portalplatform

Yes, we initially used containers. We think VMs are a more secure form of isolation, which is arguable. We also want users to have the ability to run apps based on a variety of operating systems and kernels.

Portal apps themselves can use containers of course. For example, a game server app might run each game process in a separate container within its own VM.

The big difference is that with Portal you can run 8 x 128 MB (or 4 x 256 MB) VMs within a single 1 GB memory plan. Running each of your apps in a separate VM on a standard VPS would cost a lot more.

That's fair, but it's not just a test, you can really use it. In fact, our own domain runs on Portal. Our web server and email server are two simple custom Portal apps I created in a few minutes for our own use.

The point of the disclaimer is just to make it clear that we expect there to be some initial hiccups, as with any new service.

You can see our old site and product on archive.org if you have any doubts, everything is different, but it does seem true that our idea of Show HN is not quite what the policy is. We'll make only regular submissions from now on. Thanks for undoing the demotion.

I haven't looked at Sandstorm packages in detail yet. I think it definitely should be possible to make a Sandstorm-runner app for Portal. I've experimented with doing this for Docker. It should also be possible to run a full copy of Sandstorm (or more than one) as a Portal app VM. We'll support any and all standards that emerge.

For now, we're just trying to keep it really simple and the JSON config seems as simple as we can make it. Apps could do a lot more, like include their own OS images or rootfs tarballs if it makes sense.

Thanks. Congratulations to you as well.

Thank you!

(And no, I do not know ocdtrekkie although I am also an OCD trekkie.)

It isn't. We've been working for 6 months since the last submission, it's a completely different version of the web site and service, and we're open to anyone for the first time. We're not launching to the general public yet, we're still just looking for more feedback and help from others on HN.

How is this not 100% in the spirit of Show HN?

We're trying to make it as close to self-managed as a sysadmin running their own machine in a colo. We're not there yet but that's where we're headed. Sandstorm is working on a hosting service as well.

The only way you can truly control a server, as an individual, is by running it out of your home. The problem with servers at home is that most residential internet is terrible for running servers on.