# Router and other services



## JazzSinatra (Sep 18, 2017)

What's your opinion about this? Should you have separated router and a server machine or is it okay to have every service in the same machine? By services I mean DNS, NAS, VPN, murmur etc. Should you keep a router purely as a router?


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## aragats (Sep 18, 2017)

Are you talking about home environment? Do you you have a static IP address?
Personally I prefer running a separate pfsense (FreeBSD-based) router in an old mini-PC with 2 NICs at home.


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## JazzSinatra (Sep 18, 2017)

aragats said:


> Are you talking about home environment? Do you you have a static IP address?
> Personally I prefer running a separate pfsense (FreeBSD-based) router in an old mini-PC with 2 NICs at home.


Yes. In home environment. I don't have static IP address, but I do use DDNS.


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## SirDice (Sep 18, 2017)

Nothing wrong with putting services like DHCP, DNS, routing and NAT/firewalling on the same machine. They're all 'network' services and most commercial routers have the exact same services built-in. 

I wouldn't put things like Samba or web services on it though, those should best be put on a different machine.


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## aragats (Sep 18, 2017)

JazzSinatra said:


> but I do use DDNS


I've split services between my home server and a $5/mon FreeBSD VPS, which actually provides DDNS for my home network. Also it provides web services, XMPP and VPN.
The home server provides Samba, NAS, Airplay and other things.


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