Run Your Own Cloud-Based SaaS: Nextcloud Hub
Some of us still run standalone office applications, but most people today use cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) programs for our work. However, do you really want to pay annual service fees to Google, Microsoft, or Zoho? Can you trust them with your information, especially since every company with an artificial intelligence (AI) program wants to dig through your data? If you’re concerned about those issues, why not run your own cloud-based SaaS, where you call the shots? The good news is you can, with Nextcloud Hub.
What is Nextcloud Hub?
Like the brand-name office suites you already know, Nextcloud Hub comes with pretty much every office application and service you could ever want. This collection starts with Nextcloud Files, an open-source infrastructure-as-a-service cloud file storage system. I’ve used this system to store my files remotely since Nextcloud was forked from OwnCloud in 2016. It just works.
What’s New in Nextcloud Hub 10?
Over the years, Nextcloud added other open-source programs until, in early 2020, the company started offering Hub, which integrated numerous programs into an all-in-one desktop office suite. With Hub, users were finally liberated from relying on hyper-scale SaaS cloud services. Today, Hub offers:
- Nextcloud Office, based on Collabra Online, the online version of LibreOffice
- Nextcloud Talk for audio/video conferencing and text chat
- Nextcloud Groupware for calendar, contacts, and mail management
- Nextcloud Assistant, an AI client using the OpenAI application programming interface (API)
Nextcloud Assistant: The AI Client
Nextcloud Assistant is the frontend of a large language model (LLM) client and uses the OpenAI application programming interface (API). With this client, you can connect to OpenAI. You can also connect to a self-hosted LocalAI, a free, open-source OpenAI alternative, or an Ollama instance. Ollama enables you to run private instances of many different LLMs, such as LLama 3.1, DeepSeek R1, or Mistral. Theoretically, Nextcloud Assistant can work with any service that uses an OpenAI-style API. Nextcloud, however, won’t guarantee that the client will work perfectly with such services.
Why Choose Nextcloud Hub?
The technology can use proprietary AI tools on its backend, but Nextcloud Assistant’s LLMs can be fully self-hosted, ensuring data sovereignty and privacy. As customer Dirk Schrödter, the German state of Schleswig-Holstein’s minister of digitization, said in a statement: "We will make AI services available to colleagues in the state administration directly at the workplace. We want to drive the development of digitally sovereign and open solutions in addition to using existing AI services such as ChatGPT."
What’s New in the Latest Release?
The Hub also offers platform-wide performance improvements and thousands of tweaks to improve user experience and stability across all apps. In particular, I’ve noticed its file-upload speeds have greatly improved. The file manager also enables you to convert files from one format to another without requiring an external application. As someone who often switches graphic files from PNG and similar to JPEG, that’s pretty handy.
Conclusion
Put it all together and what do you get with Hub? A do-it-yourself cloud program that’s good for anyone or any office. As Nextcloud’s CEO and founder, Frank Karlitschek, said in an online press conference: "Hub 10 proves that open source can deliver innovative, privacy-first solutions that meet the needs of modern organizations. It’s time to stop doubting and start benefiting from open-source innovation."
FAQs
Q: What is Nextcloud Hub?
A: Nextcloud Hub is a cloud-based SaaS program that offers a collection of office applications and services.
Q: What’s new in Nextcloud Hub 10?
A: The latest release includes significant security improvements, platform-wide performance improvements, and thousands of tweaks to improve user experience and stability across all apps.
Q: What is Nextcloud Assistant?
A: Nextcloud Assistant is the frontend of a large language model (LLM) client and uses the OpenAI application programming interface (API). It allows you to connect to OpenAI or self-hosted alternatives.
Q: Why should I choose Nextcloud Hub?
A: Nextcloud Hub allows you to run your own cloud-based SaaS, ensuring data sovereignty and privacy.
