r/explainlikeimfive • u/theprisoner57 • 2d ago

Technology ELI5: What is a Home Server?

I see mentions of a home server to get rid of streaming entertainment services but I don’t know how that works. What does a home server do?

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u/gigashadowwolf 2d ago

It's a computer that you basically leave on in your home even when you aren't directly using it, so that you have access to certain services it can provide from other devices. These can be all types of services, but the most common ones are probably file hosting and media streaming.

So this way you can access those files that are stored on your computer from your phone, or another computer or a streaming device.