While on the topic of piracy (see my previous post about Massgrave), I wan’t to talk a little bit about seedboxes, and why I prefer to have on over adding the ARR stack to my homelab.
I decided to go with Whatbox for no particular reason other than I liked their approach and their website design. I really appreciate a simple design. A bit like Porkbun where I bought my latest domains, but that is a different story.
I’ve been with Whatbox for almost a year now, and I’m very happy with it. So I guess I made the right decision, even if my enitial reasoning wasn’t very good.
What is a Seedbox?#
A seedbox is a virtual machine that you can use to, well, almost anything, within the rules of the provider ofcourse.
Most people use seedboxes to download and seed torrents or SABnzbd for the NZB files, which is the equivalent of a torrent file for the NZB format.
My stack#
What I currently have set up on my seedbox is the following:
Why a Seedbox?#
Let’s be honest, you don’t need a seedbox to download Linux ISO’s. You can do that on your own computer, but a seedbox is a convenient and safe way to do it.
Pros and cons of using a seedbox:
- Your real IP address is not exposed, reducing legal and ISP-related risks.
- Access from anywhere with an internet connection, without needing to set up a VPN and risk exposing your IP.
- Easy management via a web-based interface.
- No need for a VPN subscription.
- Minimal impact on your local power usage.
- High download and upload speeds (often faster than home connections).
- Built-in tools like torrent clients, file managers, or media streaming (depends on provider).
- Better seeding ratio management, especially for private trackers.
- Monthly cost varies depending on provider and performance tier.
- Limited control compared to self-hosting, even though providers like Whatbox offer decent customization.
- Reliance on a third-party service (downtime or policy changes can affect access).
- Privacy depends on how much you trust the provider.
- Some plans include storage or bandwidth limits.
WIP#
This post is a work in progress. I will be updating it as I go.
