Freeshard is a personal cloud computer that a consumer can rent for a small monthly fee (or selfhost) and which is as simple to use as a smartphone.Its aim is to restore people's sovereignty regarding the data they consume and produce - to give them a home on the internet.
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any device
Freeshard looks the same, no matter if its owner uses a smartphone, a tablet, or a desktop PC to access it. Any device can be paired, even if only for a short time.
data sovereignty
Since each shard is a separate and isolated cloud computer, no one but its owner can access its data and apps. Spying and manipulation is prevented.
fully managed
The owner of a shard is freed from tasks like making backups, installing updates or upgrading hardware. It is all done in the background.
diverse apps
Freeshard's app-store is open for third-party developers, opening the gates for a huge variety of app-ideas, replacing and extending many common tools.
always on
A shard stays on and online, even if its owner is not. That way, it can host content, share data or provide a platform for collaboration.
consistent identity
A shard represents its owner on the internet. Its cryptographic identity can replace existing authentication methods like passwords while being more secure and transparent for the user.
WHY?
Today's internet is dominated by powerful platforms that provide their services at the cost of harvesting users' attention. This centralization not only goes against the internet's original design, it is actively harmful for individuals and society as a whole.Unfortunately, this situation is supported and advanced by a complex web of circumstances including technical realities, human psychology, and economic incentives. We got dug in at a local optimum and need to look far out of the box if we want to leave it behind. We will not get out by the same way of thinking that trapped us in the first place.For that reason, freeshard's philosophy departs from current trends in significant ways:
- Letting users pay directly eliminates the need for ad revenue.
- Giving each user their own piece of virtual hardware enables built-in privacy and ownership.
- Minimizing engagement makes freeshard a tool for its owner, not the other way around.The aim is to restore information sovereignty for everyone.
HOW?
Cloud computers have been a tool for professionals for some time. But until now, they never became a tool for the average computer-user. Freeshard is unlocking this tool for everyone.A shard is a single-user, personal cloud computer that is so easy to use that everyone can do it. It is not a single application or service but instead a platform on which applications are built. Think of a smartphone: it also is a platform that can be used for many things when the right app is installed. By that analogy, a shard is like a smartphone in the cloud.
But although the shard exists in a cloud, it is a truly private space. Unlike most cloud-services, there is a clear boundary between what is inside the shard and under full ownership and control of its user and what is outside.
This ownership is based on the fact that the user pays for their shard, around €15 per month for the basic version. The users are the customers and the only ones we are committed to. This allows us to make every development decision in service of the user. Most importantly, freeshard is a completely ad-free experience and no user-data is sold or given to anyone.Using a shard is a liberating experience. Once a user activates it, it stays always-on and always-online and over time becomes the user's presence on the internet, their digital twin. The user's physical devices - smartphones, notebooks, etc. - are paired with their shard and display its user-interface - and that of any apps that are installed on the shard - but nothing more. The actual data and computing stay on the shard.
This means that there is only one context that persists across all devices: the app that the user has opened, the page they are just reading, the video-call they are currently in. A user can switch between physical devices on the fly while continuously keeping their current context. Physical devices lose importance to a degree that users could even travel with only their phone and pair quickly and temporarily with any devices available at their destination.With these properties, their shard can become the only computer that people need. A single point of contact between a person and all their digital matters. The Cloud as it should be. Computing as it should be.There is much more to learn about freeshard. Here are some more resources that go into more detail. If you have questions or find something confusing or missing, you can write at [email protected].
Status
Freeshard is under active development as of 2025.It has recently been rebranded - its former name was Portal.
I also moved it to GitHub and made the source code public.The current version is fully functional and its app store offers apps for many real-world use cases.
To try it, you can
either host it yourself by following the steps in the GitHub readme
subscribe to the newsletter and be informed when it is publicly available (should be in 2025)
if you are impatient: write us and we can create one manually for you
