---
title: The AltStack Starter Kit
description: "The recommended first 3 tools to self-host: Uptime Kuma, Plausible, and Coolify. Your foundation for software independence."
---

# The AltStack Starter Kit

If you're new to self-hosting, don't try to replace your entire SaaS stack on day one. Start with three tools that are immediately useful, easy to deploy, and will teach you how everything works.

## The Stack

| Tool | Replaces | Why It's First |
|---|---|---|
| [**Uptime Kuma**](/deploy/uptime-kuma) | Pingdom, UptimeRobot ($15/mo) | Monitors everything else you deploy. Set it up first. |
| [**Plausible**](/deploy/plausible) | Google Analytics (free but creepy) | Privacy-respecting analytics. You'll see results immediately. |
| [**Coolify**](/deploy/coolify) | Vercel, Heroku ($20+/mo) | Deploy future apps with git push. Your own PaaS. |

**Total monthly cost:** ~$6 (one small VPS)
**Total SaaS cost replaced:** ~$35+/mo

## Deploy Order

This order matters:

### 1. Uptime Kuma (5 min)
Your monitoring dashboard. Once it's running, add monitors for everything else you deploy. You'll always know if something goes down.

→ [Deploy Uptime Kuma](/deploy/uptime-kuma)

### 2. Plausible Analytics (10 min)
Lightweight, cookie-free analytics. Add the tracking script to your site and immediately start seeing real visitor data — without the privacy guilt.

→ [Deploy Plausible](/deploy/plausible)

### 3. Coolify (15 min)
This is the game-changer. Coolify turns your server into a self-hosted Vercel/Netlify. Git push → auto deploy. It'll become the foundation for everything you build.

→ [Deploy Coolify](/deploy/coolify)

## After the Starter Kit

Once you're comfortable, explore the [Curated Stacks](/stacks) — pre-built bundles of tools designed for specific use cases:

- 🚀 [The Bootstrapper Stack](/stacks/bootstrapper) — Full SaaS toolkit for $0/mo
- 🔒 [The Privacy Stack](/stacks/privacy) — Maximum data sovereignty
- 🤖 [The AI-First Stack](/stacks/ai-first) — Run LLMs and image gen locally