Self-Hosting AI Relay Setup

Self-hosting an AI relay setup means running your own AI agents (programs that act on your behalf) on servers you control, rather than relying only on cloud services like AWS. The term "relay" refers to the middle layer that routes requests between your AI and the tools it uses, like email or calendars. This setup matters because agents need to stay online and reachable 24/7 to be useful—a private agent running on your own hosting gives you that always-on capability from your phone or anywhere else.

Why does this matter for AI development? First, it's an identity choice, not just a tech one. If AI is core to your business, infrastructure is not optional. You can run agents locally for full control, but then you're responsible for keeping them up; hosting on a VPS (virtual private server) or dedicated platform makes it cheaper and more reliable. Second, self-hosting lets you manage security and privacy risks directly—you decide what access your agent gets to sensitive systems, which is critical for power users who understand the threats.

The practical benefit is autonomy. Instead of relying on a vendor's API (interface for connecting programs) and burning cash on per-request fees, you can route tasks smartly. For example, you might give simple, retryable jobs to cheaper models and reserve expensive judgment for complex ones. Ultimately, self-hosting gives you control over how your AI runs, where your data lives, and how much you pay—making it a foundational choice for serious AI builders.

Self-hosting a Buzz AI relay (server) puts you in control of your team’s data, messages, and files. Instead of relying on Block’s hosted servers, you run your own. The desktop app you download is just a client (window); the relay is where everything is stored.

To start, sign up for the Buzz desktop app and create an account. Click your account, hover over the public key, and copy the npub—that’s your Buzz identity. Next, go to Railway (or similar hosting), find the Buzz deploy box, and click configure. Paste your npub into the field, then hit deploy. Railway handles the complex setup—database, Redis, storage, and the Buzz app—connecting everything in under 30 seconds. You’ll get a URL for your relay; click it to see your fresh, empty community, then use the “Open in Buzz” link to join it through the app.

You can also add a custom domain: select it in settings, type your domain, pick a port, and add it. Buzz gives you DNS records to configure with Cloudflare or your domain host.

A key feature: you can enable “share compute” to let other members run agents on your machine, using your local open-source models. Or, push code to remote repositories hosted on your relay, integrated with GitHub. By self-hosting, you control the door—no one else sees your data unless you allow it.

Self-hosting an AI relay (a server that stores your messages, files, and membership list) gives you control, but it comes with trade-offs. If you let Block host your relay, it works like Slack but with more data control. If you self-host, you own everything—but you also own the bill.

Your Buzz desktop app is just a client (a window into a server). The relay is the actual server holding your data. When you self-host, you paste one public key (your npub, or Buzz identity) into a deploy button, and the system spins up the database, Redis, storage, and the Buzz app itself in under 30 seconds. You can add a custom domain by copying DNS records to Cloudflare.

The biggest mistake: treating a self-hosted relay like an open playground. On your own relay, you must trust everyone you let in—they can upload files, generate content, and spend your compute resources. One creator runs three relays: a free community on Block's servers (an open playground where strangers can walk in), a business relay for clients and team huddles that he self-hosts, and a third for personal projects. His rule: if it's public or experimental, let Block host it. If it's business, clients, or paying community, host it yourself.

Also, the door isn't shut by default when you set up a relay—new members can join unless you lock it down. For business relays, restrict access immediately. Best practice: use Block's hosted relay for open communities, self-host for anything private, and always check your resource usage since you're paying for what members consume.