Here it is, the update I've been promising you for some time.
When I first started this instance, I wanted a place where people could come together and share their experiences, knowledge and start discussions about the things that mattered to them. A place that was not driven by corporate greed but instead by its users.
In the early days of this instance, I founded the community /c/Agora to serve as a platform where users could openly discuss instance or fediverse-related matters and advocate for improvements and changes they would like to see. I want to put emphasis on the fact that this instance belongs to all of you, now and in the future.
Most of you know that since the start of this instance I've been personally funding the costs associated with it. While a lot of you have been generous enough to ask for ways to contribute over the last year, I haven't allowed it. This reason was mainly related to time and in no rush in making donations my top priority. Over the last few months I've reflected and come to understand that for this instance to truly be about its users, it also needs to be funded by them. Today I am taking the first step by sharing more details regarding the costs associated to running this instance and sharing with you all platforms that you can use to donate towards keeping this instance running.
So here it is. I've broken the rest of this post in the following sections. Feel free to jump to whichever section are most important/interesting to you:
- Current running cost
- Wishful 2025 budget
- Donations platforms
- New announcement community
- New front-end available
- A special thanks
Current running cost
Note: Some of these items are paid yearly however to keep things consistent I've broken it down monthly The running costs includes everything that relates to keeping the lights on. The time the admins and moderators put in keeping this instance decent is all volunteered.
| Service | Description | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1U Server Colocation | Bandwidth, Power and Space | $99 |
| Domain Name | The just.works domain | $4.66 |
| Image Hosting | Object storage used for the images | $8.25 |
| Email Account | Used by me solely for instance related communication via email (ProtonMail) | $7 |
| External Backups | Remote Backups of the entire instance | $20 |
| Hardware Repairs | For the eventual drive failures. (This might need to be adjusted in the in future) | $15 |
| Total | $153.91 | |
| *All amounts are in Canadian Dollars |
This break down is quite conservative but as this instance continues to grows, so will its costs. I've already had to replace a drive and a power supply since switching to the new server. The current breakdown doesn't leave much room for improvements. If we get enough donations, here's what I'd do with the extra money throughout 2025. The focus is around speed, stability and general site availability. I look to do this by implementing a more robust disaster recovery strategy, add extra resources for new future hosted services and switch to a proper external email sending service to address some delivery issues during waves of new accounts.
2025 Budget
| Service | Description | Monthly Cost | Yearly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1U Server Colocation | Location 1 | $99 | $1200 |
| 1U Server Colocation | Location 2 | $99 | $1200 |
| Remote PBS Backup | Location 3 | $20 | $240 |
| Domain Name | The just.works domain | $4.66 | $55.92 |
| Image Hosting | Object storage used for the Images | $8.25 | $99 |
| External Email Sending Service | Email Delivery Service | $15 | $180 |
| Email Account | Used by me solely for instance related communication (ProtonMail) | $7 | $84 |
| Hardware Repairs | For the eventual hardware failures | $30 | $360 |
| Total | $282.91 | $3,418.92 | |
| *All amounts are in Canadian Dollars |
Donations
Its taken far longer than anticipated, but it’s finally here! 🚀 For now, I’m launching with two donation platforms: Liberapay and Ko-fi. If there’s demand for additional options, I’ll gladly expand in the future.
Where your donations go:
- 💻 Keeping this instance running smoothly (see Current running costs)
- 🔧 Funding improvements and new features
Community-driven priorities:
You can shape how extra funds are used. Join the discussion in the /c/Agora community—your input matters!
My commitment:
I’ll personally cover any funding shortfalls to ensure this project thrives, no matter what.
Thank you for your support!
New Announcements Community 📢
As this was posted we came across a bug related to local only communities. We will circle back on this once a fix has been implemented.
~~We'll be moving away from the /c/main community for posting future announcements moving forward. Instead we'll be using the /c/announcements community. The community has been restricted to only allow posts from admins. Be sure to subscribe!~~
New Tesseract front end available
One of our members @[email protected] raised a discussion in the /c/Agora to introduce a new lemmy front end called Tesseract. I've went ahead and added this front end for all to use. You can access it from here: https://tesh.itjust.works/
A special thanks ❤️
It wouldn't feel right if I ended this post without taking a minute to thank and appreciate the admins for all that they do on this instance and the fediverse. @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] thank you for your support, volunteering your precious time and continued dedication in keeping this a place running smoothly for many that call it their home. I'll always be in your debt!
I want to say that I've been blown away by the amount of support that's I've received in the last 24 hours. You all have left me speechless. Thank you everyone who have donated and those who couldn't, know that being a good member of this community already more than I could ask for. Thank you!