After my previous server got hacked (presumably), I am now looking for new solutions to my needs. CalDAV/CardDAV is a big one.

So far I switched from a content management system (PHP) to a static site generator for my blog, and I'm not looking back.

I wonder if it makes sense to also step away from PHP wrt CalDAV/CardDAV.

As ever so often, this list has some nice info.

I'd like to keep dependencies low. Python would be a good choice because it's already installed on my Debian Stable system. But would it be safer?

Back when I started this compatibility with clients was an issue; but I don't use Android anymore. In any case, is this still an issue?

edit: no, I don't use a web based app; and I'd prefer the server doesn't require admin via web UI either.

Thanks for all your replies! I chose Radicale, already set it up. Only what is needed, simple config files. Very nice. It runs under an nginx reverse proxy and they communicate encrypted (and of course the outside is also encrypted and password-protected). And the web UI can be disabled.

The documentation is very tutorial-like and security conscious.

After my previous server got hacked (presumably), I am now looking for new solutions to my needs. CalDAV/CardDAV is a big one.

So far I switched from a content management system (PHP) to a static site generator for my blog, and I'm not looking back.

I wonder if it makes sense to also step away from PHP wrt CalDAV/CardDAV.

As ever so often, this list has some nice info.

I'd like to keep dependencies low. Python would be a good choice because it's already installed on my Debian Stable system. But would it be safer?

Back when I started this compatibility with clients was an issue; but I don't use Android anymore. In any case, is this still an issue?

edit: no, I don't use a web based app; and I'd prefer the server doesn't require admin via web UI either.

Thanks for all your replies! I chose Radicale, already set it up. Only what is needed, simple config files. Very nice. It runs under an nginx reverse proxy and they communicate encrypted (and of course the outside is also encrypted and password-protected). And the web UI can be disabled.

The documentation is very tutorial-like and security conscious.

Back when I started this compatibility with clients was an issue; but I don't use Android anymore. In any case, is this still an issue?

Um... How are we supposed to tell you if your unnamed DAV client will have problems with your unnamed new DAV server? Works fine for me.

I've never had any issues with Radicale, which is dead simple and lightweight. If you end up with Android again, DAVx5 has also never given me any trouble, and it also allows calendars to be cached offline. I'm not sure how you're having compatibility issues as I would think CalDAV is a standard protocol?

If you're concerned about dependencies and security, why not use Docker or Podman? It makes most of self-hosting in general much simpler, and it's much easier to secure since it's containerized. With containers, even if a hacker somehow hacks your CalDAV server, they can only access the minimal resources that you've given the container. I use this repo for Radicale on Docker.

There used to be a mismatch between the spec and Google’s implementation of it.

I use radicale. Safe and solid. Zero php.

You need to install a separate app if you want a web based calendar ui, or you can just use dav5x on android or any other caldav client.

After my previous server got hacked (presumably), I am now looking for new solutions to my needs. CalDAV/CardDAV is a big one.

So far I switched from a content management system (PHP) to a static site generator for my blog, and I'm not looking back.

I wonder if it makes sense to also step away from PHP wrt CalDAV/CardDAV.

As ever so often, this list has some nice info.

I'd like to keep dependencies low. Python would be a good choice because it's already installed on my Debian Stable system. But would it be safer?

Back when I started this compatibility with clients was an issue; but I don't use Android anymore. In any case, is this still an issue?

edit: no, I don't use a web based app; and I'd prefer the server doesn't require admin via web UI either.

Thanks for all your replies! I chose Radicale, already set it up. Only what is needed, simple config files. Very nice. It runs under an nginx reverse proxy and they communicate encrypted (and of course the outside is also encrypted and password-protected). And the web UI can be disabled.

The documentation is very tutorial-like and security conscious.

I've been using Nextcloud for almost a decade (started with Owncloud), publicly exposed to the internet with no VPN, and I've had no issues with security or with DAV. I do nothing special besides keeping it up to date (And using strong passwords, I guess)

After my previous server got hacked (presumably), I am now looking for new solutions to my needs. CalDAV/CardDAV is a big one.

