Hot take: Most PeerTube instances shouldn’t just hand out accounts to anyone—and here’s the reality check. Running a PeerTube server isn’t like YouTube. There’s no trillion-dollar corporation footing the bill. Instead, small community admins juggle:

The major points are:

  • Storage costs (video files add up fast!)
  • Moderation work (spam, trolls, and legal risks)
  • Bandwidth limits
  • Abuse handling (because yes, people will test boundaries) Yet, a lot of sign-up requests sound like (at least from what I see on my instance):

“I wanna upload videos.” “I’m starting a Roblox channel.”

Sorry, but that’s not enough. Admins aren’t obligated to give free hosting to strangers. A good admin looks for people who:

  • Fit the community’s vibe (e.g., a coding-focused instance won’t host gaming streams).
  • Show effort—like sharing a portfolio or explaining why their content adds value.

Example: If you applied with a sample of your work or a clear plan? Hell yes, I’d consider you. But if your pitch is just “I want free hosting,” why should the community foot the bill?

TL;DR: PeerTube isn’t a free-for-all. “I just wanna upload stuff” isn’t a good reason. Bring something to the table.

  • haui@lemmy.giftedmc.com
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    2 days ago

    I have a peertube server. People who want to use the infrastructure are obligated to help foot the bill. Pretty easy.

      • haui@lemmy.giftedmc.com
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        15 hours ago

        I personally or generally on peertube?

        In case you ask why one should “use” my infrastructure: i’m talking about uploading, not watching. Everyone can watch on my peertube server and it federates to a lot of other instaces.

        Hosting on my peertube server means high uptime, no corpos, pragmatic but strong moderation, extreme bias towards democracy and against fascism.