Welcome back to the deep dive. Great to have you with us again as we jump into
another interesting corner of the digital world, we try to break down these
sometimes complex ideas just for you. Before we get started, though, just a quick
shout out to our supporter, safe server. They're the ones handling the hosting for
really cool software, kind of like what we're talking about today. And they're
there to help you to with your own digital transformation stuff. You can find out
more at www.safeserver.do.e.
OK, so let's think about your digital life for a second, especially if you're into
the outdoors.
Right. You know, hiking, biking, maybe just tracking your runs.
You probably log all that phone GPS watch, whatever.
All that data, your route speed elevation, where you've been like, have you ever
stopped and wondered
where did that actually live? Who's really in control?
Is it yours or are you just while borrowing space on someone else's server?
Today, we're doing a deep dive into Wanderer.
It's this thing called the self-hosted trail database.
And it really looks like it could change how you manage and sort of think about all
that personal adventure data.
Gives you a fresh perspective, puts you back in charge.
Yeah, exactly. And our mission today really is to unpack what Wanderer actually is.
Why it's a pretty big deal for anyone tracking outdoor stuff.
And crucially, how it empowers you, gives you that control over your own data.
We'll keep it straightforward, easy for beginners to grasp, no heavy tech talk.
OK, so let's picture this. You've got maybe years of GPS data piled up from all
those amazing trips.
It's stored somewhere.
But is it really in your hands?
Like, can you trust the platform it's on?
Will they change the rules, start selling your info or just, you know, disappear
one day?
That's exactly the problem Wanderer tackles.
Put simply, it's a self-hosted trail database designed to, well, save your
adventures.
And those two words self-hosted, they're absolutely key.
Okay, self-hosted, let's unpack that because it sounds maybe a bit technical, right?
What does it actually mean for you, the user, day-to-day?
Well, the really revolutionary thing is that self-hosted means it's built around
this idea.
Privacy first, always.
So imagine not having to worry about a service changing its terms or finding out
they're using your adventure data in ways you didn't expect.
With Wanderer, you get full control, period.
No third-party tracking, no being locked into one company's system, you know, where
you can't easily take your data elsewhere.
No compromises on privacy.
Your trails, they stay on your server under your control.
It's more than just privacy, really.
It's about, like, taking back ownership of your digital stuff in an era where we
often just rent access.
That idea of owning versus renting your digital footprint, that really resonates.
Now, I know loads of listeners, probably me included, use things like Kuboot or
Strava.
We've got years of history logged there.
Does using something like Wanderer mean you have to ditch all that?
Start from zero, because, honestly, that sounds like a massive pain.
No, not at all, and that's a really important point.
Nobody wants to lose all that history.
Wanderer isn't about throwing away your past, it's about bringing it under your
roof, so to speak.
It actually has built-in support to easily import your trail history straight from
Kuboot and Strava.
No complex file juggling needed, so you can pull all those past journeys into one
place under your control.
It's about centralizing everything where you want it.
That import feature sounds crucial, a real game changer.
So, okay, let's say your data is now safe and sound inside Wanderer.
What can you actually do with it? What's the experience like?
It's actually pretty impressive.
First up, you can obviously manage your trails and even plan new routes.
You can physically draw new routes right there on the map within the system.
Yeah, it has extensive map integration and visualization, so you get nice
interactive maps.
And you upload your recorded GPS tracks naturally from your device.
Then you can add all sorts of useful bits notes on the weather, terrain type, who
you're with.
Maybe rate the difficulty.
This builds up this really rich, searchable catalog of everything you've done
outdoors.
Having that level of detail sounds amazing for keeping records.
But honestly, if you've got hundreds of trails, how easy is it to find stuff?
Is the search intuitive, kind of just like hard bike rides from last summer near
the coast?
Or is there a steep learning curve?
Good question, it's got this advanced filter and search functionality, but it's
designed
to be powerful without being, you know, overly complicated.
You can quickly find things using all that metadata you added, date, activity,
distance,
keywords in your notes, whatever.
Plus, you can create custom lists.
So you can easily make a list for, say, favorite peak district hikes, or quick
lunchtime runs,
or family walks.
It lets you organize your memories however makes sense to you.
Okay, that sounds much more manageable.
What about sharing though?