So far I switched from a content management system (PHP) to a static site generator for my blog, and I'm not looking back.

I wonder if it makes sense to also step away from PHP wrt CalDAV/CardDAV.

As ever so often, this list has some nice info.

I'd like to keep dependencies low. Python would be a good choice because it's already installed on my Debian Stable system. But would it be safer?

Back when I started this compatibility with clients was an issue; but I don't use Android anymore. In any case, is this still an issue?

edit: no, I don't use a web based app; and I'd prefer the server doesn't require admin via web UI either.

Thanks for all your replies! I chose Radicale, already set it up. Only what is needed, simple config files. Very nice. It runs under an nginx reverse proxy and they communicate encrypted (and of course the outside is also encrypted and password-protected). And the web UI can be disabled.

The documentation is very tutorial-like and security conscious.

I use radicale. Safe and solid. Zero php.

You need to install a separate app if you want a web based calendar ui, or you can just use dav5x on android or any other caldav client.

I've been using Nextcloud for almost a decade (started with Owncloud), publicly exposed to the internet with no VPN, and I've had no issues with security or with DAV. I do nothing special besides keeping it up to date (And using strong passwords, I guess)

After my previous server got hacked (presumably), I am now looking for new solutions to my needs. CalDAV/CardDAV is a big one.

So far I switched from a content management system (PHP) to a static site generator for my blog, and I'm not looking back.

I wonder if it makes sense to also step away from PHP wrt CalDAV/CardDAV.

As ever so often, this list has some nice info.

I'd like to keep dependencies low. Python would be a good choice because it's already installed on my Debian Stable system. But would it be safer?

Back when I started this compatibility with clients was an issue; but I don't use Android anymore. In any case, is this still an issue?

edit: no, I don't use a web based app; and I'd prefer the server doesn't require admin via web UI either.

Thanks for all your replies! I chose Radicale, already set it up. Only what is needed, simple config files. Very nice. It runs under an nginx reverse proxy and they communicate encrypted (and of course the outside is also encrypted and password-protected). And the web UI can be disabled.

The documentation is very tutorial-like and security conscious.

I've been using NC for about the same amount of time and I will say I'm no longer as happy with it as I once was, primarily because it's a mess of PHP, gum and popsicle sticks held together by me going in there every 3 upgrades to fix 'occ missing indices', add a sql table or some such error.

The caldav integration did allow me to break free from google some more, and it works well, but I've since moved file sync to syncthing and I'm looking for a standalone caldav solution.

I've been using NC for about the same amount of time and I will say I'm no longer as happy with it as I once was, primarily because it's a mess of PHP, gum and popsicle sticks held together by me going in there every 3 upgrades to fix 'occ missing indices', add a sql table or some such error.

The caldav integration did allow me to break free from google some more, and it works well, but I've since moved file sync to syncthing and I'm looking for a standalone caldav solution.

My journey⋮
Nextcloud ---> syncthing + radicale

Much simpler, easier to maintain, less resources needed

What's wrong with following the official upgrade procedure? Don't complain about missing tables or indices then.

The most important thing is that the software does not break and you can maneuver out of every bad situation. This is important for self-hosting.

I don't care if it's PHP. Many good things are written in PHP. I find Python and Ruby much worse for web applications. Not because of the language, but because it's hard to maneuver out of some situations.

That said I didn't have many problems with Nextcloud. The only thing I criticize is that it solves too many problems at once.

I'm not sure what gave you the impression I don't follow the official procedure, I do follow the official upgrade procedure, and always have through its many stupid iterations for the last 8 years.

Example error, from last week:

Devs did not test with NC instances created before v21.x, so the SQL db is broken when going through the official upgrade if your nc has the old structure and I had to manually modify the actual db to work.

This kind of shit happens about twice a year. Mind you, this exact literal thing happened from v18.x to 19.x also, you'd think they has learned their lesson.

And php itself is fine. Not the most secure way to build a webapp, but fine. However, upgrading PHP on various platforms is an exercise in pulling your hair out.

Nextcloud is great when it's working. Most upgrades are fine. But when it poops the bed, it's another hour I can't get back. No other self-hosted software in my stack is like that.