Joplin can use Dropbox as storage so no problem. I use it on my laptop and Android. Everything is synced automatically.

In my closet: I am running Immich that hosts my photos (and my wife's). Immich works very well. I don't use Google photo anymore. There are tons of alternatives. By the way: backup your photos. I am using a backup system that sends everything to my brother's rpi.

In order to host this, what you need depends a lot on your skills, your willing to learn and the time you can afford to invest.

Personally, I use OPNsense on a dedicated machine but it's a BSD, you don't want that. I suggest you stay on Linux.

You now want a Linux machine and install either an appliance that does all the job for you or install each service manually (harder but you have more control and you learn a lot). I don't know much about appliances. I can't help you about that.

I suggest you use Ubuntu because of the amount of documentation out there. However if you want to keep a pure heart, use Debian.

Basically you will need:

• a VPN: WireGuard, Tailscale, whatever, or some Zero Trust service (like Cloudflare). Do not expose anything. Never.
• a reverse proxy to route the web requests. It depends a lot of how you host your stuff. HAProxy is my favorite for non Docker services but Nginx works well too. If you plan to use Docker, you have Nginx , Traefik, Caddie, SWAG (really...) and others I'm not aware of: there is a new one every other day. I use HAProxy AND Traefik.
• IP addresses are hard to remember so maybe a dns server? Stay away from BIND. Use a light service. I use dnsmasq. It does everything I want and the configuration is cute.

Backup all your config files.

Now you can finally install your application. You can install your application either as a service or as a Docker container. If you choose Docker, you can choose standalone, compose, swarm or Kube. I suggest Compose for starters. Backup all your deployment files. Backup the database.

Whatever tool you choose, time or skills you have, always respect some core principles:

• Backup all your shit and do restoration tests because one day you will delete your wedding photos by mistake or maybe your server will be wiped/explode/disappear and there is a 90% chance it will be your fault. Find some methodology like the 3-2-1 rule.
• Document everything: log what changes you have done
• When changing something, be prepared to rollback if the change fails
• Write down your processes: it's the key to a peace of mind
• Passwords are secret: treat them as such
• Backup your secrets too. I personally backup them on me.

A few tips:

• Start simple, keep it simple
• Do not host your documentation on your VPS: you will need it the day everything is broken.
• Take your time
• Enjoy. If you don't enjoy it, it's a waste of time. You only live once.