out in the wild, you don’t get any support and documentation can be hit or miss or sorely lacking. This is the nature of open-source. We here at Work Dojos also do not offer any sort of technical support related to these apps, and we do not have any relationship with the app provider, however, we do offer very responsive CUSTOMER support. It’s our priority #1 in fact!

Customers should be prepared, understand the limitations of open-source, and think about whether or not open-source is suitable for them. In many (perhaps most) cases, a customer is better off with one of the app provider’s premium plans. With many of these premium plans you do get access to priority support and more. Please weigh carefully whether or not you wish to take on the challenge of self-hosting, out in the wild, on your own (if you’re like us, then the answer is ABSO-freakin-LUTELY!)

Dashboard to rule them all.

The dashboard (like the one above) is the gateway to your server after you sign up for our service. Think of it as simply a collection of bookmarks and links to applications. Those applications (our default stack includes a half dozen of the latest and greatest!) are your applications. On your server.

It may not sound cool, but I’m sure you’ve noticed anyone and everyone flocking to people’s Discord servers. Skip 5 years ahead and people will PROBABLY have the wherewithal to host their own chat servers.


Skip ahead to the future.

Work Dojos is like a building block, just as the open-source apps you deploy are building blocks. You can deploy your own Work Dojo on your own server and simply play around and have a look. You will be the only ones with the keys to the car after we hand them over to you. Or rather, the keys to your Dojo!

Managing your own server is not for everyone. Work Dojos wouldb’t be a thing if it were a piece of cake. But it’s not as scary as you think.

We have put together the tools, the tricks, the turorials if you need them. All the things that will make the experience of managing your own server like a walk in the park

Skip ahead to the future by firing up your own self-hosted server today!


Platform for collaboration.

Work Dojos wants your continued service. While you are welcome to walk away after we have turned your Dojo over to you, we hope you don't!

We have a growing network of small businesses that are just like us. We support small business because we are a small business. We believe in fairness, we believe in opportunity, and we absolutely believe in collaboration!

We hope you’re one to chat, we hope you use our service and engage, we hope we can knock your socks off! Customer service means everything and we stand behind it! Please reach out!

Below is our self-hosted instance of Rocket.chat. This is part of the Work Dojos default stack, and it’s in a word: AWESOME! Have a look around, and if you need any support, please contact me in the #support channel:




Self-hosting, what is it?

Self-hosting for us is deploying open-source apps onto a Linux server. It doesn’t necessarily mean having a rack of servers set up in your bedroom running 24 hours a day. You can do that, but with as cheap as you can get Virtual Private Servers (VPSs) in the cloud, it usually makes way more sense to host things off premises. Helps with security too.


  Self-host with Work Dojos Don't self host and choose a premium SaaS provider
Tech support No tech support You pay (usually per seat!), you get tech support
Downtime Shared cloud, could face a couple days a year downtime, could also face bandwidth constraints Higher guaranteed uptime, upwards of 99% uptime
Scalability Build knowledge by self-hosting (the ultimate building block for scaling later!) Limited due to the costs
Risk If you tinker around too much at the terminal, you might break something Lower but still not null risk
Value Tremendous value, bang-for-your-buck! Difficult to ever get a "deal"

What's a Work Dojo?

A work Dojo is a hub with lots of interesting things! First off you get your own dashboard like above. It may seem simple, but there’s a lot of power by having what’s basically your own web app driving the dash that’s then connected to your own domain name.

This allows you to point your browser’s start page at it, since it’s deployed on it’s own domain (your domain because that’s included too with your Dojo!). The dashboard can be a daily reminder front and center of the things that YOU want to see.

This isn’t Microsoft or Google or Apple or Amazon dictating what you see on their homepage. Take back control and decide what you want for your eyeballs! A self-hosted dashboard is a pretty clever way to take back this control.



The dashboard (and domain), got it. What else?

Your Dojo also its own website that you will also own and control. You have a few options when it comes to websites and the website builders associated with each. Of course we can deploy Wordpress for you, but we can also deploy a Hugo website (which is what we use and recommend since it’s known to be the FASTEST website).

Hugo is a static site, while Wordpress is considered dynamic. If you want people to comment on posts, sign up, and the like, then Wordpress might be better for you. If you’re a big blogger, we can deploy your website onto its own Ghost server. Ghost comes with subscriptions AND payments built-in. We use it for our blog at:


Check out our blog.



Also included with your Dojo, some of the coolest open-source apps on the planet! We encourage everyone to read about them, even sign up for the premium plans. We picked them for a reason! We use these apps ourselves and would never consider their non-open-source alternatives. Never going back!




We support small business because we are a small business.

Click the “Sign Up” button in the upper right to claim a dojo or try one out for free via the following link:

Let’s go.