CLOUDBREAK
Your own cloud in only 6 hours
Break up with the Big Tech cloud in this unique 1 x 6hr live training intensive where you are wholly supported in the process of building up your own sovereign, self-hosted and private infrastructure – free from AI, shady data-sharing agreements and prying eyes. Running atop renewable energy on a European Internet backbone, the cloud platform is both tightly locked-down and easy to maintain.
Intended for complete newcomers to server system administration, this is the ideal course for those wanting to get a taste of deploying and securing powerful server applications on real Internet infrastructure.
Time is given for personalised coaching, as needed, for two full days after the live training has completed. Following the training,all participants join an enduring self-hosted and private community chat platform where they can share notes with peers, and get tips and support as their server matures.
Q&A
When is the next course?
| Course start | March 7, 2026 |
| Live training session | March 7, 3pm-9:30pm UTC |
| Live tuition | March 8, as arranged and if needed |
| Live tuition | March 9, as arranged and if needed |
| Course end | March 9, 2026 |
Please join the Signal group or email to stay updated.
What prior skills do I need to take this course?
There is no need for a comp-sci or engineering background. Any experience with process-based technical work like baking, gardening, furniture-making, lego builds, electronics will be an advantage. An attention to detail and a reasonable typing speed are good to have too.
What skills will I learn?
- UNIX command line basics
- Securely connecting to a remote server
- Creating and encrypting partitions
- Server directory structure basics
- Server security fundamentals
- Basics of permissions and privilege separation
- Basics of server package management
- Firewalling fundamentals
- Working with Docker
- Common mistakes and oversights
- Jurisdictional and geographic considerations of a server deployment
- Encrypted backups
Just how intense is this course?
It’s a very focused 6hrs, with few breaks and a quick pace.
The goal is a strong deployment outcome for each participant, guided every step of the way, in turn giving them a good general understanding as to the overall build process and strategy. Post live training, documentation and follow-up material is provided, alongside support in chat, to then bolster and ingrain that understanding.
In the event a participant doesn’t come through with a deployment outcome in the live training due to an interruption or technical issue, a deployment is guaranteed, in 1:1 guidance scheduled to fit in the 2 days that follow.
How much does this course cost?
A one-time fee of EUR350.
This includes the live training, documentation and coaching, alongside casual support in chat after the training has completed.
Will the server I deploy be mine?
Yes, the server you deploy will wholly be yours, private and under your control. This is not a ‘managed server’, maintained by someone else.
Will there be a monthly cost for the server?
Yes, depending on what resources you wish your server to have, you will have to pay a minimum of EUR13/month. Double that for a powerful server for a bigger cloud.
Please note contracts with the datacenter are month-to-month so you can cancel at any time.
Will the computer I have be OK for this course?
Any laptop or workstation is suitable for the course. GNU/Linux and OS X users have nothing to prepare. Windows users are encouraged to setup WSL on their Windows machines before taking the course. If that is not possible, the Putty client software is fine.
What payment methods do you accept?
Credit card, bank transfer and AfterPay
Where will my server be?
Your server will be hosted with Hetzner, in either Germany or Finland (the choice is yours!)
What will I be able to do with my new cloud?
- Sync files from your devices
- Collaborate on and share documents as public links
- Create and share cloud folders just like DropBox or Google Drive
- Upload files and share them as links, setting passwords as desired
- Create image galleries
- Crete and manage videoconferencing sessions
- Edit and share calendars as public links
- Create accounts for friends, colleagues and family
- Manage storage and admnister your cloud in an easy-to-use interface
- and much more…
Will the training session be recorded?
Yes it will.
Will my server be under any domain I choose?
Yes your cloud will be under a domain that you own.
Can anyone take this course?
This is a strictly inclusive course offering. Those that espouse hate speech, gender bigotry or racism of any sort, are not welcome.
Does this course use AI?
No it doesn’t. This course, from delivery to documentation, code to communication, is AI-free. At no point is it used nor will it be used.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and learned a lot!
– Moritz Stefaner
Looking forward to invite friends and family to this secured space 🎉
– Javi Abia
Thanks Julian for this fantastic workshop! 🙌 It was a ton of material and steps to go through, but still easy to follow. I learned a lot and even had fun doing it 😎 It also feels very empowering to have my own secure cloud now and knowing the basics to administrate it! 💪
– Katrin Apel
I want to make it clear how much I appreciate Julian’s precise guidance. I am a film editor and filmmaker: I am an outsider compared to all the sysdevs and other skilled visionaries like Julian. I know art and technology are both more than simply interests for me, they fascinate me. This first approach to VPS is undoubtedly a gateway to a whole new language. But what I’m really talking about is an initial exploration of an alternative world, independent of the overpowering structures that monetise our data, our emotions and our relationships. This universe is vast and will increasingly become the battleground for the security of our information, but I now feel equipped to go further, step by step. Admiration and gratitude.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and practice – learned a lot!
– Thomas Amberg
Thank you @julian for a fantastic Cloudbreak! 🎉 I learned so much. Highly recommend for anyone else here who’s interested.
Sharing some takeaways: SaaS companies + managed hosting makes it feel so easy for anyone to spin up an app…
but these services can be politically risky or even actively harvesting your metadata. And even default DIY application installs can leave huge security gaps open, which I never would’ve seen or guessed.
To actually understand how the server works (where is it located? whose jurisdiction is it under? what are all these default folders? how does it connect to the internet and to its own applications?) and to be able to secure the server step-by-step by hand felt like recovering some nearly-lost knowledge.
These are survival skills for the present + future. 🤘 What a gift!
– Casey
Your instructor
Julian Oliver is a Critical Engineer, educator, infrastructure activist and electronic artist with over 2 decades of experience in server administration. Thousands of activists rising in defense of people and planet worldwide use secure server infrastructure Julian has deployed, some of which are active in very hostile operating conditions. He has given numerous workshops and master classes in data forensics, creative hacking, system administration, computer networking, counter-surveillance, software art, object-oriented programming, radio, disaster-resilient communications, UNIX/Linux and more.
Julian is co-director of Nīkau, a global platform, information and operations security consultancy in service to NGOs, impact-driven organisations and grassroots movements. His work and ideas have been presented at numerous universities, events and festivals worldwide, including Ars Electronica, the Vienna Biennale, the Frankfurter Kunstverein, the Japan Media Arts Festival, The Chaos Communication Congress, Tate Modern, Princeton University, and the ZKM in Karlsruhe.
Julian has also received several awards, most notably the distinguished Golden Nica at Prix Ars Electronica 2011. He is the co-author of the Critical Engineering Manifesto and member of the Critical Engineering Working Group.
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