Is it just for you, or is there a social side?
Because sharing the adventure is a big part of it for many people.
Right, and Wanderer definitely thinks about that.
The idea is to explore together, even apart.
It uses something called the activity pub protocol.
Activity pubs.
Okay.
Think of it like a common language that lets different apps or different Wanderer
servers
talk directly to each other.
So instead of one big company holding everything, your Wanderer can connect with my
Wanderer.
We can share trails, comment on activities, discover stuff across this sort of
decentralized
network.
It's a bit like how email works.
You can email from Gmail to Outlook, right?
Activity pub lets your Wanderer talk to another Wanderer or even other compatible
platforms
like Mastodon.
Wow, okay.
It creates this open community feel for adventurers, but without any central
company controlling
it all.
That decentralized network idea is fascinating, especially for outdoor folks.
I had to ask again for the non-techie person listening, self-hosting protocols
still sounds
a bit daunting maybe.
How easy is it really to get Wanderer installed and running?
What's the actual first step?
Totally fair question.
And the developers have really tried to make this smooth.
The recommended way and the quickest is using a tool called Docker Compose.
Docker.
Yeah, now without getting too technical, Docker basically packages everything up
neatly.
So you run like two simple commands in your computer's terminal.
That's it.
It downloads and starts everything for you.
Just two commands?
Pretty much.
The very first time might take, say, 90 seconds while it sets itself up.
Yeah.
But after that, you just open your web browser and go to the address like any
website.
For most people using it personally, it's surprisingly straightforward.
They've hidden the complexity pretty well.
Okay.
That does sound achievable, even for me.
That's a relief.
Yeah.
So we've covered the features, the import, and how it's actually quite easy to get
started.
But let's zoom out a bit.
What's going on under the hood that makes Wanderer so different, so robust,
compared
to the usual services?
Well, a big part is that decentralized thing we talked about, using Activity Pub.
No reliance on a central server.
That's huge.
It's not just about privacy, it's resilience.
If one person's server goes offline, the whole network doesn't crash.
And you can discover new trails from different communities because these instances,
these
individual Wanderer setups can share directly.
It's not all funneled through one giant company database.
It fosters a much healthier ecosystem, I think.
And technologically, it's built on solid, modern stuff.
Things like HTML, Svelte for the interactive front-end bits that make it feel quick,
go
for the backend engine, which is known for being efficient.
It also uses specialized tools like MiloSearch, that's what makes a search so fast,
and PocketBase
for managing the database efficiently.
These aren't just random tech names, they're choices that contribute to a smooth,
reliable
experience for you.
And crucially, it's open source.
That seems central to the whole philosophy, right?
Transparency, user control.
Absolutely.
It's described explicitly as a passion project, and the commitment is that it will
always
be free and open source.
That's fundamental.
It means the code is out there for anyone to look at, check its privacy claims,
even
help improve it.
It's supported by donations, LibrePay, Buy Me a Coffee, which really shows its
community
roots.
And yeah, help is welcome, coding, checking the future plans on the roadmap, even
just
helping translate it into other languages.
That whole collaborative approach makes it stronger and keeps it focused on users.
Oh, and it also has a full featured API, which basically means for people who like
to tinker,
there are ways to automate things or build custom tools that work directly with
your
Wanderer data.
So putting it all together, you get control of your data, you get this
decentralized community
potential, and it's all built on transparent, open source tech.
It really does sound like a complete package for adventurers who care about
ownership.
Okay, and that pretty much wraps up our deep dive into Wanderer.
It seems like a really compelling, user-controlled way to manage and share your
outdoor life,
free from the usual corporate tracking and lock-in worries.
And it leaves you with a thought, doesn't it?
How might actually owning and controlling your personal adventure data, how might
that
genuinely change your relationship with your hobbies, with your digital life
overall?
Something to chew on.
Definitely something to think about.
If Wanderer sounds interesting to you, we really encourage you to check out wanderer.to.
That's where you'll find the documentation.
And look up the GitHub repository if you want to see the code, or maybe get
involved.
And if you like this kind of software, consider supporting the developers.
And one last big thank you to our supporters, Safe Server, for helping make these
deep dives
happen.
For hosting solutions, digital transformation help, check them out at www.safeserver.de.