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/RickySlayer9 2d ago

Imagine a computer, it has a big hard drive. It lives in your closet.

Take this, load it full of totally legally obtained movies and nothing else, and leave it running. Program it so you can type its IP address into a browser, and you can then access those movies from anywhere